Design Thinking Online Certificate

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Design’s team of grantees collaborated to plan and implement a Design Thinking online certificate program. Their proposed program aligns with the college’s MPact goal to not only promote student access to and success in design, but also to increase design impact by reaching a broader and more diverse audience. This online certificate program especially supports non-traditional students with limited financial resources and inflexible work schedules obtaining a highly sought-after design thinking education. Student coursework includes a required Intro to Design Thinking course and eight elective courses, such as Mathematics of Design from the College of Science and Engineering (CSE), offering learners interdisciplinary design-thinking frameworks and strategies to address challenging, complex issues.

Grantees partnered with colleagues both within and outside the College of Design to develop and deliver a workshop to discuss efforts that further support online pedagogy and students’ digital experiences. They co-authored both a conference presentation and a full-paper publication on design pedagogy. In collaboration with a CSE colleague, they secured a grant from the Digital Design Center, “Exploring the Collaborative Features of 3D Virtual Reality for Translational Ideation.” Although the Design Thinking online certificate program is currently paused due to budgetary constraints, the team of grantees continues their endeavors to support a holistic e-learning experience for College of Design students.