Using Design Thinking Tools to Inform the Design Process of a Massive Open Online Course on Using Scratch for Teachers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Technology in Educational Design, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

In this article, we present our findings regarding the use of design thinking tools to design a massive open online course (MOOC). Our research goal was to investigate the use of Persona and Empathy Maps in order to understand future students’ needs. We followed a convergent parallel mixed method approach. Using a questionnaire, we collected data from 80 teachers interested in taking a future course on the Scratch language. We combined descriptive statistics, language processing methods, and design thinking tools (Personas and Empathy Maps) to analyze the data. Our findings were as follows: 1. Publicity for the course should emphasize that Scratch is an important tool that can be used by teachers in early childhood education; 2. The course should be designed taking into account that the future students may be senior teachers, with low familiarity with technology and poor knowledge of Scratch; 3. The course should have a module that explains what creative learning is, presenting different ways that Scratch can be used to foster it; 4. The course should have a module explaining the strengths and limitations of the Scratch programming language, comparing its features with the features of other programming languages; and 5. The course should have resources (such as discussion forums) to allow those with no technological background to overcome their fear of coding. In conclusion, the use of design thinking tools helped to understand the future students’ needs, facilitating the design of a meaningful MOOC.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Design Thinking
Volume 3, Issue 1
June 2022
Pages 123-134

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