By: Urška Vrabič Brodnjak (University of Ljubljana)

Session type: Multiple sessions, Undergraduate level, Small/Medium size

Topics:

• Communication

• Eco-design

• Experience-based learning

• Learning from practitioners

 

Introduction to the teaching example:

The goal of this activity is to combine innovation and sustainability concepts by having students design, develop, and produce a prototype of sustainable packaging for a product in collaboration with a firm. 

 

A schedule outlining what they must complete each week is given to the students, who are split into groups of three or four. The task is carried out in four basic stages in which cooperation with a host organization or business is necessary for the success of the exercise. 

 

Students and their mentors from the collaborating firm determine the project's goals at the initial stage.  With the firms, they address packaging concerns and create a rough project timeline. Students create a thorough project schedule in the second phase, which they then submit to the host business. They have a maximum of 10-15 minutes to present, using PowerPoint or PDF followed by a brief discussion for ten to fifteen minutes. Prototyping is the third stage in which students present a prototype of their idea, their design proposal, the materials they utilized, and background information from a literature review. In the final stage, a show is put on to display these creations.