Futures labs: a space for pedagogies of responsible innovation

Abstract

Lab spaces can teach STEM ethics by highlighting and creating opportunities to practice the four key dimensions of the AIRR framework of Responsible Innovation (RI): anticipation, inclusion, responsiveness, and reflexivity. In this paper, we introduce ‘Futures Labs’∼ as a pedagogical approach to train students in RI skills and encourage them to become aware of, and more concerned about, the broad social, political, ethical, and environmental dimensions of innovation. Our approach additionally trains students in a wide range of explicitly employable capacities (such as scenario building, foresight, communication, and collaboration skills). We conceive of the Futures Lab as a part of a broader permeation of RI-oriented educational practices within STEM institutions. Through practical experience in Futures Labs, students learn not only how to apply RI frameworks, but also get a feel for why doing so matters. The paper concludes with a practically-oriented discussion of exercises employed at each institution's Futures Lab.