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The Design Group
Latest: U101 Design Thinking - Creativity for the 21st Century
A new first level course in Design Thinking launches in February 2010 after two years of development. The course features new learning technologies, including an online design studio, as well as innovation in content and assessment. The course forms part of a new BSc/BA award in Design and Innovation.
Welcome
U101 Design Thinking: New in 2010 |
The Design Group (formerly the Department of Design and Innovation) is a subject area within the newly formed Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials (DDEM) in the Faculty of Maths, Computing and Technology at the Open University. The group is unusual, and perhaps unique, in being devoted to the subject of Design generally, and not confined to any special professional area of application. Our research and teaching ranges from design thinking, product and information design, through engineering design, to architecture, transport and town planning. We are also active in research and teaching on national and international aspects of innovation and technology strategy and policy.
People
Peter Lloyd, Head of Group |
Peter Lloyd (left) heads our richly varied group - we count engineers, architects, product designers, social scientists, mathematicians and computer scientists amongst our ranks. All staff are linked by a shared interest in how the principles, procedures, and processes of design are applied. Our common concern is to advance design knowledge with a view to improving design practice and increasing the effectiveness of design education. Our staff comprises centrally based academic, research, academic-related and administrative staff and regionally based staff tutors and part-time phd students.
Research
Design research at the Open University is of the highest quality. We were ranked 3rd out of 72 UK Institutions in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, and have been rated 5 in all previous research assessement exercises. Our research is themed into three main areas:
Theme A: Design Products and Process
Theme B: Sustainable Design
Theme C: Complexity Science and Design
Academic and research staff contribute to one or more themes. We also have several research groups, where academics and researchers focus on a particular research area.
Courses
The Open University recently topped a survey of student satisfaction carried out by the Times Higher Education Supplement [pdf], and the group's well-received courses will have contributed to this result. We teach courses at all undergraduate levels which can contribute to the award of BSc/BA in Design and Innovation. The most recent course to be launched is a 60pt first-level course in Design Thinking. We also provide short courses which are proving increasingly popular, particularly in the area of web-design and digital photography. With Design and Innovation as key themes in several discipline areas we also make major contributions to undergraduate and postgaduate education across the university.
Full list of The Design Group courses
The Website
The website is structured into four main areas. The Group provides information about current and recent events, as well as our weekly seminar series. You can also find a history of design research and teaching at the Open University.
People gives an overview of all the staff who work in the Design Group, together with contact information. Staff maintain their own pages.
Research gives an overview of our Research groups and Research themes, PhD projects and research grants as well as our submission to RAE 2008. These pages also contain recent research highlights. You can find our publications either by research theme: products and process, sustainable design, or complexity science and design, or by going to individual staff pages. Many of our refereed research publications (including downloads where possible) are also available in our Department's section of the University's Open Research Online site.
Finally Courses details all the courses that our staff are currently engaged in presenting and provides details of our associated awards and diplomas.
The website was designed and implemented by Peter Lloyd, and is maintained collectively using Macromedia Contribute.
Page Last Updated: 12 January, 2010