The development and application of co-design modules for multidisciplinary collaboration and facilitating creativity: An experience from d-school@NTU

Abstract

Convergent and divergent thinking are both important for solving problems. The former helps to produce a known answer; while the latter to bring the forth ones. Base on the results of a previous research (2014-16) called “i.edu”, we found multidisciplinary collaboration was beneficial to students’ project-based and problem-solving learning. However, the process could be more effective if proper collaborative methods were utilized. In this research, we adopted the concept of “collaborative design” to develop method-modules for multidisciplinary groups to work effectively with multiple perspectives and thinking to hence better creativity. For testing the modules and inspiring new possible ones, we designed a workshop in D-School@NTU, in which 24 under- and postgraduate students from different disciplines teamed up to learn the module use and design. A neighborhood of Taipei city, Nanjichang, were selected for the learning-based project. Participants’ groups needed to develop action plans, on which their collaborative working method-modules could be based and proposed. From the participants’ feedbacks, the observation of the design process, and the design results, the given modules relatively helped the production of action plans. All groups could propose method-modules that reveal various levels of creativity, although most of them are still inapplicable. The task of the workshop also derives a question—Is working method a good object for design?.