MGMT 2902.03
CORE: An Introduction to Design Thinking
We caught up with Dr.鈥疛enny Baechler鈥痶o hear more about 鈥疢GMT聽2902.03 An Introduction to Design Thinking,鈥痑聽core course in聽the Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.鈥�
Innovation: An Introduction to Design Thinking聽will explore what we mean when we use the word innovation and its relevance to today鈥檚 organizations and workforce.聽We聽will devote some time to understanding barriers to creativity, the impact of these barriers on innovative pursuits and how they might be overcome. Finally, we will take an in-depth look at Design Thinking 鈥� its foundations, methods and challenges with execution. This course combines theory and application. It provides students with a hands-on practical learning experience in which they will experiment with how design thinking can be used to develop solutions to real-world problems.聽
What will a student learn in this course?鈥�
This is what we call聽a聽foundation course聽because it operates as聽an introductory course聽to innovation and entrepreneurship studies including the聽minor,聽the聽certificate and the majors that are聽available to our聽BComm聽and聽BMgmt聽students.聽
During the first聽five weeks, we explore the聽foundations聽of聽innovation. We聽seek to answer the questions:聽what聽does聽innovation聽mean, why聽does it聽matter and聽how can聽students聽and professionals聽contribute to innovation projects within a workplace? We learn what it means to have a culture聽of innovation聽and how to聽build聽innovation聽ecosystems.
The second half聽of the course is all聽about design thinking.聽There聽are several聽innovative frameworks聽for聽innovative聽problem-solving and聽design thinking is one of them.聽Design thinking聽is many things 鈥� most notably it encourages problem-solvers to really focus on the lived experiences of people聽(users, customers, community members, etc.). That鈥檚 why we sometimes call it human-centred design. In the聽course,聽we聽explore聽the various聽steps of the design thinking process.聽We also practice methods from the design thinking toolkit 鈥� activities that can be used聽to solve problems by generating new, creative and impactful solutions. We also consider the聽design thinking mindset 鈥� what attitudes and behaviours we need to have for聽design thinking to be successful.
Please鈥痵hare 1鈥�3 specific highlights of the course that may be of interest to a student.鈥�
What I love about聽this聽course聽is the聽opportunity to introduce several experiential learning opportunities within the curriculum. Experiential learning speaks to the idea of learning through doing and often gives us a chance to explore what classroom ideas might look like in a workplace setting. We don鈥檛 always see a lot of experiential learning in聽2000-level聽courses, but in the case of MGMT 2902, students get several such opportunities.
The core components of the course see students work on two聽portfolio assignments聽that聽are聽intended to聽give them a chance to first practice their creativity and then put their design thinking abilities to work. The first portfolio聽invites聽students to sketch聽images, create mind maps and even participate in a cooking assignment聽鈥� all of which are intended to help build each student鈥檚 creative confidence. In the second portfolio, students聽apply聽their聽new insights about design聽thinking聽and practice聽design thinking methods in their efforts to聽come聽up with solutions to聽a real-world聽problem challenge.聽
As we bring the course to a close, we鈥檒l participate in聽an聽online interactive simulation聽where students get聽an introduction to design thinking.聽I love the simulation because it gives students a chance to come together. They get to meet me and their classmates.聽I聽especially聽appreciate聽the enthusiasm students bring to聽the exercise!聽
How might this course tie into a student鈥檚 existing聽program鈥�(major)鈥痮r career plans?鈥€�
网红黑料 students go on to do so many fantastic things once they聽complete their聽degrees, and this course could聽support any of these exciting career paths.聽Students go on to work聽for聽not-for-profit organizations,聽hospitals, international聽organizations,聽corporations,聽start-ups,聽laboratories, technology companies, museums, theatres聽and聽governments to name聽just聽a few!聽I think students on any career path benefit from having a rich understanding of聽what innovation means聽in a workplace聽and what their role聽can be聽in helping their organization聽find聽creative聽solutions聽to聽pressing聽challenges and聽generate ideas that聽make the most of exciting聽opportunities.聽
Ready to declare?
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