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The Tools of Engagement: Bridging Design Thinking and Social Media to Enhance and Support Collaborative Learning
THESIS

, Carleton University , Canada

Carleton University . Awarded

Abstract

Social media offers opportunity for collaborative, peer-to-peer learning. This study investigates core media literacies, developed through engagement with social media, and draws connections between these skills and the collaborative, explorative approach fostered in design education. The research also examines how collaborative learning is enabled through participatory tools and systems, and how these systems align with design education to further promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

A questionnaire distributed to undergraduate students identified unique attributes of design students compared to other disciplines, with regards to enthusiasm, collaborative education, and technology-supported research. Four case studies of online social learning spaces were then compared and contrasted to reveal tools and systems that enable social learning. Systems and tools identified included complex assessment, informality, multimodality, freedom of exploration, and peer review and can be paralleled to the approach used in design thinking—suggesting the potential to enhance education through design thinking supported or complemented by participatory media.

KEYWORDS: Design thinking, social media, education, learning, collaboration, digital media, interdisciplinary

Citation

Caruso, C. The Tools of Engagement: Bridging Design Thinking and Social Media to Enhance and Support Collaborative Learning. Master's thesis, Carleton University. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from .

This record was imported from ProQuest on October 23, 2013. [Original Record]

Citation reproduced with permission of ProQuest LLC.

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