Biodesign for High schools
Project-based learning methodology that combines design thinking with biotechnology and biomimicry.
About the project
Team: Giovanna Danies, Maria Paula Barón Aristizábal, Andrea Peralta, Andrea Forero, Jenny Grillo, Daniela Pinilla.
From 2018 to 2022 I had the opportunity to work in Atarraya, an interdisciplinary research group within the School of Architecture and Design at Universidad de los Andes. The program aims to train creative and innovative individuals, who think critically, are capable of learning how to learn, and are able to solve complex challenges. The main goal of this project was to spark curiosity in teenagers for exploring the intersection between science and design, and foster their interest in pursuing STEM careers.
As a designer, I worked on developing the methodology to teach biodesign to young audiences, planning teacher training sessions and designing the educational material that ultimately led us to write a book on the methodology.
Our book won the Index Design Award for Latin America in the play and learning category on 2021.
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Education KIT
The project aimed to adapt a methodology used in Universidad de los Andes to teach biodesign to senior design students. One of the main challenges of the project was to make the methodology appealing and useful in High School settings. Our goal was to design a solution that not only aligned with national education standards but one that also encouraged innovation in teaching practices and empowered students to thrive.
Book
The book serves as a comprehensive guide for teachers and sudents to learn the biodesign methodology, featuring case studies, nature-inspired insights, explanations of core biotechnology concepts, and a step-by-step approach to navigating the design thinking process.
Challenge card deck
To foster creativity and introduce students to human-centered design thinking research, we developed a deck of cards that allowed them to combine user types, contexts, and sustainable development goals. This tool helped students frame specific briefs to guide their research and exploration.
Design Brief tracker
The design brief tracker template guided students through their projects, enabling them to document their progress and summarize each stage of the biodesign journey.
Editorial design
Editorial design: Andrea Peralta and Andrea Forero
Teacher training
For the project, we developed a 32-hour teacher training program. We adapted the sessions to online training due to COVID emergency. The training sessions and educational materials were based on the traditional design thinking methodology. This approach helped teachers understand and facilitate the process, while equipping students with a project-based methodology that benefits not only their biodesign projects but also their broader academic and professional journeys.
Teacher Training design: Giovanna Danies, Maria Paula Barón, Andrea Peralta, Andrea Forero. Program Follow-Up and Evaluation: Jenny Grillo, Daniela Pinilla. Video by: Flou Lab, Juan Sebastián Páez and Pedro Ramírez.
Scalability
As a result of the pilot project’s implementation—conducted during the COVID emergency with 32 high school teachers and 250 students—an online course was developed. This course makes it possible for teachers, school administrators, social project leaders, and education enthusiasts from various countries to learn and apply the biodesign methodology in practice. I contributed by planing the content for shorter videos suitable for the Coursera format.
To reach a wider audience and facilitate the implementation of the methodology in Latin American bilingual schools, we translated the book and adapted its editorial design.