Opening of the “Design Thinking for Innovators” 2020 Course

The “Design Thinking for Innovators” course, part of the “Innovator Pathway – Hành trình đổi mới sáng tạo” program, officially kicked off its first session on June 6, 2020, at the Institute of Innovation (UII). Over 40 students enthusiastically participated, engaging in various introductory activities alongside class facilitators.

This course follows a Blended Learning model, combining online and offline sessions. It includes three offline classes at UII (June 6, June 20, and July 18, 2020) and five webinars hosted on Microsoft Teams. In addition, numerous pre-prepared videos and study materials are provided to ensure students can engage in flexible learning at their own pace.

The first offline session ran from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM at the Institute of Innovation on June 6, 2020.

Even before the official start time, students arrived early, eagerly socializing and creating a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

To break the ice, students played “Bingo”, a light-hearted activity designed to break down barriers, foster camaraderie, and emphasize the diversity of experiences and values they could learn from one another.

After the ice-breaking session, Dr. Đỗ Thị Hải Ninh, Director of Training & International Cooperation at UII, shared detailed insights about the course and introduced the class facilitators (faci).

“Our mission is to spread the spirit of innovation, encouraging young people to innovate daily. We hope that ‘Design Thinking for Innovators’ will offer you the best knowledge and experiences, enhance your creative capacity, and enable you to build solutions to societal problems and improve quality of life. This is the first time in Vietnam that such a course has been offered in a Blended Learning format, combining both online and offline learning. It is supported by experienced facilitators from renowned universities and organizations across Ho Chi Minh City. Over the next seven weeks, we will embark on this journey together, and we hope to see you finish as more confident, refreshed, and innovative versions of yourselves.” – shared Dr. Ninh.

The course continued with several engaging activities, helping students identify their expectations, establish “class rules,” and gain an introduction to concepts related to innovation.

Armed with pre-prepared materials, students were tasked with drawing their favorite character to represent themselves and sharing it with their classmates. Through this activity, the class collaboratively developed guiding principles such as openness, respect for differences, smiling, listening, discipline, and a willingness to share and ask questions.

One of the standout activities was the “Unlimited Creativity” challenge.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the students' creativity and the excitement they displayed in thinking about everyday objects. The students came up with many novel ideas, showing a genuine curiosity about the world around them,” shared Ms. Hà Thanh, Training & International Cooperation Specialist at UII.

After the “Unlimited Creativity” activity, students explored the concept of a “Portrait of an Innovator”, building an understanding of what it takes to be a true innovator.

The first session concluded on a high note, with students maintaining high energy levels throughout. Week 1’s assignment was also launched on the online learning platform, with the first webinar set to take place on Saturday, June 13, 2020, focusing on “Experiencing the Design Thinking Process” via Microsoft Teams.

UII – Where every idea has a story!

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