Co-design as a tool for educational innovation & social change: 4 Case studies

Everyone is a designer and has intrinsic knowledge and talent that can inform innovation. This is at the core of co-design practice and its unique ability to facilitate solutions. This presentation outlines 4 major projects built upon a foundation of co-design in which the researcher has collaborated with diverse teams working towards community-driven innovation and change. This includes the development of educational frameworks and systems, capacity building of community leaders, and transformative communication design. Distinct codesign models built upon both face-to-face workshops, long and short term collaborations, and the use of technology to facilitate codesign in new ways will be outlined to demonstrate the ‘how’ of co-designing. Projects discussed include co-designing with teachers in rural Queensland and across the state, an Australia-wide, institution-based collaboration focusing on Autism education, and two projects within India in isolated communities and with diverse stakeholders. Each project’s unique and beneficial design outcomes will be outlined, along with the additional advantages that come in applying a co-design approach to address critical problems. Importantly, through an examination of these examples an understanding of the philosophy of co-design and its foundation of equity and belief in the power of creativity of the individual will also be highlighted and explored