Borderless design: Collaboratively designing creative solutions to our challenges

This daylong workshop, facilitated by AUC’s Center for Learning and Teaching, aims to connect AMICAL colleagues in building creative solutions to common challenges using Design Thinking. This workshop builds on the spirit of AMICAL 2018 Teaching and Learning Innovation Exchange event bringing members together in a collaborative environment.

Goals of this workshop

The workshop has the following goals:

• Identify challenges within and across AMICAL member institutions, focusing on AMICAL’s grant-funded goals or areas of CLT expertise:
  • localized and collaborative forms of digital liberal arts
  • information and digital literacies
  • innovative & effective library & technology leadership
  • faculty development
• Unpack/analyze challenges across institutions and roles in order to recognize views of impacted stakeholders
• Design and document creative solutions (in multifunctional and inter-institutional teams) which can be implemented or applied in future
• Result in initiatives and projects within a single institution or across multiple institutions, AMICAL projects, creation of AMICAL Interest Groups, or other concrete actions that can be taken in the coming year after AMICAL 2019.

Who should apply?

Faculty developers, faculty members, instructional designers/technologists, librarians, and academic leadership, particularly those who work in multi-functional or cross-institutional teams, or who have an interest in the potential collaborations across AMICAL institutions and across roles for working on creative solutions to common challenges. Those interested in experiencing design thinking in action will be particularly interested, but no previous design thinking experience is needed.

All accepted applicants will be expected to commit to the Expectations of Participants.

Expectations of participants

Participants from AMICAL institutions are expected to commit to the following:

• Bringing their challenge and expertise to the session on the day and we may ask for some pre-work to prepare for the session
• Openness to working across roles and institutions
• Willingness for their pitch to be filmed and slides and Google docs to be shared openly within AMICAL
• Writing a summary (2-3 paragraph) post on AMICAL Connect highlighting key findings from your group, within 4 weeks of the conference. This can build on Google docs and slides already created during the workshop. Some posts from Connect can be repurposed to AMICAL blog posts or CLT newsletter.
• Continue working towards their solution on the consortial or institutional level if it is found to be viable as it relates to initiatives and projects within a single institution or across multiple institutions, AMICAL projects, creation of AMICAL Interest Groups, or other concrete actions.

In addition to the above, participants are expected to work with their teams to produce the following by April 15th, 2019:

• A refined Google doc or Implementation Map from notes and resources during the day
• Video and slides from pitch presentation, and
• Suggested next steps for action, including possible projects applying for Small Grants in future.

Broad selection criteria

Criteria related to individual applications include:

1. Clarity and specificity of challenges mentioned in the application, and their alignment with AMICAL strategic goals (as mentioned in the “Goals of this workshop” section)
2. Range and impact of expertise they can contribute to the workshop
3. Clarity and specificity of how their participation in the workshop can make an impact locally or consortially

Criteria related to achieving a good mix of participants in order to enhance output from the session:

1. A reasonable diversity of roles and institutions
2. Possibility to match up similar challenges and interests (i.e. you may propose an important challenge that is not a priority for others, and so would not find a team)

Expected number of participants

This workshop will include 24-30 participants working in groups of 5-6 lead by a facilitator from the Center for Learning and Teaching, American University in Cairo.

Applicants may apply in small teams of 2-4 individuals from the same member institution, different member institutions, AMICAL committees or working groups. You may also apply individually.

Schedule

The schedule is tentative and may be amended slightly in the coming weeks.