Design Thinking

I don’t often intersect my blog and my work so allow me the indulgence – because it really is worth it!

There is a great new course at the OU that is so good not only am I considering signing up myself but I think everyone that likes design, creativity or thinking in new ways should. Really. I don’t think the OU has ever offered such a cool course and I just want to shout it to the world!

The course is U101 Design Thinking and starts in February. It is a Level 1 course (60 points) and looks like seriously good fun, as well as fascinating and engaging. From my point of view, the best part of the course is the course materials offered.

If you are at all familiar with the OU you will know that the courses are conducted over distance (“supported open learning” in OU parlance) and all materials are included. For most courses this means a good supply of books, CDs, DVDs and even quirkier things like lab supplies. However, no other course has course materials like U101. They must be seen to be adored!


I don’t want to say too much about the course materials (called The Welcome Pack) themselves, because part of the course is discovering what they are and what you can make out of them, but I will say that they are unlike anything the OU has ever done. It is fitting that a design course has materials that have been carefully designed. The Welcome Pack is part fun, part education and is something tangible that will certainly impress students with its quality. In a way I wish I didn’t know so much about it, because I won’t be as giddy with surprise as registered students will be when they get their yummy box in the post.

The course itself is also fantastic and promises to change the way you think about the world around you. It is all about creativity, problem solving and interacting with other students. Basically, it is all fantastic and I’ll let you learn more about it. Maybe you’ll even want to sign up!