Abstract:

The teaching innovation project introduces a new pedagogy for intensive graduate courses at the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape through blended teaching modalities. Thematically the courses focus on sustainability transitions in cities emphasizing the need for equity, resilience and human-centered design. The pedagogy is guided by design thinking with a social innovation lens as a new model of knowledge creation that can generate transformative change in urban systems.

The presentation provides an overview of the conceptual approach of the project and highlights results achieved using evidence from students’ learning experiences (e.g. prototypes, innovative ideas, educational ladder model). The theoretical framework of design thinking emphasizes a dynamic perspective on its phases—analysis (of the problem), synthesis (of the solutions), evaluation and decision/implementation. In urbanism, this way of thinking is perceived as a more robust and dynamic approach to urban social innovation, responding to the fact that `a city is not a tree' that can be reduced to simple, hierarchical, and easy-to-analyze structures. The social innovation lab methodologies allow the development of solutions in an experimental way. There is no single methodology for innovation labs, but they are systemic, socially driven, experimental and potentially transformational. In our model, the processes involve a research-intensive front end, a charrette process for integrating interdisciplinary thinking, and the use of design techniques for thinking through solutions. Tools used to visualize solutions have a technical component (building, structure, technical system), but also a defined process of institutional transformation central to the solution. The iterative nature of the design thinking process assumes a feedback loop from users/communities with lived experiences to translate the social innovation into real-world context.

Our teaching innovation project focused on solutions that address some of the greatest challenges in our cities--social inequality, injustice and exclusion. This drives student learning and promotes entrepreneurial thinking to turn innovative ideas into prototypes at the project and professional level. The intensive block format provides an opportunity to immerse in the context, engage in interactive conversation with professionals and leaders in the field, take on a real-world project for a client and experiment. This unique combination promotes a synthesis of teaching and research opportunities so that students can select their projects/themes depending on interest, experience and future career pathways. The online and blended format provides access to best practices/case studies and engagement of global experts, innovators and practitioners in the virtual classroom.

The outcomes achieved indicate that this new pedagogy for intensive graduate courses through blended teaching modalities offers an opportunity to implement a new entrepreneurial model that enhances student learning and creativity in developing solutions to urban social challenges in an innovative and collaborative way. The need for such teaching practices has become particularly important during the pandemic when social inequality and marginalization have exacerbated patterns of economic and social exclusion in our cities.

Keywords:

Design thinking pedagogy, social innovation labs, blended modality, planning education.