Category: Design education
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Service Design in Practice: Reflections on Co-Teaching for the T190 Module
By Rachel A. Wood & Samantha Osys. Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of co-teaching a session on Service Design in Practice as part of the Open University’s T190 module. As both PhD researchers and service designers, we wanted to offer students a real-world perspective on how service design unfolds in practice. The session […]
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Reflections on Mentoring in Design Practice
Once upon a time… when I was a young, carefree designer… many earth cycles ago… I found myself stuck under what they call a “glass ceiling.” I struggled to advance within my organisation until my line manager suggested I get a mentor. At the time, I had no idea what she meant. A quick search […]
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Design at the Sharps End
The smell of oil and grease evokes happy memories of hours teaching in a secondary school engineering work shop, the clatter of tools and low rumble of machinery, familiar and almost homely – but there is another odour, a whiff of ozone, and this is not year seven last period on a wet Wednesday afternoon.
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Design Studio and Project-Based Learning
If you are a design student or educator, chances are that you have experience of and perhaps some strong views about the design studio. The design studio is a place that gives opportunities to students (and tutors) to co-exist: to interact, ask questions, work together, or work side-by-side, and learn from one another: either directly […]
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An introduction to the design of education: My experience as a design curriculum intern
Between November 2023 and May 2024, I had the opportunity to take on the role of Curriculum Design Intern. My responsibilities were primarily focused on providing feedback on educational content developed for future Design modules at the OU. I applied to the internship after seeing the Design team’s wish to engage with diverse students. As […]
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Desire-based Design as a Transformative Practice in Humanitarian Design Projects
In the last few years, I have been working on several action-based research projects in the Global South focused on designing with marginalised communities in low-resource settings. In these contexts, designing frugal innovations is crucial to alleviating big and small problems that affect individuals and groups. However, questions about people’s agency and how to foster […]
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Reflections on our face to face design meet-ups this year
We have been delighted to be able to run a number of informal face to face meet ups at various venues across the country this autumn. It has been wonderful to meet with students as well as their partners, children and grandchildren! It has been a joy to meet such enthusiastic students and to see […]
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Designing communities for belonging
For years, I’ve been exploring ways to design with and for communities at the Open University (OU). A recent event showcasing student community projects highlighted a growing interest among staff and students in building and supporting these initiatives. Being part of a community or communities instils a sense of belonging. Belonging, a sense of connectedness […]
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Design for Planet Festival 2024
This article was written on 15th November 2024 On 6th November, I had the privilege of attending the Design Council’s Design for Planet Festival 2024 in Manchester, where designers, studios, and businesses came together with the aim of working towards a net-zero future. The event was opened by inspiring leaders including Andy Burnham, Mayor of […]
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Report on visit to V&A Museum of Childhood
On the 12th October 2024, seven U101 24B students (including two children) met up at the V&A Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green in East London. The museum itself showcases a mix of displays of artefacts relating to childhood from a diversity of cultures around the world. Some artefacts date back to the 16th Century. […]