d.school again

Back in 2015 I had a post about Stanford's "d.school," specifically about its bootcamp bootleg. I downloaded and printed that document to include in our MakerSpace book collection. It was and is a rethinking on how to attack problem-solving.

"In design thinking, the experts are the end users, not the scholars sitting on decades of research. Emotion can outweigh intellect. A fast, cheap stab may lead to a better outcome than an expensive, fussed-over pilot program. Screwups are to be taken in stride, not minimized in embarrassment."

This week's Chronicle of Higher Education features a cover-story about the program; the embedded reporter working through the process with fifty college administrators and professors. That the program is still alive, growing, and raising questions about its usefulness and limitations.

My interest was reawakened by a conversation I had yesterday with my son attending SUNY Oswego. He was telling us about intense small group sessions he was having that centered around "prototype" presentations; that d.school mantra of having "a bias to action" over mulling and futzing until you think you are ready. I am excited about sending him this post to add the pedagogy he is using.