The project aims to further develop a course implemented within the existing SCALINGS (Scaling up Co- creation: Avenues and Limits for Integrating Society in Science and Innovation) project, in which an interdisciplinary group of students co-creates responsible innovations for real-life challenges together with external partners and teaching staff. This project will build on the pilot course that took place successfully in a physical setting at the Technical University of Eindhoven in 2018/2019.
"The goal of this project is to explore effective ways of translating the lessons learned from traditional ‘classroom’ settings into digital formats. This will be more and more relevant in future due to the ‘new normal’ enforced by events such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."
Professor Christopher Tucci
A total of 60 students from TUM and Imperial will receive theory-oriented material through an online platform. Divided into groups, students with diverse backgrounds will focus on solving real-life challenges posed by external partners in specific multidisciplinary settings. Students will receive periodic feedback and guidance on their projects through online meetings with teaching staff and external partners. This setting aims to enact learning mechanisms not only amongst students, but also for the staff and the partners from external organizations.
Professor Tucci said: "
Although co-creative approaches to education and learning are common in academia, they have mainly been applied in face-to-face settings.
"The goal of this project is to explore effective ways
of translating the lessons learned from traditional ‘classroom’ settings into digital formats. This will be
more and more relevant in future due to the
‘
new normal
’
enforced by events such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"
Group mentors and external partners will guide students through live videos and virtual laboratories. Students from different institutions, countries, disciplines and graduate levels will come together to question one-size-fits-all solutions to societal challenges and shape innovation processes and products that take many perspectives into account.
Dr Stephen Green
Dr Stephen Green
, Principal Teaching Fellow in the Dyson School of Engineering, proposed:
'
TANGIBILITY in online multi-disciplinary design-engineering-innovation projects'
alongside partners at TUM.
Dr Green said: "A
small group of Imperial students will be paired with TUM students to develop concepts for wearable interactive AR devices – and using AR headsets and the Gravity Sketch software in remote collaborations as part of the process – resulting in functional prototypes at the end.
"Whilst the planned initiative builds from pre-existing modules and activities at both institutions, the opportunity to collaborate on ‘Tangibility’ challenges accelerates development of practical virtual working tools and approaches for virtual working in multi-disciplinary project contexts.
"Students and staff involved with the proposed project will have the opportunity for their project-based learning to be enhanced by the synergy of expertise available and the additional practical experience of trailing new approaches in their work."
The project has uncovered strong mutual interests between Imperial and TUM in these key themes
and the project team are committed to exploring and developing how to expand virtual project-based learning across our institutions and in related research activity in the coming years.
