Aalto University Summer School

Digital Design Challenge: 36 questions for sustainability

Can 36 questions spark action? Aalto University, Nordic Rebels and Howspace collaborate to open up a challenge-based learning platform in the month leading up to Beijing Design Week. The event is open for everyone to join!

A group of four Aalto students sitting outside Väre discussing about group work

Aalto University, Nordic Rebels and Howspace collaborate to open up a challenge-based learning platform in the month leading up to Beijing Design Week. The collaboration is part of the City of Helsinki being the Guest City of Beijing Design Week 2021. These solutions will be compiled into a digital exhibition as part of the Beijing Design Week program. The platform is provided by Howspace, an AI-powered digital collaboration tool focusing on bringing social learning to the forefront. The platform invites students and participants from around the world to collaborate with partnering companies in solving digital challenges.

The two-week event titled “Digital Design Challenge: 36 questions for sustainability” is open from 20 September – 1 October 2021. The event allows the learner to understand how to frame sustainability-related challenges and opportunities through reflective inquiry as well as how design methods and approaches can create pathways for desirable futures. At the same time, the learner will experience how the future of higher education might look like and work in multicultural teams across time zones. The event concept is provided by Nordic Rebels, who offer transformative courses and micro models with a focus on challenge-based and online learning.

The Challenge

The learning event is open for everyone.

In essence, during this two-week event you will:

learn how to frame sustainability-related challenges and opportunities through reflective inquiry
work in multicultural teams across time zones
understand how design methods and approaches can create pathways for desirable futures
experience how the future of higher education might look like
work in the Howspace learning platform

Duration: 20 September – 1 October 2021

Workload: 30 hours

Format: online, mostly asynchronous

Application deadline: 20 September 2021

Participation fee: free

Who are we?

Nordic Rebels, an award-winning movement that was established in 2018 in Aalto University and Station (Copenhagen, Denmark), has created this event specifically for the Beijing Design Week 2021.

We believe the foundations of socially, culturally, and economically just futures to be built on meaningful connections. Drawing on Aron et al.’s (1997) landmark study on interpersonal closeness, the focus of this challenge-based event is twofold.

First, to come up with 36 questions that might lead to positive action in companies, and second, to use these questions to engage Finnish design-driven companies in a conversation about their opportunities to create positive action. Based on the conversation, you will then conceptualize design-driven solutions for them to address sustainability matters.

These solutions will be compiled into a digital exhibition as part of the Beijing Design Week program.

A Collaboration of Minds: Aalto, Howspace and Nordic Rebels

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. Aalto University is committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto University has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and nearly 400 professors. The campus is located in Espoo, Finland.

Nordic Rebels is a Finnish-Danish movement established at Aalto University in 2018 and aimed at goosebumpifying learning. In 2019, Nordic Rebels were awarded with the Danish Design Award under the Better Learning category, and have also been awarded with additional local and international awards as well as showcased their approach during the SXSW Edu Conference in Austin, Texas. Their courses are designed based on a strong set of values stemming from the Nordic strengths. As of today, the methods and contents are used globally.

Howspace is a web-based engagement and collaboration platform. It helps you to quickly and efficiently tailor processes and content to individual clients, and engage large organizations through seamless one-click participation on any device. Howspace is already trusted to drive engagement and impact in hundreds of organizations across the world.