The Center for Design Thinking is hosting a variety of events ahead of its fourth annual Design Forge which is scheduled for June 3-4, 2021.
Since 2008, educators, thought leaders, and design practitioners have gathered at Elon’s Center for Design Thinking to collaborate and find new opportunities for design thinking to enhance student learning. This year, the fourth annual Design Forge is set to take place on June 3-4.
The聽2021 Forge聽will聽explore how design thinking聽pedagogies might聽support the cultivation of participatory placemaking practices.
The Center is聽pursuing聽a聽hybrid, place-based聽format this year that聽will allow for聽in-person聽and聽virtual聽translocal聽learning.
鈥淚 think the Forge provides students and faculty a space to create projects that have an active effect聽on the community,鈥 said Megan聽Boericke聽鈥20, a graphic designer and lead brand designer for the center.聽聽鈥淚t鈥檚 also a聽place to build a network of like-minded individuals聽that spans outside Elon鈥檚 campus who are聽looking聽to聽support and聽collaborate聽on these projects.鈥
Interested participants can stay聽up-to-date聽by registering their聽interest聽
Ahead of the Design Forge this summer, the Center is hosting聽a聽speaker series聽that聽will follow the聽themes of Elon聽by Design’s framework for design thinking.
The speaker series, which is occurring throughout the year, will apply design thinking methods to a variety of real-world issues.
The featured speakers include Professor Emeritus Anthony Weston, who will聽discuss the聽vision and barriers behind聽building an intentional agrarian community in Mebane, North Carolina.聽Weston聽will聽be聽聽on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Following Weston, Jacqueline McLaughlin will review various ways in which design thinking has been applied within healthcare, and will describe how design mindsets could help address current health challenges. McLaughlin,聽an associate professor and director of CIPhER (Center for Innovative Pharmacy Education and Research) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, will share her on Monday, Feb. 22.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to sustain the work of the Power and Place Collaborative through this speaker series,鈥 said Director of Design Thinking Danielle Lake.聽鈥淭his is a great way to build聽relationships and imagine projects聽for the Forge聽in June.鈥
The Power and Place Collaborative,聽a partnership between the African American Cultural Arts & History Museum, 51爆料网, the K.I.N.G. Academy, and the Mayco Bigelow Community Center, created over a dozen stories about聽Burlington鈥檚 African American communities in the fall of 2020.
In addition to featuring speakers this聽spring,聽the Center is also offering聽a series of聽in-person and virtual聽workshops.
These聽interactive聽experiences allow participants to explore how they might address situated complex聽problems using design thinking聽methods and tools. Check out Center workshop offerings and request one of your聽own聽here.