Design Thinking and Product Development (MEC-EV10) is a hands-on bachelor's level course where students learn about innovation and how it is used to solve real-life problems. This course will teach you how modern technology is used in user-centered prototyping processes. In multidisciplinary teams, the students are expected to create solutions while learning about electronics, laser-cutting, and additive manufacturing. The course includes the theory and practice of design thinking and its application in different contexts.
During the course, students are encouraged to engage in international networking, peer-learning and to develop their transversal skills. The course also encourages learning about the local culture through social events as part of the program. Read more in the brochure below.
The course is for 2nd and 3rd-year bachelor's students from the 9 Unite! network universities:
In addition, this course is accepting students from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.
The Design Thinking and Product Development course is an initiative in collaboration with Aalto University Summer School, Aalto Design Factory, and Unite! network.
The course is aimed mainly at design and engineering students, but other disciplines may be accepted if there is space in the course.
Aalto University is a member of Unite! alliance together with eight other European universities.
Participating in the course Design Thinking and prototyping in the summer gives students an excellent opportunity to enjoy Finland at its best. Visitors can enjoy the surrounding nature in full bloom, take advantage of the countless hours of daylight and experience the vibrant Helsinki city life.
Aalto Design Factory (ADF) is an interdisciplinary product design and learning hub uniting students, teachers, researchers, and industry. ADF aims to build a new kind of passion-based learning culture for Aalto University.
The course includes three phases: online pre-work and post-work, and one intensive weeks of lectures and project work in teams.
•Preliminary online work: 7th – 11th Aug 2023
•In-campus work at Aalto: 14th-18th Aug 2023
•Post work: 21st-25th Aug 2023
••Complete teaching period: 7th-25th Aug 2023
Design Thinking and Product Development is a hands-on bachelor's level where students learn about innovation, and how it is used to solve real-life problems. This course will teach you how modern technology is used in user-centered prototyping processes. In multidisciplinary teams, the students are expected to create solutions while learning about electronics, additive manufacturing and extended reality. The course includes theory and applications of design thinking and its application in different contexts.
The total course workload is 81 hours (3 ECTS), divided as follows:
The course is graded on a scale of 0-5, where
0 = fail, 1 = poor, 2 = satisfactory, 3 = good, 4 = very good, 5 = excellent
2nd and 3rd year Bachelor‘s students in Design and Engineering enrolled in any of the Unite! universities. In addition, this course is accepting students from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.
Students must have a signed Learning Agreement from their university and be traveling under an Erasmus+ or Erasmus+0 in order to apply.
While there are no course fees to participate, students traveling from abroad must cover their own travel and accommodation costs. Students are expected to travel with their own health insurance.
For visiting students:
For Aalto students:
Unite! - University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering is a European University alliance with nine partner universities strengthening mobility of students and staff, and fostering the quality, inclusiveness and competitiveness of European higher education.
We talked to Airi and Joona about their new roles as Unite!’s student representatives and got some great ideas and advice from them.
Unite! is the alliance of the nine technological universities created to contribute to the European Universities Initiatives proposed by the European Commission.