Design Thinking for Education

Course Type: Active Learning e-Pedagogy Schools (ALES)

 

Duration and Timeline:

• Course components and contact hours: 2 hours of synchronous online learning
• Online component: 28 November 2025, 14:00–16:00 (CET)

 

Award, Credits and Certification

On successful completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

Organised by:

Name of the university (country)

Santarém Polytechnic University (Portugal)

Teachers of the university (country)

Ana Loureiro (Portugal)

Inês Messias (Portugal)

 

Course Description and Learning Objectives

“The objective of this two-hour online training programme is to furnish university educators with the necessary tools to cultivate an inclusive and student-centred teaching approach. This will be achieved by means of an exploration of Design Thinking-based practices. Participants will engage in collaborative tasks, case discussions and scenario-based exercises to strengthen their teaching strategies and foster design thinking practices focused on students’ needs.”

 

Course Description:
This two-hour online training programme is part of the Active Learning e-Pedagogy Schools (ALES), an initiative within the ACE²-EU Pedagogy Unit. The Pedagogy Unit contributes to the ACE²-EU educational mission by developing training programmes that strengthen a shared pedagogical culture across the Alliance, focusing on design thinking methodologies that include challenge-based learning approaches.

The ALES sessions aim to empower university educators to create strategies focused on students’ needs to develop creativity and problem-solving.

• Online session:

• Pre-workshop task: Educator profile
• Introduction and icebreaker
• Overview on design thinking methodology
• Case scenarios
• Breakout room tasks on design thinking based challenges
• Reflection and Q&A

Specific learning objectives include:

• Raise awareness of the impact of the design teaching methodologies;
• Reflect on the educator’s and student’s role in the design teaching methodology;
• Apply active learning tools for a more student-centred and inclusive learning environment;
• Develop teaching strategies for a challenge-based learning approach.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Analyse the impact of design-based teaching methodologies on learning outcomes and student engagement.
• Critically evaluate the roles and responsibilities of both educators and students within design-based teaching contexts.
• Select and implement active learning tools to create student-centred and inclusive learning environments.
• Design and justify teaching strategies that apply a challenge-based learning approach in real or simulated educational scenarios.

Which students would find this course useful for them?

This course may be suitable for staff from ACE²-EU partner universities:

• University teaching staff;
• Instructional designers, e-learning coordinators and educational developers;

• Recommended Language Level:
  • Basic to intermediate level of English (B1-B2), as the working language will be English

Application Process:

Interested applicants should

🔗 Apply here: https://forms.gle/FQRhtaMZ1qPw7wTaA

Deadline for receipt of applications: 26/11/2025

 

Notification of acceptance to participate will be sent by the host institution through a Microsoft Teams invitation, including the details of the online session and the access link.

 

Further Information

For any further information or queries related to the course, please contact:

email