Harnessing Design Knowledge for Learning

As we navigate an era of rapid change, can design principles guide us toward more effective and inclusive learning experiences?  

On 9 August 2024, DIBERG hosted an all-day event on “Designing for learning with humans, things and AI” at the University of Sydney Business School. The event was organised in collaboration with the Sydney School of Education and Social Work. The day included a session on a forthcoming book titled “Creating Design Knowledge in Educational Innovation: Theory, Methods and Practice”, edited by Inger-Marie Christensen, Lina Markauskaite, Nina Bonderup Dohn, Dwayne Ripley, and Roland Hachmann.  

Several of the book’s authors and editors, including Lina Markauskaite, Nina Bonderup Dohn (visiting scholar from University of Southern Denmark), Dwayne Ripley, and Natalie Spence, attended the event and presented the book’s key ideas in a seminar. Elaine Huber and Dewa Wardak were invited to serve as discussants for the chapters, offering their insights, critiques, and provocations. 

In this blog post, we share our reflections on the book and highlight the key points from the discussion.  

The book

The book addresses how educational researchers and practitioners can make research outcomes scalable and impactful by providing robust, research-grounded design knowledge. It is aimed at those involved in education innovation, offering insights into the theoretical, methodological, and practical challenges in creating and applying design knowledge. The book is structured into four sections covering foundational theories, methodologies, practical applications, and future directions. 

Design knowledge in education is a multifaceted concept that encompasses the expertise of educational designers, and the knowledge produced through research and innovation. This book delves into the core questions of what design knowledge is and how it can be conceptualised, characterised, and applied in practice.  

Dewa served as the discussant for the first two sections on foundational theories and methodologies, covering 12 chapters, while Elaine discussed the sections on practical applications and future directions, which encompassed nine chapters.  

Foundational theories, methodologies 

The chapters in the first two sections of the book explore various aspects of design knowledge, focusing on its creation, representation, refinement, sharing, and reuse. The chapters examine how educational designers can conceptualise and apply this knowledge, emphasising the role of design principles and patterns in communicating solutions. The chapters highlight the importance of transparency and rigor in developing design knowledge and the need to support practitioners in applying it effectively. It also addresses the distribution of agency in the design process and methods to extend the life of design knowledge beyond its initial use. 

Dewa’s discussion points 

The discussion here highlights key ideas from the chapters and offers some provocations for further thought.  

What is design?  

When thinking about ‘design knowledge’, I reflected on how we define the term ‘design’ itself. The concept of design has various interpretations. I have previously reflected on this term together with colleagues Stephanie Wilson and Sandris Zeivots in our paper “Co-design as a Networked Approach to Designing Educational Futures” by drawing on Heskett’s apparently meaningless sentence: “Design is to design a design to produce a design” (Heskett, 2002, p.5).  

As implied in the quote, design can be a discipline, a plan, or a product, and intentionality stands out as crucial. Design involves consciously creating new possibilities through a process that articulates intention into a tangible outcome (Dohn, 2018). This perspective highlights the importance of purpose in design. 

Intentionality in using design knowledge is also vital. When selecting design principles, we need to be mindful of their underlying assumptions and values, including meta principles of equity and sustainability, which is called for by Lucila Carvalho in Chapter 6 titled “Co-designing future learning environments for individuals, society, and beyond”.  

Common terminology for design knowledge  

A significant challenge in the field of educational design, which several chapters referred to, is the lack of standardised terminology for design knowledge products. Various terms were identified through review of the literature in the chapters including design principles, patterns, guidelines, insights, heuristics, propositions, frameworks, and more. This variability in terms can impede progress and limit the effective exchange of ideas across different disciplines. 

However, I pointed out that while establishing common terminology is essential for clear communication and advancing the field, it is equally important to strike a balance that fosters creativity and innovation. As we strive for clarity in our terminology, we must be mindful not to constrain the creative and dynamic nature of educational design. As George Orwell warned in his concept of Newspeak, narrowing vocabulary can limit thought and creativity.  

