helping design educators foster collaborative learning amongts design students

Design CollaborationHelping design educators foster collaborative learning amongts design studentsJoyce YeeKathryn McKelveyEmma Jefferies

Copyright © 2009 DesignCollaboration, Northumbria University. All rights reserved.

DesignCollaboration

Reflective Skills within a Design Team

How to ImplementWhen providing students with basic information about a collaborative project, includeinformation about reflection session(s), stating when and how they will take place. This reflective tool can be used at any point, ideally when a design team has somethingto reflect on or when they need to become aware of how they are working.

1. Get students to sit in their teams and provide each group with one hand out of the student exercise.

2. Next, in order for reflection to be successful in a design team, students must have a good understanding of why reflection is important. In general, reflection serves as the bridge

between the experiences and learning. In a design team it enables them to build an awareness of how they are working together so they are more able to understand ways

they can work more effectively; resulting in the design team taking more responsibility and control of how they work. However, this result will only be achieved if students are open and honest with each other when reflecting.

3. After introducing the idea of reflection, describe the tool they will use to help them to reflect as a team. Rolfe et al,.’s Reflective Tool ‘What…?, So What..?, Now What…?’ (see handout) is a simple 3 step tool to enable a team to review the detail of the experience, move toward critical thinking, problem solving, and creating an action plan:

‘What…?’ a description of the basic facts. ‘So What…?’ goes a step deeper to analyse and evaluate how the design team is

working as a group and individual, it promotes problem-solving. ‘Now What’ helps to synthesise what is learnt, to create a plan of how they are going to

work together.

INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE

Overview Aim Recommended time to spend

This tool provides a way for a design team to reflect and consider improvements on how they are working together.

30-45 mins• To help design teams become aware of how they are working.

• To enable students to develop the skills to facilitate reflection in a design team.


Context

Research projectConducted at the School of Design, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.Sept 2008 - Sept 2009

Imges courtesy of www.360-reality.com

Context

Northumbria’s School of Design_1200 students_100 staff_150 years old_Alumni includes Jonathan Ive (Apple), Steven Kyffin (Phillips). Tim Brown (IDEO), Vaughan Oliver

_Reknown for close links to industry_Runs collaborative projects with international companies such as Unilever, Mars, Phillips

Why?

Group work mirrors real-life_Industry projects tended to require a collaborative effort rather than an individual response.

_Design education emphasises individual skills rather group working and learning skills.

Why?

Changing working environment_Current trends of globalisation and diversification of manufacturing process leading to ‘post-disciplinary design’ era.

_Designers are increasingly required to work across disciplines, cultures and continent.

Why?

Problems getting more complex_Moving beyond designing the physical artefact into designing services and systems

_Complex problems requires expertise from different people and from different disciplines.

_Shifting emphasis on the ability to work, communicate and learn in a diverse team.

Project Team

Project Team from the School of Design_Joyce Yee (Lead Researcher and Project Manager)_Kathryn McKelvey (Project Advisor)_Emma Jefferies (Researcher)

_Funded by an internal University fund, running from September 08 to September 09.

Aim and Output

AimTo identify common problems associated with collaborative learning and to create useful teaching resources for this purpose.

Output_A collection of case studies illustrating how to organise and run group projects with students.

_Teaching resources that will enable tutors to foster collaborative learning amongst design students.

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning has been a well-supported approach in non-Design disciplines and represents a significant shift from typical teacher-centred learning environments.

Smith and MacGregor (1992) identify characteristics of collaborative learning as:_An active, constructive process_Dependent on rich contexts_Diverse_Inherently social.


In Design...

Collaborative designing is described by Lahti et al. (2004, pg.351) as

“a process of actively communicating and working together in order to jointly establish design goals, search through design problem spaces, determine design constraints, and construct a design solution”.


This project concentrated on:

_Group projects, where student are required to respond to a project brief as a group

_Used live group projects in Northumbria University as opportunity to test different teaching tools

_Developed tools specifically for the learning and teaching needs of design students (problem-based visual learning in a studio environment)

Project Stages

How-to guidesHow to select an appropriate briefHow to write a briefHow to timetableHow to determine student groupsHow to presentHow to promoteHow to approach external collaborators

TemplatesBrief templatesPeer assessment templatesReflective diary templatesSkills-audit template

ArchiveCase studies of collaborative projectsCatalogues of challenges - that can be turned into design briefsList of past design briefsList of award winners and past collaborators

Project management toolsTimetabling guideShared timetable across disciplinesProject calendar (students, tutors & client)Presentation guidelinesMock-presentation

Group Management, Development & AssessmentGroup role assessment and assigningPeer & self assessmentRole playRole contract (negotiated, sign and dated)Skills-auditIce-breaker exerciseDeBono’s six thinking hatsPersonality or psychometric testProblem framing through mappingDeveloping key team philosophy

GuidanceTutor mentoring (list can be gathered from case studies submitted)Student mentoring

University-level supportFacility / presentation rooms availabilityEvents promotion supportAdmin supportFinancial support

• Communicating with the students on the deliverables, deadlines and presentation days

• Extra liaison during the project when presentation days are being set.

• Arranging meetings with clients, trying to find time within the normal timetable

• Off campus visits

• Getting buy-in from students, recognise the value of working in a group, enabling students to take ownership

• Learning goals• Learning to work collaboratively

• Finding the right balance in skills within a team• Finding the appropriate team roles within the group• Personality clash• Unfamiliarity between group members• Dealing with non-perfoming group member

• Working to a brief• Responsibility to a client• Conduct - appearance, manner• Learn to manage a group• Meeting deadlines

Team Management

Communication (Internal)

Communication (External)

Professionalism

Value & Reflection

Group Dynamics

Team Development

STAGE 2: MANAGEMENT

Description

Issues

Tools & Resources


DesignCollaboration

Positive Critique

How to ImplementThis exercise should not be part of formal assessment, as it is an opportunity for students

to understand how design teams work. Hence it is best run after formal assessment is complete, so that students are happy to share their experiences of group work openly with their team and others.

1. Ask students to watch the video resource Nina Belk, User Experience Consultant at Flow Interactive talking about why a ‘positive critique’ is important at the end of a design project. Then restate or strengthen what was said in the video by highlighting:

Too often it is easier to talk about the weak points, but it is harder to be objective and highlight good aspects of working in a design team.

Explain why you liked or disliked working in the team; don’t just state the emotion it triggered.

Please include an honest, but polite, summary when critiquing how the team has worked together.

2. Students to sit together in their teams.

3. Students then complete tasks 1-4 on the exercise. To complete this sheet, students will need to have a group discussion and interview each other. Allow students to organise this process themselves. Ask the students, during this task, to try to keep their thoughts focused on the how they worked as a team and not as an individual.

4. After they have shared how they work in a team, in task 4, with another team, ask each team to report back to the whole student body about (a) the positive aspects of working in a design team and (b) on how they would address the negative aspect of working in a team next time around. This will enable you to draw a key list that can be shared with the group. Then use this list to restate why a positive critique is importance in highlighting the lesson the students have learnt.

INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE

Positive Critique

Overview Aim Recommended time to spend

This tool will help a design team to describe, review, identify and share how they work together in a positive way.

30-45 mins• To enable a design team to evaluate how they work together in a positive light.

Project Stages: Stage 1





Group Management, Development & AssessmentBelbin role Group role assessment and assigningPeer & self assessmentRole playRole contract (negotiated, sign and dated)Skills-auditIce-breaker exerciseDeBono’s six thinking hatsPersonality or psychometric testProblem framing through mappingDeveloping key team philosophy



• Finding collaborators (external or internal)• Selling the idea to external collaborators (for involvement and

funding)• Identifying a situation to run a collaborative project• Understanding and defining the benefits for all the stakeholders

(students, external collaborators and the university)

• Identifying a theme/subject that would appeal to different disciplines.

• Defining learning outcomes for students

• Matching timetables and curricula within the school• Setting deadlines and timeframe with different collaborators

• Professionalism• Communication• Value and reflection• Assessment

• Convincing other staff to either get involve or to support via giving time to students for the project

• Finding space for meetings and presentations

• Deciding team members & grouping

Identifying a need for a collaborative project

STAGE 1: PLANNINGDescription

Issues

Tools & Resources

Team Development

Team Management

Facilities

Staff Involvement

Timetabling

Writing a brief









• Communicating with the students on the deliverables, deadlines and presentation days

• Extra liaison during the project when presentation days are being set.

• Arranging meetings with clients, trying to find time within the normal timetable

• Off campus visits

• Getting buy-in from students, recognise the value of working in a group, enabling students to take ownership

• Learning goals• Learning to work collaboratively

• Finding the right balance in skills within a team• Finding the appropriate team roles within the group• Personality clash• Unfamiliarity between group members• Dealing with non-perfoming group member

• Working to a brief• Responsibility to a client• Conduct - appearance, manner• Learn to manage a group• Meeting deadlines

Team Management

Communication (Internal)

Communication (External)

Professionalism

Value & Reflection

Group Dynamics

Team Development

STAGE 2: MANAGEMENT

Description

Issues

Tools & Resources


Tools & ResourcesHow-to guidesHow to select an appropriate briefHow to write a briefHow to timetableHow to determine student groupsHow to presentHow to promoteHow to approach external collaborators







• Spend time assuring students on whether they will receive individual marks or not

• Evaluation based on client, tutor and student assessmentGroup Vs Individual Performance

Promotion

STAGE 3: ASSESSMENT

DescriptionIssues

• Support on press release, promotion events


Classroom trials_Workshops or seminar sessions

_Participated in 2 live projects

_Undergraduate & Postgraduate

_Different design subjects

_6 workshops held

_Test tools and identify any further issues


Stage 3Refinement and translation of tools into a usable format

Grouping tools in 5 areas:

_Form & Manage_Understand_Communicate_Reflect_Assess


Managing your design team

Understanding your design team

Communicating with your design team

Reflecting with your design team

Assessing the collaboration

Designers’ roles in a design team

Icebreakers: Personal context exercises

Team communication guidelines

Reflective skills within a team

Teamwork assessment

Resolving conflicts

Developing a team philosophy

Communication with others

DeBono’s six thinking hats

Positive critique

Collaborative enquiry metaphors

Design and client role play

Personas

Mind mapping

List of teaching and learning resources on www.designcollaboration.org


Each tool has:_An overview page (why and how)

_An instructor’s guide (description, timing, how)

_Student’s handout

_Video resource

Project Stages: Stage 3 - Example of a tool

Roles of a Designer in a Design Team (MANAGE)

OverviewA familiarisation exercise to enable discussion and negotiation of roles within a team.

Aim_To encourage students to get to know their fellow group members._To encourage groups to discuss and negotiate their team roles.



DesignCollaboration

Designer’s Roles in a Design Team

AimsTo encourage students to get to know their fellow group membersTo encourage groups to discuss and negotiate their team make up

IntroductionThis exercise enables a design team to get to know each other and to discuss and then negotiate team roles. This discussion will enable the team to work collaboratively and the risk of team conflict is reduced, as often conflicts occur because team roles are unclear.

How To Negotiate Team RolesTask 1: Understand your fellow group member As a team, on the large paper provided, copy and fill in the table below, to get to know your fellow group members:

The names of my fellow group members are ...What do they like most about group work?

What do they dislike most about group work?

What personality traits make a good team player?

What personality traits make a bad team player?

Task 2: Discuss Team RolesAs a team, discuss the roles of a designer in Handout 1. When discussing these roles share your experience about times when you have taken on this role in past projects.

STUDENT EXERCISE


Jo Bloggs Sharon Smith Fred Brown Will Grey


DesignCollaboration

Task 3: Preferred Team Roles

As a team, use the large sheet of paper provided to map out each member’s preferred roles as a

designer and also to note down roles that they dislike and roles to they would like to improve on. e.g.

Task 4: Negotiate Team Roles

As a team, negotiate each member’s role and visually map the results of this conversation on another

large sheet of paper. Each member would have more than one role and these roles can change during

the project. e.g.


STUDENT EXERCISE


Jo Bloggs

Sharon Smith

Jo Bloggs

Fred Brown Will Grey

Will Grey

Fred Brown

Artist Manager Communicato

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Jo Bloggs Sharon Smith

Jo Bloggs

Fred Brown Will Grey

Will Grey

Fred Brown


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tigato

r

Jo Bloggs

Sharon Smith

Jo Bloggs

Fred Brown

Will Grey

Fred Brown


r

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As an individual which roles do we like? As an individual which roles do we dislike?

As an individualwhich roles do we want to improve upon?

Jo Bloggs

Sharon SmithJo Bloggs

Fred Brown

Will Grey

Fred Brown


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OurTeam Roles


Developing a Team Philosophy (UNDERSTAND)

OverviewA team philosophy provides students with a shared understanding of how to work together.

AimTo encourage a newly formed team to converse and develop an agreed and explicit way of working together.



DesignCollaboration

Developing a Team Philosophy

Aim To encourage conversation and develop a way of working together.

IntroductionAlthough you may have heard of a team philosophy in sport, it can be valuable in a design team. Developing a team philosophy at the start when working together provides you with a means to converse and say how the team would like to work together (manage, communicate in the team and to other people. share information and ideas etc). This involves indentifying the important attributes of your team, what are your strengths and weaknesses, what are your core value and beliefs? It is about understanding how the individuals, in your team, come together and work as one.

