Progress

The first phase of this project is nearing completion (July 2022). Funding has been awarded. Courses and modules will now be set up as a new division of the School of Cross-faculty Studies, with the first staff members recruited in September 2022, and students starting in September 2023.

About this project

The Arts Faculty at the University of Warwick is currently scoping and designing an academic programme to provide opportunities connecting our existing Arts and Humanities disciplines with Design Thinking and Digital Innovation. This is based on wide engagement with students, academics, alumni, and employers. We have developed prototype modules, some of which are already running. We are developing programme designs with departments. We will document the emerging designs in this website, and engage a wide range of people in developing our ideas. Our first phase priorities are:

• To establish joint-honours undergraduate degree programmes in Design Thinking and Digital Innovation, developing students who are more than just highly employable, they will have a significant positive impact even before they graduate. Our draft programme outcomesLink opens in a new window describe the capabilities that we want to give our students. Our most important priority is to create an educational programme that builds upon Arts and Humanities education with capabilities that enable our students to be more than just highly employable, to be impactful designerly and digital change agents before they even graduate, to set them up for success.
• To enable this with an experiential learning programme, a suite of intensive core modules (taught by specialist academics), optional modules, a digital maker space (FAB Design Garage), and student-led community activities supported by a dedicated creative academic technologist.
• To develop educational opportunities for all Arts and Humanities students, giving various degrees of exposure to Design Thinking and Digital Innovation.
• To create and sustain a capability for doing Design Thinking and Digital Innovation projects within the Arts Faculty, to develop departments, the student experience, public engagement, community projects, and industry collaborations.
• To develop a thriving interdisciplinary research community connecting Design Thinking, Digital Innovation, the Arts and Humanities, adding to existing research across the Faculty, and enabling fresh approaches to priority challenges (such as sustainability, inclusivity, gender equality, food security, global peace and collaboration).