Co-Creating a Better World with Collaborators: A Design Lab Approach to Transforming Education

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Co-Creating a Better World with Collaborators: A Design Lab Approach to Transforming Education
Language: English
Authors: Emily Krysten Spencer-Mueller, Elizabeth Kurucz, Catherine Hands, Nadine Gudz, Karin Archer
Source: School Community Journal. 2025 35(1):169-194.
Availability: Academic Development Institute. 121 North Kickapoo Street, Lincoln, IL 62656. Tel: 1-800-759-1495; Web site: http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, School Districts, Universities, Community Organizations, STEM Education, Educational Cooperation, Sustainable Development, High Schools, Educational Innovation, Design, Program Effectiveness
Geographic Terms: Canada
ISSN: 1059-308X
1059-308X
Abstract: This qualitative research examines the question: In what ways do school districts (called boards in Canada), universities, and community organizations collaborate to develop an innovative STEM program focused on the United Nations' sustainable development goals? Students, parents, teachers, high school staff, school district administrators, advisory committee members, community, college, and university partners in a Southern Ontario region of Canada participated in a collective effort to develop an innovative approach to STEM education, including: collaboratively prototyping the concept in a design workshop, further refining it with diverse constituents, and evaluating it to continuously learn from experimentation toward program goals. Data sources include participant observation, field notes, interviews, and document analysis. The key program features, its intended impact, and challenges arising from the pandemic are discussed. The article concludes with opportunities for a design lab approach applied more broadly to education.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1473051
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This qualitative research examines the question: In what ways do school districts (called boards in Canada), universities, and community organizations collaborate to develop an innovative STEM program focused on the United Nations' sustainable development goals? Students, parents, teachers, high school staff, school district administrators, advisory committee members, community, college, and university partners in a Southern Ontario region of Canada participated in a collective effort to develop an innovative approach to STEM education, including: collaboratively prototyping the concept in a design workshop, further refining it with diverse constituents, and evaluating it to continuously learn from experimentation toward program goals. Data sources include participant observation, field notes, interviews, and document analysis. The key program features, its intended impact, and challenges arising from the pandemic are discussed. The article concludes with opportunities for a design lab approach applied more broadly to education.
ISSN:1059-308X
1059-308X