Design thinking and how to design for Significant learning.

1. Design Thinking
Designing Courses for Significant
Learning
Dr Bronwyn Hegarty, April 2018

2. What is Design Thinking?
“Outside-the-box”
A human-centred and holistic way to solve problems creatively, using
innovation.
• Empathise – with your users.
• Define – your users’ needs, their problem, and your insights.
• Ideate – by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative
solutions.
• Prototype – start creating solutions.
• Test – solutions are evaluated for success.

3. The stages of Design Thinking
Design Thinking by MrJanzen1984

4. Activity: Using Design Thinking.
1. Share a strategy currently used in the
classroom.
• Why was that strategy chosen?
• Is it effective?
• How do you know?
• Are there any 'problems‘?
2. How could you use Design Thinking
to solve the problem?
Phases of Design Thinking
• Empathise – acknowledge users
• Define – users’ needs, the problem,
your insights
• Ideate – ideas for innovative solutions.
• Prototype – start creating solutions.
• Test – solutions
Questions

5. Fink (2003, p. 2.)

6. From Fink (2003, p. 9.)
Significant learning experiences need
to be:
• interactive
• learner-centred
• designed intentionally
• more than ‘understand and
remember’
• about critical thinking, creative use
of knowledge, real-world problems &
projects
• developing learning about self and
others
• building skills for lifelong learning.

7. Steps for designing significant learning (Fink,
2003).
INITIAL DESIGN PHASE: Build sound primary components.
Step 1. Identify important situational factors
Step 2. Identify important learning goals
Step 3. Formulate appropriate feedback and assessment procedures
Step 4. Select effective teaching/learning activities
Step 5. Make sure the primary components are integrated (aligned).

8. Activity: Padlet brainstorm - Situational
factors
1. What are the important situational factors?
Group according to categories:
Context, Theory or practical, Learner characteristics
Teacher (identity) characteristics
Organisational, National, Industry & International.
https://padlet.com/bronwynhegarty/3rk55wp03ney

9. Use Fink’s worksheet
Fill in responses to these questions on the worksheet.
2. What could the learning goals (objectives) be?
3. What kinds of feedback and assessment should we provide?
4. What kinds of learning activities for 'active learning' will we plan
and prepare?
5. Are all the above components Integrated & aligned?

10. References
Dam, R. & Siang, T. (2018). What is design thinking and why is it so popular?
Interaction Design Foundation: Retrieved from https://www.interaction-
design.org/literature/article/what-is-design-thinking-and-why-is-it-so-popular
Fink, L. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.
Retrieved from
https://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf