Purpose The here presented pilot study aims to identify opportunities and limits deriving from the use of Low Cost 3D printing (3DP) Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Open Source technologies in Co-design and Co-production processes involving persons with Rheumatic Diseases. Design/methodology/approach In the paper we outline why the use of Low-cost Entry-level FDM can be meaningful for this scenario, implying a complete sharing of the design and the production phases of small assistive devices. The +TUO process is composed several stages, among which the Generative session represents the core. Findings This study highlights as the introduction of this low-cost technology in Co-generative processes with people with RDs is a real challenge that can lead to new products and solutions, and that can sustain a social and local manufacturing approach for people facing a specific disablement. Research limitations/implications This research is a first step of a broader research, new researches are going to explore further details related with the technology and of the adopted method. Practical implications Involving actively the End User during the creation process can bring advantages such as meeting more precisely their needs and create innovative products, as shown in the text. Originality/value +TUO is a pilot study that explore a topic already discussed in the scientific arena, without focusing on the specific use of low cost 3DP technologies

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<p class="2">This case study explores the opportunities for students of Industrial Design Engineering to engage with direct and indirect stakeholders by making their design process and results into open-ended designed solutions. The reported case study involved 47 students during a two-weeks intensive course on the topic of urban gardening. Observations were collected during three distinctive phases: the co-design phase, the creation of an open design, and the sharing of these design solutions on the online platform Instructables.com.</p><p class="2">The open sharing of local solutions triggered more global discussions, based on several types of feedback: from simple questions to reference to existing works and from suggestions to critiques. Also, some examples of <em>re-appropriation</em> of the designed solutions were reported. These feedbacks show the possibilities for students to have a global vision on their local solutions, confronting them with a wider and more diverse audience.</p><p class="2">The case study shows, on the other hand, the difficulty in keeping students engaged in this <em>global</em> discussion, considering how after a few weeks the online discussions dropped to an almost complete silence. It is also very difficult with such online platforms to follow the re-appropriation cycles, losing the possibility of exploring the new local context where the replication/modification of the designed product occurred. The course’s focus on open design is interesting from both the design and educational points of view. It implies a deep change in the teaching approach and learning attitude of students, allowing unknown peers to take part in the design process and fostering a global discussion starting from unique and local solutions.</p>

Abstract:Online platforms (i.e. Instructables) often provide design solutions developed locally for one specific person's needs. The goal of the research is to understand how existing specific projects, created to be for one person, can be translated into open design solutions that facilitate spontaneous re-appropriation in a variety of new contexts. By observing and interviewing 36 teams of students within a living lab project where occupational therapists and designers co-design personal assistive devices with and for disabled clients, we explored how the relevant design information can be meaningfully reorganized to create open design. We focused on the designers' choices of concrete attributes with a high impact on the end-result. We suggest a model wherein these attributes are listed and categorized as: Undefined, Defined-Fixed, Contextual, balancing openness and overdesign. The research led to a new definition that distinguishes "Open-ended Design" from "Open Design".

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Purpose Teaching sustainable development at the higher education level requires that existing curricula are supplemented with multi-disciplinary (and sometimes multi-national) collaboration and integrated thinking. The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of a particular framework for business model innovation for sustainability-as-flourishing that is used as a boundary object in the context of interdisciplinary, peer-assessed distance learning. This study is positioned in the broader picture of enlarging curricular content so as to reflect the systemic and interconnected nature of socio-technical and economic developments. The motivation behind this study is the authors’ wish to achieve a deeper understanding of how students engage with the complex concept of sustainable business modelling, while using the flourishing business canvas (FBC). Design/methodology/approach An experiment was conducted on the use of the FBC as a boundary object among 52 engineering students at two universities. Data were provided by the following: iterations of the FBC; oral and written peer feedback; and an online survey. Findings Based on an evaluation of the experiment, this study shows that the FBC supports the use of multi-disciplinary, multi-national peer and distance learning in sustainability education. Research limitations/implications This study used one test condition of multi-disciplinary, multi-national collaboration for peer and distance learning at one point in time. Additional tests, using the tools and approaches of this study, are needed. Originality/value Various tools and methods for use in education have been developed that support a new view of sustainability –sustainability-as-flourishing. Extant research focusses primarily on the development of tools and methods in this area. Not enough attention has been paid to the analysis of their implementation and use in higher education. This paper seeks to fill that research gap.

In today’s industrial short-lived products, long-lasting materials are often implemented (e.g., oil-based plastics for throwaway packaging). Circular economy teaches the importance of keeping these materials in use, as well as designing end-of-lives that regenerate natural systems. Designers can help drive to a circular transition, but are they ready for this challenge? Educating young designers on circularity seems a fundamental first step, including knowing and meaningfully using circular, bio-based and biodegradable materials. This substantiates the decision to expand the UGent Campus Kortrijk Design workspace to include specific technologies for circular, bio-based and biodegradable materials as a means of experiential learning during the prototyping phase. This paper reports on setting up a “bio-makerspace” as well as the use, adaption and redesign by 45 students. Qualitative data on work dynamics, used tools, materials, barriers and enablers were captured and analyzed to potentially facilitate the implementation of similar “bio-makerspaces” in different institutions. The next steps include the expansion and intensification of the use of the lab, in conjunction with the education of students to meaningfully match these materials to sustainable applications beyond the prototyping phase.

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