Erasmus+ Project DigiThink: Design thinking for digital innovation 2016-1-BG01-KA203-023719
Design thinking crosses the traditional boundaries between public, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors. The fifth-step iterative Design Thinking process goes through: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. The project key objectives are following:
- to take students out of their comfort zone of learning to not only develop business plans/models but also create innovative products and services. With an emphasis on listening, user empathy, whole-brain thinking, collaboration, and experimentation, the Design Thinking process offers a complementary approach to existing courses.
- to encourage students to start their social businesses - whether or not they proceed and really found enterprises, they will develop entrepreneurial mindset and key business knowledge and essential skills and attitudes including creativity, teamwork, risk management, financial management, etc. Key element is to develop innovative businesses who can grow and self-sustain. It is essential for students to work side by side with managers and experts who will provide guidance and mentorship throughout the process. Statistics show that about 50% of new businesses fail during their first five years. One of the key challenges for entrepreneurs remains the support in the crucial phases of the business lifecycle and their growth. In this respect we aim to prepare young entrepreneurs to get through this period.
- to develop necessary digital skills for both target groups - one, we aim for digital business creation by student teams and second, lecturers use open educational resources to deliver the course and make it available widely. Furthermore we will focus on a learners'- centred pedagogy using ICT and interdisciplinary approach to make personalized and adaptive learning possible.
- to develop empathy, ethics, values, and sense of social responsibility.
The developed course will be implemented within majors in partners universities. In the process the external experts we will involved from business, VC firms, ICT, and other background in order to support the process and help both lecturers and students gain new perspectives, knowledge and skills from practice.
The target groups
- primary - students with business and engineering background (both IT and industrial design)
- secondary - lecturers/teachers in the above areas.
Innovative aspects
DigiThink aims to modernize the current HEIs educational approach to face up to the current and future challenges. It will better integrate entrepreneurship and innovation activities in the established curriculum as a horizontal element in deferent fields of study (ICT, engineering, business) and as a subject in its own right (digital and innovation skills). It is based on three key and already known concepts : digital innovation, social innovation and design thinking.
The DigiThink is a learner-centred provision of transversal skills and competences, and raises awareness of the opportunities in the areas of digital and social entrepreneurship. It proposes a solution-centered, collaborative, and participative learning model for innovation. It will better integrate entrepreneurship and civic activities as well.
Partners
- University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Bulgaria – coordinator -http://www.unibit.bg/
- Knowledge, Innovation and Strategies Management Club, Bulgaria -http://www.innovation-mc.com/
- Universidad De La Iglesia De Deusto, Spain - http://www.deusto.es/
- Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Spain - http://www.tecnalia.com/
- Training 2000 Psc, Italy - http://www.training2000.it/
- Constantine The Philosopher University In Nitra, Institute For Teacher Training, Slovakia - https://www.ukf.sk/