Courses Co-Offered by the Chair of Design Thinking Research and Neurodesign

Research & Academic Writing Seminar (2025+)

Instructor: Julia von Thienen
Schedule: Biweekly on Fridays, 3:30 – 5:30 pm CET (first session: May 23, 2025)
Duration: Year-round (across all four academic terms)
Format: Seminar
Modality: Online
Enrolment: Open to postgraduates (Master/PhD), research staff, and advanced Bachelor students writing their thesis

How to Join: Please contact the instructor to receive invites and updates.

This seminar supports participants in planning and writing their thesis or conference papers. It offers hands-on sessions that address various aspects of academic research and publishing, with training in three core areas:
(i) Research Methodology,
(ii) Scientific Writing, and
(iii) Peer Review.

Research Methodology

This domain equips participants with foundational knowledge, skills, and competencies in research methods. These are tailored to:

• evaluating the innovation potential in a specific area of investigation as a basis for design inspiration; or
• assessing the impact of self-developed digital tools and transformation initiatives at later research stages.

The content supports both independent learning and interactive engagement, with downloadable materials and live sessions available depending on participant needs. Covered topics include:

• Experimental Design: Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental approaches.
• Longitudinal Research: Such as time-series and repeated-measures studies.
• Survey Design: Development of effective survey items and questionnaires.
• Quality Criteria: Concepts and techniques for evaluating research instruments (e.g., objectivity, reliability, validity).
• Interviews: Designing, conducting, and analyzing interviews.
• UX Research: Methods for assessing user experience and interaction with digital systems.
• Data Analysis: Core statistical concepts and techniques.
• Informed Consent and Ethics Review: Templates for drafting consent forms and guidance on submitting applications to ethics boards.

Scientific Writing

This domain familiarizes participants with the structure and conventions of scientific texts. It highlights quality criteria typically applied to various sections - such as abstracts, introductions, methods and results - while also offering strategies for managing time effectively during the writing process.

The seminar furthermore addresses key aspects of scientific publishing, including:

• the selection of suitable journals,
• mastering the peer-review process,
• handling ethical considerations (especially concerning the use of AI tools), and
• formatting references as well as other formal requirements.

Peer Review and Writing Practice

Regular practice sessions are embedded within the seminar, offering participants opportunities to share their writing and receive feedback. Shared texts may include shortened sections of a thesis or early-stage paper drafts.

A typical seminar format involves live peer-review sessions, in which participants read and critique each other’s work - such as outlines or abstracts - using structured review criteria. The group then discusses this feedback in a collaborative and mutually supportive setting.

The course runs year-round, across all four academic terms, allowing participants to join at different stages of their projects, benefitting from long-term support.

D-Colloquium (2025+)

Instructors: Julia von Thienen & Steven Ney
Schedule: Biweekly on Fridays, 4:00 – 6:00 pm CET (first session: May 16, 2025)
Duration: Year-round (across all four academic terms)
Format: Colloquium/Workshop
Modality: Flexible (onsite/hybrid/online)

Enrollment: Open to postgraduates (Master/PhD) and research staff working on design thinking projects or related innovation initiatives

How to Join: Please contact the instructors to receive invites and updates.

This biweekly colloquium provides a collaborative space for hands-on project work and in-depth discussions in a collegial atmosphere. It is designed to support the advancement of ongoing projects at the post-graduate or research group level, particularly those with a focus on design thinking.

Each session begins with a brief update on all members’ current topics, but the main emphasis is a deep dive into the immediate objectives of one or two participants. These individuals present their projects, and the group contributes their minds and hands to move these efforts forward – doing whatever is needed to support progress. Activities may include joint prototyping or testing, problem-solving, data analysis, assembling test batteries, practicing presentations, or addressing other timely challenges – accompanied by good coffee, tea, and snacks.

The colloquium is designed to be fully flexible across digital and analogue contexts. Whether it takes place in real-life settings – such as cafés, retreat environments, or co-working spaces – or leverages exciting digital environments such as Extended Reality spaces, the format encourages inquiry and lively debate. Reflections on how different environments influence community building dynamics and project outcomes are explored as accompanying research questions.

The colloquium is hosted across design-thinking-oriented research groups, organized by Julia von Thienen and Steven Ney as a cross-group initiative of the College for Design Thinking. It aims to support research and complex projects that extend beyond the scope of individual terms or courses.