Facilitating creative networks

This research reflects on the potential of innovation networks made up of ‘creative hubs’ as facilitators of design in a local context, by using the SPRNG! project from Leeuwarden as a case study, analyzing the initiative based on a systemic multilevel design perspective. In this approach, an iterative four phase cyclic design process is being combined with a hierarchical systems perspective (Joore 2012). Briefly described, creative hubs are physical spaces that host artists, designers, small companies, collaborations or events related to these. While providing networking opportunities, these hubs also help creative individuals to achieve their aims. Creative hubs receive many different names, varying from ‘collectives’ to ‘incubators’, yet it is possible to identify a common goal of improving creative businesses holistically

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN ENGINEERING : SYSTEMIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EXPERTS AND NOVICES

| openaire: EC/H2020/101004462/EU//ATTRACT2 Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101004462. The authors would like to thank the Aalto Design Factory and TU Delft Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering research teams. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press.Engineering knowledge forms an essential part of our planetary fight against climate change. Traditionally, engineering curricula emphasizes the importance of technical knowledge and encourages to specialize in niche areas, where engineers develop themselves into experts. However, it is important to be able to reflect on complex societal challenges from a variety of perspectives to produce not only innovative, but also long-lasting and inclusive solutions for the greater good. This paper aims to understand the extent of systems thinking abilities of engineers by differentiating experts from novices. The study traces sustainability connections made by professional engineers and master's level engineering students when solving engineering design problems. This qualitative study highlights seven recurring themes that relate to the global sustainability discourse and describe a problem-centred approach through a real-life case that focuses on paper and pulp production, through a thematic analysis of 59 responses.The results portray system-level differences in how novice and expert engineers approach sustainability questions and how these differences shape their solution spaces.Peer reviewe

Educating future engineers - student perceptions of the societal linkages of innovation opportunities

Engineering education traditionally emphasizes technological solutions that focus heavily on students’ technical skills. However, for innovations that create an impact, it is essential to link this technical knowledge to societal considerations. This paper describes a problem- centered approach towards introducing mechanical engineering students to sustainable, ethical and collaborative innovation, through an analysis of student work and feedback gathered from a ten-week long pilot conducted as part of a compulsory, Master’s level, academic year-long Mechanical Engineering course. During the pilot, student groups worked on broadly phrased challenges derived from an ongoing EU project on developing societal applications for technology, choosing one of seven challenges ranging from changing rain patterns in cities to IoT technologies and data security. Teaching was divided into three interconnected sections on sustainable development, technology and ethics, and collaboration. Each of these sections combined theory with practice through panels with experts from academia and industry and hands-on workshops, encouraging the students to consider multidimensional aspects of their chosen challenge and its consequences for the entire system it links to. A variety of design thinking methods were introduced for exploring the challenges holistically to define and reframe the problem at hand, identify ethical dilemmas and understand the needs of stakeholders for successful collaboration. At the end of each section, students were asked to reflect on their incorporation of societal considerations to the challenge they were working on in the form of group reports. At the end of the pilot, the students presented a project proposal of a direction for solving their challenge. This paper looks at how engineering students operationalize multilayered aspects of societal issues through these reports and project proposals for 19 teams that completed both the first and last group assignment. The results of this study suggest that introducing creative, holistic, problem-solving skills into engineering education in a hands-on manner creates numerous advantages for supporting the understanding of systemic, innovative solutions that have a societal impact and go beyond solving the technological problem. Nine sub-themes to sustainability, ethics and collaboration were identified from the deliverables; environment, economy and culture, fairness, privacy and responsibility, stakeholders, diversity and co-creation. The students’ ability to identify and apply these nine measured sub-themes of sustainability, ethics, and collaboration improved statistically significantly in seven out of nine themes. The results of this study encourage linking engineering courses to societal issues through minor interventions, in order to encourage engineering students to apply a broader range of considerations in scoping innovation projects. Additionally, the coding scheme developed here can be used to gauge the level of consideration for societal issues given by students in their assignments, enabling more targeted interventions in a resource-light manner. Taken together, the results encourage iteratively developing evidence-based instruction for responsible engineering.Peer reviewe

