Abstract:

Co-creation is a process in which multiple stakeholders - who would be affected by the outcome of a design process - come together and share ideas to reach innovative solutions. Nowadays, co-creation is seen as the key to innovation. However, due to its complexity and unfamiliarity to non-designers, co-creation requires the support of a facilitator. A facilitator is the person who makes a process easier by utilizing generative tools and techniques to help people express themselves in a better way during a co-creation process. This paper reports on the facilitation of co-creation processes during three (3) mobility exchange programmes carried out in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project. The main aim of this project has been to develop an online learning platform, which is based on the Design Thinking methodology, game-based learning, and constructionism. The goal has been to guide and facilitate co-creation among stakeholders in various contexts. In the context of co-creation, the mobility of students and staff members among four (4) higher education institutions from Greece, Belgium and Finland (consortium partners), was envisioned as a way to exchange ideas and create value together. Three cycles of mobility have been completed. This paper focuses on the role of the facilitator for achieving meaningful co-creation experiences during mobility, as well as, the tools that have been utilized for creating a common ground. Furthermore, the feedback received (through interviews and a questionnaire) from students and staff members (n=10), who visited a partner institution for 1-2 weeks, is presented, and suggestions are provided for researchers who would like to take up the facilitator role to increase the efficiency of co-creation processes. For instance, it is advised to combine physical (e.g., analogue, low-tech prototyping tools) and digital facilitation tools (e.g., Miro boards), and prepare templates beforehand to facilitate collaborative idea generation. It is argued that the results of this study would shed light into more fruitful co-creation processes among people from different backgrounds, countries and disciplines.

Keywords:

Co-creation, student and staff mobility programmes, facilitator role, Design Thinking, game-based learning.