Delft Design MOOC now open to high school students

News - 09 April 2020 - Communication

Are you working at home with kids? How can you help your children apply their creativity in a systematic manner? 

From this week, high school students can enrol for the online course ‘Introductie Product Ontwerpen’.  Adapted from the popular Delft Design Approach MOOC and translated into Dutch, with extra material from TU Delft’s Wetenschapsknooppunt, the course is suitable for 12-15 year olds and aligns with a number of high school courses, including Natuur en Techniek and  Onderzoeken & Ontwerpen (Research & Design).

Students will learn design methods via videos, test their new knowledge through online quizzes and then apply the methods in offline design challenges. The learning process is supported via a discussion forum where students can ask questions and discuss their approach with course assistants.  The course, which is completely free, can be completed in six weeks at a pace of four hours per week. Of course students can go faster or slower if they prefer.

IDE assistant professor, Jasper van Kuijk explains the thinking behind the course: “When the schools closed in The Netherlands, I realised that we had this wonderful MOOC online, that had been highly appreciated by people from around the world  […] Some Dutch high schools already have course a called Onderzoeken & Ontwerpen (Research & Design) and the MOOC seemed to align well with that, so I thought it might be good course material for those students and teachers.”

Cue some quick work from the creators of the original MOOC, supported by a team of student assistants, TU Delft’s Extension School, and a panel of Onderzoeken & Ontwerpen teachers,  who -  under the skilful guidance of JosĂŠ Hekkens -  translated, edited, adapted and tested the first version of the course in a matter of weeks.  Spread the word and sign up for the course here.