Creating value in project-based multidisciplinary design courses

University-industry collaboration plays an important role in creating engineering programs that are attractive to students, lead to competent, employable engineers and the local impact of universities. However, academic and industrial realms can operate with different vocabularies, assumptions and routines. This can lead to mismatches in expectations as well as missed opportunities for fruitful collaboration. This paper explores the perceived value of participating as an industry-sponsor to multidisciplinary engineering design capstone courses. Four industry partners were interviewed in the beginning, middle and end of two project-based courses (and one industry partner once) to track what value they expected from the course and what value they perceived to be delivered. The thirteen in-depth interviews averaged 50 minutes, were audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. Based on the qualitative analysis, the motivation to take part as a sponsor in these project-based courses initially centered around new innovative products. However, there was a continuum of expectations ranging from product concepts to ready-to-ship solutions, which often was only surfaced later on during the course. Furthermore, the drivers behind the expected value of these outcomes could be divided into novelty, concreteness and validation. It also became apparent that the value to the sponsoring company at large and the value to the liaison diverged at times. At the end of the project, the sponsor liaisons personally highlighted the value of the course collaboration as a way of driving change in the practices, portfolios or the industry of their organization. The different types of value identified in this paper can help to form vocabulary for joint understanding in project-based innovation courses. Being able to articulate different types of value on both the university and industry side in negotiating and running these courses can help to find better matches in collaboration. As a result, all parties are better set up for successful university-industry collaboration.Peer reviewe

Selection and framing of briefs for educational circular design projects

© 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.Purpose: This paper aims to present key characteristics of educational design briefs for the circular economy (CE) through the analysis of 11 design briefs focussing on real-life challenges related to sustainability and the CE, developed with collaborating industry partners for four consecutive circular design internships conducted in Ireland, Catalunya, The Netherlands and Sweden. Design/methodology/approach: These four internships were conducted between September 2017 and June 2019 and each internship lasted three to four months. The supervisors for each internship collaborated with local industry partners genuinely interested in adopting sustainable business practices to develop design briefs focussing on real-life challenges they face. The briefs for each internship were developed further according to the feedback of the interns, industry partners and supervisors of previous internships. Findings: Five steps of brief making for circular design were identified as reviewing the existing resources, emphasizing the importance of systems thinking, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for the CE, focussing on circularity and communicating expectations. The paper outlines how design briefs changed throughout the consecutive internships according to the different curricula and the characteristics of an educational circular design brief. Originality/value: For design educators and researchers, the value of this paper lies in presenting the steps for the brief making of educational circular design projects. Additionally, the characteristics of circular design briefs are outlined, discussing their focus and content to act as a guide for design educators

Selection and framing of briefs for educational circular design projects

Purpose: This paper aims to present key characteristics of educational design briefs for the circular economy (CE) through the analysis of 11 design briefs focussing on real-life challenges related to sustainability and the CE, developed with collaborating industry partners for four consecutive circular design internships conducted in Ireland, Catalunya, The Netherlands and Sweden. Design/methodology/approach: These four internships were conducted between September 2017 and June 2019 and each internship lasted three to four months. The supervisors for each internship collaborated with local industry partners genuinely interested in adopting sustainable business practices to develop design briefs focussing on real-life challenges they face. The briefs for each internship were developed further according to the feedback of the interns, industry partners and supervisors of previous internships. Findings: Five steps of brief making for circular design were identified as reviewing the existing resources, emphasizing the importance of systems thinking, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for the CE, focussing on circularity and communicating expectations. The paper outlines how design briefs changed throughout the consecutive internships according to the different curricula and the characteristics of an educational circular design brief. Originality/value: For design educators and researchers, the value of this paper lies in presenting the steps for the brief making of educational circular design projects. Additionally, the characteristics of circular design briefs are outlined, discussing their focus and content to act as a guide for design educators