The Art of Pivoting: Re-Inventing Hands-On Learning Experiences for Online Delivery

The Art of Making: An Introduction to Hands-On System Design and Engineering is an experiential learning course at the University of Pittsburgh in which multidisciplinary teams of students apply design thinking methods to frame and tackle open-ended real-world problems of their own choosing, invent solutions, and build and test tangible prototypes. A custom-created Innovation Space serves as a home base for student collaboration, exploration and teamwork. In this work-in-progress discussion I’ll describe the adventure that I, 12 teaching assistants and 85 students have been on over the past year as co-designers and re-imaginers of a course for which “atoms” (ranging from sticky notes to microcontrollers to experimental prototypes), in-person interaction and teamwork have been foundational, and now our experience is being mediated substantially – though not exclusively — by “bits”. I’ll also share some of our explorations in developing ways to promote student engagement and motivation in a time of physical separation.

Joseph Samosky teaches design, innovation and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and is an enthusiastic advocate of human-centered design and project-based experiential learning. He enjoys building bridges between design, engineering, the arts, education and clinical medicine. Joe received his Ph.D. in Medical Engineering from MIT and is a coach for Stanford’s University Innovation Fellows Teaching and Learning Studio. He holds 8 patents for technologies for healthcare training, is cofounder of Lumis Corp., was named the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering Outstanding Educator in 2018, and in 2020 received a Pitt Chancellor’s grant for the community-engaged scholarship program Classroom to Community: Designing and Inventing for Real-World Impact.

Designed to Make a Difference: Compassion is the key to good design in this engineering class https://www.pittmag.pitt.edu/news/designed-make-difference

Classroom to Community https://www.planforpitt.pitt.edu/projects/classroom-community-designing-and-inventing-real-world-impact