How to develop a Team PhilosophyThe following questions will help you to develop your team philosophy. Please consider the questions on this handout as a team. Then brainstorm them on the large piece of paper you have been provided with. Use the ‘Cards’ to help you discuss the answers to the questions. Later, the team will be asked to share your team philosophy with the rest of the group.

1. How do you measure the success of your group?2. What are your personal and group objectives?3. Can you develop a name for your team?4. Can you develop a motto for your team?5. Can you drawn out a logo for your team?6. Can you select key words to describe the team philosophy?

STUDENT EXERCISE- HANDOUT 1

Developing a Team Philosophy


Designer and Client Roleplay (COMMUNICATE)

OverviewThis tool requires the design team to take on the role as the client in order to anticipate expectations.

Aim_To see from the client(s) viewpoint(s)_To develop better team and client communication



DesignCollaboration

Designer and Client Role Play

AimsTo see from the client(s) viewpoint(s)To develop team and client communication

IntroductionKnowing your audience is key when communicating a message; by enabling a design team to put themselves in their client’s shoes it encourages them to understand how to communicate with the client and know the correct terminology to use.

InstructionsTask 1: Select a PersonaWithin your group discuss the designer and client characters in handout 1. Try and relate the characters to someone you know, especially the client characters. Then decide as a group who is going to be the designer and client. When reviewing handout 1, it may be helpful to circle the key behaviours to help you to understand the characters.

Task 2: Draw the Client and Designer PersonaIf you have selected a Client or Designer persona, draw an image that you have of that persona on the template masks provided in Handout 2.

Task 3: Get into characterThen, in your group, act out two characters meeting in the pub for the first time. This would involve asking them about their hobbies, find out about a typical day, their goals, fears and aspirations in life. When you are having this conversation, consider how the persona would be sitting, expressing themselves, facial expression, maybe develop a phrase that they would say, e.g. ‘that is interesting!’. If you wish, two group members can act out the characters first and the other(s) can observe and advise. Then switch around.

Task 4: An hour before the presentation Imagine it is an hour before the presentation, the presentation is ready to be given to the client, all the designers need to do is think and write down what they want to get out of the presentation.

STUDENT EXERCISE

Designer Client Role Play Copyright © 2009 DesignCollaboration, Northumbria University. All rights reserved.

DesignCollaboration

Designer and Client Role Play

Task 5: Act out the presentationNow role-play the characters in a presentation setting. Try to incorporate some of the actions and phrases developed in task 3.

Task 6: ReflectionIn your team, reflect on what has been learnt by considering the following: • How you felt doing the task?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• What were the different characters looking for during the presentation?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• The students that were the client - what was learnt?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

STUDENT EXERCISE

Designer Client Role Play


Reflective Skills within a Design Team (REFLECT)

OverviewThis tool provides a way for a design team to reflect and consider improvements on their teamwork.

Aim_To help design teams become aware of how they are working._To develop the skills to facilitate reflection in a design team.



DesignCollaboration


AimsTo help design teams to become aware of how they are workingTo enable students to develop the skills to facilitate reflection in a design team

IntroductionThe ‘What, So What, Now What?’ is a simple Reflective Tool which enables a design team

to review the experience of working together, move toward critical thinking, problem solving and create an action plan. The ‘What...?’ involves the design team explaining what happened. ‘So What...?’ Team reflection is all about developing how you work as a team! ‘So What...?’ goes a step deeper to analyse and evaluate how the design team is working as a group and as individuals, it promotes problem-solving. ‘Now What...?’ the most important phase of team reflection; enables a team to consider alternative courses of action.

Using the Reflective Tool - ‘What, So What, Now What?’ Task 1. As a team review the ‘Reflective Tool’, then select a facilitator. A facilitator role, in this exercise, is to encourage an open conversation, to enable the team to come up with a plan to work more effectively.

Task 2. ‘What...?’: The facilitator will give each team member 2 minutes on their own to use the ‘What...?’ section as a guide to describe how they have been working together. Then the facilitator will ask each team member to describe how they are working as a team (around 30 seconds each). During this time the facilitator makes notes and considers questions to ask the team to gain more detail about how they have been working together. After the team member has finished sharing their experience, the facilitator puts forward the question they have formed to the team. Finally, as a team discuss and describe on 2-3 key areas that have arisen.

