Abstract:

Covid-19 has been a blessing: Over the past year due to the mandatory slowdown, the authors enjoyed time to revise curriculum, reflect on past experiences, adapt their teaching, innovate, write and explore. We were inspired by speakers and thought leaders around the globe that helped fuel our own journey in our classroom focused on fun, play, activity, experience, and connection leading to purpose and content.

The authors presented at INTED a paper entitled, “A Next Generation Classroom, As Created By The Next Generation,” focused on re-imagining our sequence of four courses during Covid-19 guided by input from our students. This year long sequence uses the UNESCO 2030 SDG Goals as our roadmap and the Stanford d-School Design Thinking principles as our methodology.

Reflecting on the past year and thinking ahead to the incoming Freshman class has caused the authors to focus more strongly on what we are trying to accomplish. It is our goal to “Open Hearts and Open Minds.” In this paper and presentation, the reader will see what we learned from our students and what we have added for the post Covid-19 year.

Opening minds may seem like an obvious objective for a university. However much of education is unfortunately doing the opposite by closing minds and forcing students to think in a specific way. In our Design Thinking for Social Product Innovation (DTSPI) class, we hope that minds and hearts can be opened in every way including but not limited to:
• New realities
• Different realities
• Empathy
• Environment
• Global Needs
• Local needs
• Observing
• Thinking differently
• Thinking in words
• Thinking in art
• Thinking in the classroom
• Thinking in construction
• Thinking in the woods
• Examining one’s own perceptual framework

However, this is not just about content. The goal is to engage the mind first and let it think in new directions, and then to focus multiple ways to work with content.

Hearts are the lifeblood of the body and soul. Our students typically come from homogeneous homes and often are surprised to learn how other people live. The professors want them to see, hear, and feel with their newly opened hearts.

The paper will lay out a plan for the operation of the four courses building on the focus developed in the Covid-19 era. The DTSPI sequence has four classes spread over two semesters. It will include outcomes we wanted to accomplish but could not due to Covid-19. Some of the activities we planned and intend to introduce includes visiting companies, nonprofits, and communities as well as having more guests from different countries, and people living differently in our area of the US visit and speak with our students.

Connection is key to overall success. Our plan will include what our students call experiences, and Michael Wesch calls adventure. It will include various types of connections, both laterally with one’s peers, and vertically within the university with professors and administration. It will include stepping outside the university to interface with others and include global connections in a much wider array.

It will not be perfect, as this class is an evolution. However, in times of great system changes like occurred during Covid-19, there are chances for evolutionary change. It is our hope that those who read the paper, view the presentation, and interact with the authors may be challenged with even greater evolutionary ideas.

Keywords:

Design Thinking, UNESCO SDG's, Open Minds, Open Hearts, Post Covid-19 Plans.