DESIGN FUTURES MANUAL
SPREAD FUTURES
Design Futures Manual aims to enlarge the community of possible future tinkerers through the production and dissemination of a project book.
The focus here is on the development, generation and dissemination of the interlinked elements of the FUEL4Design modules in the form of an integrating artifact.
DOWNLOAD THE TWO DESIGN FUTURES LITERACIES E-BOOKS
MODULE PURPOSE AND FEATURES
INTRODUCTION
We will produce a Design Futures Manual that will reflect the content, methods and outcomes of the project.
It is important that this is understood not just as a book but as a) an integrating activity across the project and b) an activity based teaching and learning design futures resource that will be disseminated widely online with shared uses and users contributions within users own e-learning environments but also a core one for the project (to be decided).
INNOVATION
The key innovation here is the authoring, sharing and engaged use of experience and resources for activating design based futures literacies. Currently, no such manual exists and the text by Miller is the core scholarly study of futures literacies. Yet this text and its cases are located in design production based learning views that are remote from contexts and pragmatics of teaching and learning activities and resources.
Our innovation will be to also further connect the content of the manual to the contexts of its applied use and responses to its uptake.
EXPECTED IMPACT
The key items for impact will be:
The distribution of the Manual online to all design schools during the CUMULUS conferences (AHO is represented on the Board of CUMULUS) through its global network. This will have the effect of reaching the largest collection of design schools and design students (over 1 million worldwide) The online accessibility of the manual will allow teachers and learners to select material and resources suited to their own studies and contexts, thereby supporting situated engagement for wider futures literacies impact.
The Manual will serve to profile and position Design Futures Literacies far more fully and effectively providing access at a European level, with potential international reach.
TRANSFERABILITY POTENTIAL
Currently, there are no collected futures literacies resources that are transferred from one site of their innovative development and used in teaching and learning to others. As a result, the multiplier and indeed futures prospective and importance of transferability for better, richer and effective design literacy futures are limited.
This FUEL4Design modules will address this directly as a manifestation of resources and practices that will help shape, determine and open out the content, uses and further potential of futures literacies for 21st century readiness, learning, teaching and networking. Building a shared space for sharing the various uses of
the Manual will be central to shaping futures literacies a) across the project and its design university department members, and b) in European design universities.
Within our own FUEL4Design projects, transferability has the danger of not being achieved due to the separation of sub projects and diverse specific interests or goals. We will address this directly.
First, the scaffolding of the Manual will provide means to connect our own inputs and outcomes. Second, we will build outwards from our project’s specific points of focus and link these with related courses and programmes with potential in other European design schools. Third, our own connections across the project will be made apparent in the Manual.
These will provide us and other design schools with a set of bridges to make thematic connections to actual projects, course
elements and examples.