Development of Innovative AcadeMy ON the basis of DT teaching Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development of Innovative AcadeMy ON the basis of DT teaching

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Research and innovation

Project Summary

The DiamonDT (Development of Innovative AcadeMy ON the basis of DT teaching) aimed at fostering independent, open-minded and innovation-oriented thinking of future higher education graduates based on Design Thinking (DT) methodology. The project was coordinated by Lodz University of Technology (TUL), together with its partners in the field of the higher education from Spain (UV – University of Vigo), Norway (UiT – University of Tromsø) and Poland (UTP – University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz). This project is a dedicated response to the current and anticipated future requirements of the European labour market. The institutions with different but harmonizing and strong backgrounds and educational experience formed the project’s consortium, as it helped to achieve a broad complementarity of educational and research practice. DiamonDT project offered a development of an educational path based on Design Thinking methodology addressed to three target groups: students, academic teachers and implicitly business environment as well. An educational path based on Design Thinking will lead to an improvement of the human resources potential on the labour market and it will definitely influence the development of the economy innovativeness both at the local, global and the European level. Nowadays Europe needs higher education not only to pass relevant knowledge and help students to prepare for professional life and work, but also to equip them with a set of transversal skills and team work experience. In order to meet these requirements DiamonDT offered ways to upgrade the educational systems improving the way of teaching in the field of enhancing the creativity and focusing students attention on development of innovative solutions tailored to the real needs of local communities as well as global society.

The main goal of the DiamonDT project was to provide an innovative tool into the methods of teaching and learning. It was realized by creating an education path implementing the Design Thinking methodology as well as conducting interdisciplinary projects based on that method from the different disciplines of science and various areas of everyday life. The strength of the project consortium lied both in the infrastructure as well as in the strong background for proficient education of DT methodology.

The project results, which were achieved, include: the development of teaching materials for study courses: course programme for first-cycle studies including proper course sheet, the development of materials used for training of tutors in DT methodology, multilingual course materials and DT handouts. The most important result are: TEXTBOOK, TOOLBOX and a handbook of good DT practices, which includes practical guidelines on the DT educational process for both teachers and students. Apart from these, also the sample documents and as well as description of case studies, projects, examples used during the project realization and remarks collected from students and DT mentors working with the national and international groups were worked out. The handbook is a universal tool for European HEIs that will help them use DT in the classroom. Tens of tutors were trained during professional courses held locally and in foreign partner country. A number of departments of each HEI participating in the project implemented the DT course that was developed within the project into their curricula. Dozens of students took part in national and international Good Practice Academies. The numerous business contacts with industry were established thanks to the common project. In addition, the project also involved the implementation of the soft type results: equalization or increase of knowledge among students as well as tutors, development of competence of both.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 162376 Eur

Project Coordinator

POLITECHNIKA LODZKA & Country: PL

Project Partners

• UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
• UNIWERSYTET TECHNOLOGICZNO PRZYRODNICZY IM JANA I JEDRZEJA SNIADECKICH W BYDGOSZCZY
• UNIVERSITETET I TROMSOE