The Future of Education

Abstract
Effective communication and collaboration are essential components of design thinking workshops, which are instrumental for higher education students in employing design thinking tools and methods for problem-based learning and co-creation endeavors. However, in the context of the recent pandemic, the shift to online workshops has inadvertently led to student isolation. This disconnection among participants has resulted in a notable decline in the efficacy of problem-solving and the co-creative process, primarily due to impaired communication and collaborative efforts. This study aims to develop a digital facilitation toolkit to enhance team dynamics among participants in online design thinking workshops. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach. The first phase involved qualitative interviews to understand the interaction limitations of participants in online environments. The second phase entailed designing the facilitation toolkit based on the findings of the initial research. The third phase involved hosting workshops as a testbed to evaluate the design outcomes through observation methods and qualitative interviews. The result is a mobile-based digital facilitation toolkit, utilizing prompts and nudges to facilitate participant interaction and communication during the design thinking process. The toolkit promotes "frequent interaction," "elimination of distractions," "clear assumption of responsibilities," and "maintenance of team synchrony." These positive behaviors significantly enhanced overall team dynamics in the online environment.

Keywords: Design Thinking Workshop, Team Dynamics, Distance Learning, Digital Toolkit

Reference

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