Educators face the challenge of continually adapting and evolving their pedagogy to meet the needs of diverse learners. Learner experience design (LX) is a human-centered approach to curriculum and assessment development that is easily learned, adaptable, and repeatable. It focuses on empathy for students and creative problem-solving. In this…

This opinion piece argues that Design Thinking (DT) can facilitate a more empathetic and student-centred approach to service development and problem-solving in Learning Development (LD). While DT is already established within higher education, we argue it is still underutilised, especially in the context of LD. We start by unpacking the…

It's time to design the next iteration of higher education. There is no question that higher education faces significant challenges. Most of today's universities aren't prepared to tackle issues like demographic change, the continued defunding of public education, cost pressures, and the opportunities and challenges of educational technologies.…

Design science research (DSR) produces knowledge via the design and evaluation of innovative solutions to real-world problems. DSR provides an improved understanding of how and why the solutions work. While DSR is being widely embraced in many research disciplines, its educational pedagogy so far remains immature with little guidance on how best…

A customized guide about liberatory design thinking processes that have been tested within college settings to support changes that enhance equity in policies and practices within institutions. This research is based on case studies of several institutions, including focus group interviews with the campus design teams and an analysis of artifacts.…

This study contributes to a deeper understanding of using problems with wicked tendencies as vehicles for learning in higher professional education (HPE). It was guided by this question: How can the features of problems, problem-solving approaches and outcomes be aligned in HPE courses aiming to prepare students for addressing problems with wicked…

Background: Experiential learning environments are beneficial for the development of generic learning outcomes, such as critical thinking, communication, and self-regulation. However, research about the variation in experiential learning activities and their benefits is scattered across several bodies of discipline-specific literature. Purpose:…

This toolkit helps design teams engage in this process of implementing the "Design for Equity in Higher Education" model. For each phase of the model, this toolkit provides a short description and offers some questions and suggestions to guide practice. [For the companion report, "Design for Equity in Higher Education," see…

The Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process is a conceptual model that focuses on using higher-order thinking skills in order to overcome authentic problems during learning. The CPS process offers a structured methodology to enhance every learner's solid critical, creative, and innovative thinking skill. The application of the CPS method has been…

An estimated 19% of students enrolled in postsecondary education in the US have a disability. However, students with disabilities often face barriers, including accessibility challenges, that result in lower attendance and graduation rates. It is therefore critical that universities take action to ensure campuses are fully inclusive and…

This study examined three cases in which an online support system was utilized to enhance creative problem solving (CPS) in a higher education setting. This study aimed to review instructional design strategies that allow the integration of an online support system into a university course. Creativity, which is defined as the ability to generate a…

Creativity is one of the most important skills in the 21st century student's toolkit and important to vocational education and training (VET). In the context of vocational teacher education, creativity has not yet played a significant role at universities. This is due in part to the fact that it is unclear what creativity means and how it is…

Ensuring that learning is participatory and even further democratized seems particularly important at a time when people are kept apart because of a COVID-19 pandemic that thrives on proximity. Whilst learning is based on exchanges, it also benefits from the existence of a learning community, the access to which needs to be equal and taking…

This paper reports the design, delivery, and evaluation of a mentoring programme which aimed to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills in Chinese university students. Several new elements in this mentoring programme distinguish it from many previous such programmes within the context of higher education. These new elements include…

Understanding the principles of computational thinking (CT), e.g., problem abstraction, decomposition, and recursion, is vital for computer science (CS) students. Unfortunately, these concepts can be difficult for novice students to understand. One way students can develop CT skills is to involve them in the design of an application to teach CT.…