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Design Challenge 2005
7-9 January 2005
In association with UCLES
Overview
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What is the Futurelab Design Challenge?
Design Challenge is a high profile event supported by government, industry, academic, teaching and creative sectors. A beacon of creative innovation, the challenge provides participants at all levels with a hugely rewarding experience.
Now in its second year, the challenge brings together teams of four people, from a combination of teaching and multimedia backgrounds, to produce a prototype of a new learning resource. The catch is that they only have three days in which to complete it!
Managed in association with GameLab London, the event promises to be a source of inspired new learning resources and a model of what can be achieved when a diverse team pulls together with a common aim. The final hothouse event is timed to take place just before BETT 2005, the major educational technology show in London. A high profile champagne reception at BETT is a chance to toast the winners and meet those involved in Design Challenge 2005.
As well as strong backing by the DfES, we also have a major industry partner in the form of UCLES, a major media partner in the form of Learnpremium, from The Guardian, and sponsorship from 2Simple Software.
Background
If interactive learning resources are to be engaging as well as educationally sound, then a combination of creative talent, technical know-how and educational expertise is needed to produce them. This is the founding principle of Futurelab and is the basis for the Design Challenge.
When Futurelab proposed the original Design Challenge, the DfES recognised immediately the potential for the event. Building on previous work on enabling digital content for the UK, the DfES ICT in Schools Division, the event provides an excellent chance for talented young designers, teachers and students to create exciting potential learning resources, and is also an opportunity to demonstrate the power of bringing together people with diverse skills to work on a common goal.
The DfES has long-since recognised the potential that new technologies bring to education and support Futurelab in its work developing prototypes, researching the context of e-learning and bringing together communities most able to contribute to success in this area.
The challenge
Design Challenge participants are drawn from two distinct backgrounds: the creative world, with participation by multimedia undergraduates and postgraduates around England; and education, with practising teachers joining each team.
Teams from across England take part in regional heats at the start of November 2004, at which time teams receive the theme on which they are asked to build their new interactive learning resource. The champions from each of the regions then come together at a facilitated session at the end of November where they undertake team-building activities and have a chance to learn more about each other.
Through December 2004 the teams consider the issues around the theme, develop their ideas and determine how to put these into action. A second facilitated day engages representatives of the educational ICT industry and learning research academics as mentors, as well as giving the teams their first chance to involve users in the design of their ideas.
Design Challenge 2005 culminates in a three-day hothouse session in January 2005 where teams create illustrations of their new prototype. The results are tested by an expert panel of judges drawn from the fields of design, education, multimedia and broadcasting as well as user groups. The hothouse event is timed to take place just before BETT 2005, the major educational technology show in London. A high profile champagne reception at BETT is a chance to toast the winners and meet those involved in Design Challenge 2005.
The brief
The theme for Design Challenge 2005 is Hard Fun: Making the Difficult Playful.
Questions such as 'What subjects do teachers find difficult to teach?' and 'Which subjects would benefit from a visual, playful and interactive approach to promote problem solving and creativity?' will be addressed.
Teams have been asked to create a visual, interactive illustration of a learning resource or activity for Key Stage 2 or 3 for any subject area.
Results of Design Challenge 2004
A report on the outcomes of Design Challenge 2004, along with a video documentary following some of the teams that took part, is available in our 'past events' section.
Further information on Design Challenge 2004...
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