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Since the first descriptions of design research (DR), there have been calls to better define it to increase its rigour. Yet five uncertainties remain: (1) the processes for conducting DR, (2) how DR differs from other forms of research, (3) how DR differs from design, (4) the products of DR, and (5) why DR can answer certain research questions more effectively than other methodologies. To resolve these uncertainties, we define educational design research as a meta-methodology conducted by education researchers to create practical interventions and theoretical design models through a design process of focusing, understanding, defining, conceiving, building, testing, and presenting, that recursively nests other research processes to iteratively search for empirical solutions to practical problems of human learning. By better articulating the logic of DR, researchers can more effectively craft, communicate, replicate, and teach DR as a useful and defensible research methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To provide the substantial support required for project‐based learning (PBL), educators can incorporate professional experts as design coaches. However, previous work shows barriers incorporating design coaches who can rarely meet face‐to‐face: (1) communication online is time‐consuming, (2) updating coaches online is not perceived as valuable, (3) students do not seek help, (4) coaches are not proactive online and (5) coaches struggle to gain the awareness from student online communications. How might we design socio‐technical systems that can incorporate professionals coaching? In a 6‐week university PBL product design program with three teams (four members per team) and five coaches, teams met with coaches on campus for 2‐hours a week, but otherwise communicated with teams online. We created and tested StandUp, a system designed to overcome coaching barriers online that: prompts team planning, goal setting and monitoring of progress and displays this information online to coaches. We collected and analyzed interview, observation and log data. We found StandUp helped participants overcome coaching barriers by providing students a way to regulate group learning which in turn automatically emailed reports to coaches thereby supporting coach awareness; coach awareness in turn prompted both online coaching and face‐to‐face coaching. This work provides evidence from one context. Future work should measure learning and explore different regulation scripts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government and industry depend on educational institutions to play a pivotal role in preparing the future workforce for careers in innovation. Yet students learn how to innovate through practice, and opportunities for practice are limited in higher education. This paper addresses this challenge by presenting a new student-led approach to innovation education called Extracurricular Design-Based Learning. This model allows students to practice innovating solutions to authentic, pro-social, and local challenges in an extracurricular setting. This paper provides an overview of the model and its implementation in Design for America at Northwestern University. Findings from surveys, daily diaries, interviews, and observations suggest that students build innovation self-efficacy through successful task completion, social persuasion, and vicarious learning in communities of practice with clients, peers, industry professionals, and faculty. Further, students report achievement in learning outcomes outlined by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]