The purpose of this article is to introduce a design-based research (DBR) approach developed in the field of vocational and continuing education, which is grounded in a pragmatic and phenomenologically inspired enactivist approach to activity. As a design-based methodology, our activity-centered and enactive DBR approach aims to generate knowledge…

Failure can be an effective tool for learning, but it comes with negative consequences. Educators and learners should practice strategies that leverage the benefits of failure while managing its negative consequences on learners' motivation and persistence. Towards that goal, this paper examines the biological effects of failure on learning to (1)…

A name for the field of instructional technology has long been debated. Terms such as learning design, educational technology, instructional systems design and learning systems have been used to describe the field over the past 100 years. With an exploration of the history of the field, this article rebrands the field as Knowledge Systems Design…

Design Thinking has been applied successfully in many fields; however, in Information Systems research most early studies focus on applying the specific toolsets to developing product and system designs to solve strategic, managerial, and operational problems. There is little research on how Design Thinking can be embedded in the learning…

Gunther Kress's multimodal and social semiotic theory of communication has moved beyond the realm of linguistics, which originally framed his work, and has reached out to inform other fields, such as those of education, museum studies, as well as the humanities and social sciences more broadly. This article brings together our insights in relation…

Makerspaces are increasingly popular in K-12 schools, particularly when associated with STEM learning. Many schools are successfully entering the makerspace arena. Others face significant barriers in ideating their design, often resorting to tinkering, or the purchase of commercial kits as resources. At the heart of a makerspace is its intent, as…

The purpose of this practice to theory article is to present educational leaders with critical considerations for multimedia instructional content for emergent bilinguals (EBs) in dual language programs and other EB academic settings. EBs' academic development and achievement are advanced when multimedia instruction is intentionally designed to…

An open-ended assignment to "make something" out of cardboard was a good fit for a half-day camp class of children in kindergarten, first, and second grades where the first goal was to have fun while learning. Given the opportunity to make something of their own design for their own purposes out of cardboard, the children persisted while…

The paper discusses a case of applying the design thinking method in studying one of the key areas of project management--the project requirements gathering. This case is about the study of IT project management on a bachelor program of a business school. The students without special technical background shall understand what characterize the…

When "software takes command", people take fright -- a reaction which frequently accompanies change or novelty. Their fears are understandable, but they also cloud people's view of the potentials that digital tools and digital media hold for society and especially educational contexts. Their fears also define societal debates and…

The growth of technologies makes necessary redefining higher education. Students nowadays are more prepared to look up information all around the meanings, so we have to deal with new ways of teaching and collaboration. The creative capacity they show, and our background in art an art education are enabling new ways of learning and teaching. Some…

This article introduces playful learning as part of the decolonising project at institutes of higher learning in South Africa with specific reference to the discipline of communication design. Not only does the article interrogate the content of design education, specifically design for development, but more specifically the way that design for…

All students need to experience the joy of discovery and innovation. In this study we discussed how STEM education that focuses on design can provide students with these opportunities. Learning environments that focus on STEM questions and engage students in design have the potential help students learn core ideas related to STEM as well as engage…

Increased emphasis on K-12 engineering education, including the advent and incorporation of the NGSS in many curricula, has spurred the need for increased engineering learning opportunities for younger students. This is particularly true for students from underrepresented minority populations or economically disadvantaged schools, who…

"Form is 'what', Design is 'how'" (Kahn, 1960). Learning about the formal universe and the wide range of possibilities it offers should be one of the purposes of the early subjects in architectural studies. This article aims to explain the contents of a first course of architectural design and demonstrate how, using a methodology based…