Task 3. ‘So What...?’ : For each of the key areas that have arisen the facilitator will give each team member 2 minutes to use the ‘So What…?’ section as a guide to reconsider the issues which have arisen. Then the facilitator will asked each team member to share what they thought (30 seconds each). During this time the facilitator makes notes and considers questions to ask the team to gain more detail about how they have been working together. Finally, as a team bring together your thoughts and describe the key areas which need to be addressed.

Task 4. ‘Now What’: Run through the same process as tasks 2 and 3, start using the Now What question as individuals, then share with the group, and finally, as a team, have a plan to work in an alternative way.

STUDENT EXERCISE

Reflective Skills within a Design Team Copyright © 2009 DesignCollaboration, Northumbria University. All rights reserved.

DesignCollaboration

Reflective Tool - ‘What, So What, Now What?’

… has the team looked at?

… has the team done?

…was the team trying to achieve? … was good and a bad about the experience so far?

… feelings have arise during the project?

What...?

…does this it tell us about how we are working as a team? e.g. where are we able or not able to manage our team (planning skills, clear team roles, meeting details), we are able or not yet able to understand each others strengths and weaknesses or we have good or bad communication skills ( information sharing, problem analysing and understanding), we have a good or bad working process (research, concept generation) etc. …are the ways we can work around/or with the issues?

… are the broader issues arising from working in this team?

So What...?

… does your team need to do in order to make things better or avoid getting stuck?

Now What...?

Adapted fromRolfe, G., Freshwater, D. & Jasper, M. (2001) Critical reflection for nursing and the helping professions: A user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave


STUDENT EXERCISE



Teamwork Assessment (ASSESS)

OverviewThis exercise enables students to self reflect on their experience of working in a team, and use the same process to peer review their team members.

AimTo aid student self-reflection and assess their peers in team projects.



DesignCollaboration

Teamwork Assessment

AimTo aid self reflection and peer assessment in a team project.

Team Work Questionnaire

1.What was your role in the project?

2. What did you contribute to the project?

3. Did you enjoy working with colleagues? (Delete one) YES/NO4. Who took the lead, or managed the project? (Tick one)a) ONE PERSON b) DEMOCRATIC DECISION5. Were you happy with this arrangement?

6. What were the positive aspects of working together?

7. What were the drawbacks?

8. What did you learn from the team-working process and the project?

Cognitive? Skills? Social?E.G. Improving idea generation E.G. Technical/Marketable E.G. Behavioural

A. What was your attendance like for meetings?B. Did you meet all of the deadlines?C. Were you as committed as you could be to the project?D. What was your contribution like in terms of quality?E. Did you feel that you worked well as part of the team?

STUDENT EXERCISE

Teamwork Assessment

Name

About you

Self Assessment: 5 is excellent 1 is weak


DesignCollaboration

Assessment for your colleagues is gauged by using the questions below (the same as in self assessment). Each question is lettered A-E, you are asked to write down the full names of colleagues in your team and then give them a mark out of five for each question asked.

5 is excellent 1 is weak

This will be used to calculate a mark added to the overall project/exercise mark and is your opportunity to reward people for good work practice, in your opinion, or otherwise, if you would like to highlight problems. A. What was the attendance like for meetings? B. Did everyone meet deadlines? C. Was everyone committed to the project? D. What was their contribution like? E. Did you work well as a team? (In terms of co-operation).

THIS IS ENTIRELY CONFIDENTIAL FOR ASSESSMENT BY STAFF ONLY

(example) BILL BLOGGS 2 4 2 3 3

Comments on the Assessment Process, Teamwork or Project

Teamwork Assessment

STUDENT EXERCISE

Teamwork Assessment

About your colleagues

Name of Team Member A B C D E Total

14


Filmed interviews with design practitioners_11 individuals

_Industries range from Product, Service, Graphic, Interactive, Software and Fashion Retail Design

_Sharing their experiences of working and managing teams

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Project 3(overview)

Managingyour designteam- Tool 1- Tool 2- Tool 3- Tool 4

- Tool 1- Tool 2- Tool 3- Tool 4


- Overview- How to run it (instructions)- Templates (PDF downloads)- Further information (links or further reading)

Understandingyour design team

Communicating with your design team


Reflecting withyour designteam


Assessing the collaboration

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Next stepsWe are looking to grow the case studies of collaborative projects and improve the teaching resources.

How?Case studiesIf you have any examples of collaborative case studies, please upload it through the website.

Teaching resourcesIf you have any suggestions towards new tools or ways to improve the existings ones better, please contact us directly.

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