Uncovering People Centred Design in the Context of Curriculum and Learning Design in Higher Education

Abstract

This Special Issue explores design thinking, also known as human or people centred design (Grau and Rockett, 2022), in the context of curriculum and learning design in higher education. It highlights a number of innovative applications in this area from a range of disciplines, professional areas, and contexts of higher education. While Kimbell and Sloane (2020) argue that design thinking as a practice can be difficult to neatly define as it seems to have multiple interpretations and perspectives, there are some shared principles and part of the attractiveness of design thinking is that these principles and processes are adaptable and useful in the increasingly uncertain area of academic and learning development. This variability of contexts and issues requires design thinking’s malleable methodologies with their emphasis on empathy, inclusion, co-creation, playful experimentation and creativity.