Projects
d.loft STEM: The Space for Exploring Design Thinking and Engineering Careers
Design Thinking Assessment Metric Initiative
Taking Design Thinking to School II
Taking Design Thinking to School I
Teaching for Tomorrow Today
d.loft STEM: The Space for Exploring Design Thinking and Engineering Careers
d.loft introduces students to STEM engineering careers by leveraging the power of a design thinking approach to learning in camp settings. The inspiration and framework for the project is the "Design for the Other 90% Movement”, which is comprised of engineers, designers, scientists, technologists, architects, and mathematicians engaged in designing low-cost innovative solutions for large portion of the world’s population who do not have access to basic services and products.
Students learn about the vibrant and active real world problem solving of those engaged in STEM careers. The project focuses on four critical areas:
(1) The development of design-based STEM career camps
(2) The establishment of a professional community institute and web site for camp educators and teachers from partner schools
(3) The establishment of a course for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM majors with a camper-mentoring component
(4) Research and evaluation studies to assess the effectiveness of a design-based STEM career camp model in middle school settings.
Design Thinking Assessment Metric Initiative
REDlab received a grant from the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design to explore assessment of design thinking in education. The purpose of the project was to understand the role of design thinking in graduate school education. Three key questions framed this research study:
(1) How can we enhance our understanding of the design thinking process in graduate education?
(2) How can we understand and assess what people learn and what resources might represent that learning?
(3) How can we create performance-based assessment tools that capture the learning of design thinking process and mindsets?
In this first year of the grant, we conducted field research in two design thinking classes at Stanford and conducted two research segments in order to develop performance assessment tasks. We have developed prototypes for a design assessment rubric of design thinking methods, practices and skills, and two performance assessments of mindset development.
Samples coming soon!
Interviews:
Students enrolled in the Design Thinking Bootcamp class at the d.school.
Students enrolled in the Design Garage class at the d.school
Samples coming soon!
Taking Design Thinking to School II:
Taking Design Thinking to School II
“I really liked using my imagination. I haven’t used it for a long time.” These are the words of a 7th grader after an introductory design thinking activity. With the current short-range focus on accountability, we hinder the imagination of teachers and students, and ultimately, the long-range goals of education. We believe that design thinking provides a powerful and promising alternative to the current situation of public schools by challenging students to act as change agents. Bringing Design Thinking to School II is the continuation of a collaboration of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school), the School of Education (SUSE) and teachers in local schools, to explore how design thinking and processes can best impact teaching and learning. In this next year, Taking Design Thinking to School II will unfold in five areas:
(1) professional development with teachers
(2) development and adaptation of curriculum with design
(3) development of assessments for research, evaluation and classroom use
(4) opportunities for Stanford students to participate and research in K-12
(5) scale and dissemination efforts.
Taking Design Thinking to School I
The project is a partnership between the School of Education and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school), and local teachers. The purpose of the project was to extend the knowledge base that contributes to an improved understanding of the role and feasibility of design thinking in K-12 education. Two key questions framed this pilot research study:
How can we enhance our understanding of the design thinking process in K-12 education?
What are the possibilities for integrating design thinking into the K-12 subject areas?
Teaching for Tomorrow Today
There is a great deal of energy around the premise that 21st century education needs to prepare students to actively participate in a society where problems are increasingly complex and innovation skills are essential. The “education for innovation” calls, coming from academia and government, require new visions of teaching and learning processes, as well as novel assessment strategies and technologies. This study, commissioned by the Oracle Education Foundation, explores the teachers’ perspective on this challenge. Through in-depth interviews, we focus on how teachers make sense of all of the debates that surround the issue, as well as the specific demands that are placed on them to bring 21st century learning to their students. By better understanding the teachers’ point of view, we hope to contribute to the design of concrete and actionable strategies, that bring our educational system closer to the goal of preparing students to be workers and citizens that are successful in the global skills race.
Download the full description, pdf
Family Science Learning
We are designing and researching activities that offer families opportunities to engage in fun, exploratory science learning together while out-and-about in their everyday lives. We aim to design experiences that empower parents to do and learn science practices with their children, and to elicit and extend children’s curiosities. We are designing family learning activities that can be easily accessible to a wide audience. Building on the premise that science learning should be relevant and useful for the kinds of activities families do, we aim to develop experiences that intersect with families’ everyday routines, interests, and values.
Download the full description, pdf