Design in education transated from ViP

Based on: P. Hekkert and M. van Dijk. Vision in Design. BIS publishers, Amsterdam.In this post I try to describe the ViP-process for designing a curriculum or a course in higher education. Crucial statements used in the chapter The ViP process A how to are used. The text is focussed on the design of ‘technical products’, but as the writer stated the ideas are also valid for other design situations. The context of technical design is however different from the context of higher education. Therefor I try to translate the crucial statements, mentioned above) to the context of designing education in higher education. The results well be discussed using the visions of educationalist of Reigeluth, Earl (see website), van den Akker (book….),  Kessels (Het ontwerp boek) and my own experiences in curriculum and course development.

Deconstruction face: Analyse, reflect and describe the existing education.
Why is the education the way it is? Find the quality of the existing product. What is OK, not OK and why the education was given in the existing format. How it was evolved to this product state? What views make the relationships in the curriculum/course meaningful? Why do the teachers and/or students want to change the existing education.  Are there ideas how to change education/course? How are comparable programmes designed?
A kind of warm-up, to free your mind and see changes in the context (opportunities/ideas already may arise)

1. Establishing the domain
   A domain should never be a ready-made, ill-defined solution, but rather a map that guides your exploration of the context and the factors to be taken into account.
   Designing is first and foremost the act of defining a vision of what you want to create, not simply creating something in response to a demand. Try to redefine the goal/problem as formulated by the client more loosely, with a less restrained domain definition. Make a description of the area where you aim to make a contribution. Including in what context and by whom the course/curriculum) will be used?
   The assignment (for example in a plan, see TUD) should give you also enough freedom etc, but you should be able to finish the assignment  in the available time.
2. Generation of context factors.
   A clear description of the context helps you to make a decision how to will react to the design problem (step 4). Factors are observations, thoughts, theories, laws, considerations, beliefs, opinions, contents, educational methods, aims/learning objectives, competencies, future development in the discipline, etc. But not the feature of the final curriculum/course (product)

Analyse and structure the factors (combine, formulated new factors)
It is not only describing but also formulate new ideas and solutions (productive thinking, designing solutions for sub problems).
All kind of formal and technical constraints are written down and will be applied later on: it should not block your thinking of possible solutions (you have to be start to beat the constraints.

1. Structuring the context
   Make all kind  of analyses and the possible consequences. Focus on te main questions in the assignments (adapt, change, discuss). The final aims or  learning objectives is a new learning environment in which the students learn certain learning skills (competencies) and study content. How can the students learn these aims etc. This needs design thinking: new possibilities etc.How do the teachers interpret the problems and needs? How do the react to the new ideas?
2. Make a statement how you want to react?
   What do you want to offer? (welke knoop ga je leggen).
   It should also open a new opportunity and how the further process is going and what the end goal will be. A creative moment! Second set of decisions of convergent thinking)
3. Formulate the relations between the curriculum/course and the users (teachers and students)
   In fact this will be the didactic concept. Divergent thinking and then make  summary of didactic design rules.
4. What are the product qualities?
   specific and general quality criteria for a course or a curriculum in higher education.
   This is the opleidingsconcept 1 with . Summary of al relevant information for th teachers and  managers about the curriculum.
5. Concept design of the product using the vision (5,6 and 7)
   Curriculum blue print pus main aims plus description (different types of description and an organizer, description for the study guide,  teachers should design their own course.
   Description in the opleidings concept. design task of the teachers.
6. Develop and detail. to transform the design into the final manifestation