On this I agree with Petar Jandrić who, from the inception of the Postdigital Science and Education journal, argued against a fixed definition for the term ‘postdigital’, keeping it flexible, as premature and rigid definitions may limit its potential and undermine its ongoing relevance (Veletsianos et al., 2024).  

In educational design, we must similarly avoid an overly rigid approach to terminology that could stifle growth and restrict the dynamic nature of design research and practices. Instead, our goal should be to develop a common language that supports  creative and progressive developments in the field. 

Design products’ lifespan  

Several chapters in this book noted the need to extend the life of design knowledge products beyond their initial creation. On this point I added that as educational contexts and technologies evolve, the relevance of design principles must be continually assessed. This raises important questions about how long design principles should remain in use and whether they should be regularly updated to reflect new ways of knowing and doing things.  

Instead of merely reusing existing principles, it might be more beneficial to build upon them, adapting and refining them as necessary to address emerging needs and contexts. This approach ensures that design knowledge remains applicable and valuable over time, supporting ongoing improvement and responsiveness in educational design.  

Using computational tools for developing design principles   

The use of computational tools and AI in synthesising design principles  can help manage complexity and streamline the creation of design knowledge, they also come with potential drawbacks. 

For instance, reliance on computational tools may lead to a reductionist view of complex, interconnected issues, possibly resulting in design principles that do not fully represent real-world complexities. Additionally, many design knowledge resources and related literature available online are influenced by biases and limitations inherent in the data they are based on, often reflecting a Euro-centric perspective. How can we ensure that design principles are inclusive and representative of diverse global perspectives?  

Building on these reflections and provocations, I proposed some questions that those in attendance could discuss: 

How can we make sure that the design principles we establish today are not going to harm our tomorrow? 

In what ways can we embed meta design principles of equity and sustainability in our designs? 

Practical applications and future directions 

The chapters in these sections examine the dynamic nature of design knowledge, its enactment, co-creation, and refinement through reflection, and stress the importance of rich descriptions and theoretical connections for broader applicability. They address the issues of power relations and agency, offering context-specific advice and insights.  

Elaine’s discussion points 

Design knowledge is not merely an abstract concept but is actively embodied and realised in specific design activities, where practitioners draw upon their expertise to address concrete challenges. The co-creation of design knowledge in partnerships underscores the importance of collaborative processes, where diverse stakeholders contribute to and refine the design through shared experiences and insights. Reflection emerges as a critical mechanism that not only facilitates learning and adaptation but also ensures that practical experiences are integrated with theoretical frameworks, thereby enriching the broader field of design scholarship. These dimensions of design knowledge—action, partnerships, and reflection—are interdependent and collectively contribute to the ongoing development and dissemination of design practices and principles. 

The chapters also emphasise the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in design, highlighting how diverse perspectives can lead to more innovative and robust outcomes. By drawing on insights from multiple disciplines, design processes can transcend traditional boundaries, fostering creativity and adaptability in response to complex challenges. Designing for flexibility is another key theme, emphasizing the necessity of creating systems and frameworks that can evolve alongside changing needs and contexts. This flexibility is crucial in educational settings, where the rapid pace of technological advancement demands continuous refinement and improvement of design practices. None more pressing than the current impact of AI tools. The integration of these technological tools is particularly noteworthy in this regard, as they not only enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of learning and design processes but also enable designers to experiment with new modalities and approaches, thereby expanding the horizons of what is possible in both education and design. 

After this brief reflection, I presented these discussion questions for the attendees to consider: 

How can we balance structured theoretical frameworks and the flexibility needed for ongoing adaptation and innovation in course design? 

To fully appreciate the depth of these discussions, we encourage you to read the book, which is now published and available. It’s an enlightening journey that will inspire your own thinking about design knowledge and innovation.