As a result of COVID-19 , millions of us are adapting to working from home, may have lost our jobs, or are looking for ways to reinvent our work to meet social distancing requirements. Designed for individuals and people managing small-to-medium organizations, this introductory course will inspire you to reimagine how you can transform your work with others from a distance, using human-centered and UX design tools that have been applied across various design-oriented companies for decades. Filled with expert conversation, different tools, and reflective visual maps which you can apply to your own context, this primer course is useful for anyone trying to reinvent their work from home. If you enjoy the course and would like to develop a deeper understanding of this topic, we recommend you subsequently enroll in the two-course edX professional certificate program: Human-Centered Design for Work at a Distance , launching on Tuesday, June 30 . The certificate builds upon the teachings of this introductory course, offering real-life case studies, live instructor interaction, and expert feedback.

The first in our “Spatial Computational Thinking” program, this “Procedural Modelling” course will focus on the fundamentals of procedural programming in 3D. You’ll learn to write computational procedures using data structures and control-flow statements to automate the production of 3D models. During the course, you will learn a range of computational methods. These include general programming constructs such as using ‘while’ loops, ‘for-each’ loops, ‘if-else’ conditions, as well as writing your own custom functions. In addition, you will also learn to use two key data structures: list and dictionaries. And in the process, you will become familiar with the programming process: writing code, executing code and debugging code. In this course, you’ll build a strong foundation to prepare you for the more in-depth courses later in the series, where we cover more advanced types of modelling, including semantic modelling, generative modelling and performative modelling. During this course, you will use Möbius Modeller, the modelling tool that is used throughout this “Spatial Computational Thinking” module. It is free and easy to use browser-based software to write algorithms for automatic generation and visualization of complex models with spatial information. The programming language uses a visual programming approach combining flowcharts with procedural programming. This makes the process of learning coding much easier, allowing you to quickly acquire the knowledge and skills required for writing complex computational procedures for generating, analysing, and visualizing complex 3D spatial information models. The programming knowledge you gain will be highly transferable if you later choose to use other languages in your future work such as Python or Javascript. The modelling exercises and assignments during this course will start with a simple procedural approach to 2D and 3D patterns and will progress towards more complex geometries representing entities within the built environment such as building footprints, building facades and staircases. The demand for skilled spatial computational practitioners is growing rapidly and is not limited to the computer science domain. This series will prepare you to tackle a wide variety of spatial information modelling challenges.

To prepare you for this course, we recommend completing the free 3-hour introductory MOOC Re-Imagine Work - Strategies During COVID-19 and Beyond . In this course, you will gain a foundational understanding of human-centered design tools, and apply lessons learned to improve your work with others at a distance. Learn how HCD principles can be applied to multiple aspects of working at a distance, and can be used to help decipher complex organizational challenges. Each module features conversations with experts and/or novices who are seeking to adjust and re-invent their work at home. Examine conversations as a case study, gain key takeaways, and learn to adapt and apply these strategies to your own distributed work situation. You will be taught how to exercise visual thinking and produce visual maps to help frame the specific challenges you are facing. At the conclusion of the course, verified learners will apply teachings to prototype a solution for a real-life case study. This course is taught by a UBC professor who has helped over 50 clients from a range of industries decipher “wicked” problems and create scalable MVP’s (minimum viable prototypes).

It has become almost impossible to imagine what our lives would be like without the many benefits of packaging - just think about the different packaging and single-use items you use on a daily basis. Yet as our global population grows in size and affluence, both our collective demand for packaging materials and the waste we generate as a result will increasedramatically. Currently, large amounts of packaging waste escape formal collection and recycling systems and eventually end up polluting the environment. Moreover, their material value is forever lost to the economy. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that uncollected plastic packaging waste alone is worth somewhere between 80 to 120 billion dollars a year. So how can we improve packaging systems in order to capture this wasted potential? Clearly, the way we currently design, recover, and reuse packaging urgently needs a rethink! In this course, you will learn about the design of sustainable packaging systems. To do so we will explore the design and business strategies of the circular economy. Contrary to our current industrial model, which extracts, uses and ultimately disposes of resources, a circular economy is regenerative by design. This means that products and services are reimagined from a systems perspective in order to minimize waste, maximize positive economic, environmental and social impacts, and keep resources locked in a cycle of restoration. This course is for you if you are interested in learning about sustainable packaging design. You'll also benefit if you are a professional in the packaging industry and want to learn how to find circular opportunities in your work. Students - particularly in design -will be able to broadentheir knowledge of circular design and business strategies.

Products and equipment all around us are made of materials: look around you and you will see phones, computers, cars, and buildings. We face challenges in securing the supply of materials and the impact this has on the planet. Innovative product design can help us find solutions to these challenges. This course will explore new ways of designing products. The design of products is an important aspect of a circular economy. The circular economy approach addresses material supply challenges by keeping materials in use much longer and eventually returning materials for new use. The principle is that waste must be minimized. Products will be designed to last longer. They will be easier to Reuse, Repair, and Remanufacture. The product will eventually be broken down and Recycled. This is Design for R and is the focus of this course. Experts from leading European universities and research organizations will explain the latest strategies in product design. Current design approaches lead to waste, loss of value and loss of resources. You will learn about the innovative ways in which companies are creating value, whilst securing their supply chains, by integrating Design for R . This course is suitable for all learners who have an interest in product design, innovative engineering, new business activity, entrepreneurship, sustainability, circular economy and everyone who thinks that the current way we do things today needs a radical rethink.

Designing and creating trousers will teach learners how to design and make trousers for men and women, by recording key body measurements, developing the ability to create unique designs, and made to measure patterns to create unique garments. Learners will understand how to record body measurements used to create trousers for men and women, and develop the knowledge and skills to adapt the basic blocks into unique designs, with activities to create different waistbands, pockets, openings, and different trouser shapes and designs. Learners will develop the skills to create trouser patterns, and adapt patterns into individual designs; creating specification sheets for commercial patterns and manufacturing. With tutorials in pattern making and sewing techniques, learners will develop the skills to hand or machine sew garments to fit their own body shape, developing the skills and knowledge to manufacture clothing, including fit analysis, and adjusting the fit of clothing to specific body shapes and size. Gaining valuable knowledge in the art of made to measure clothing, and how to obtain a perfect fit of a garment. The skills obtained from the technical creation side of the course will give learners the understanding of garment details and components, and provide the foundation to design a whole range of different trouser designs, leg lengths, widths, pocket styles and fabrics used in different casual and tailored looks. This course will prepare learners for a career within the fashion industry, gaining a foundation of knowledge to complete an undergraduate programme, or work within the fashion industry as a designer, pattern cutter, merchandiser or fit technologist. They will understand how to make patterns, sew garments, fit to a person and design skills in creating trousers to specific body shapes. The knowledge and skills obtained in this course will provide a foundation of core abilities, which are used within the fashion industry.

The IDM edX Mircomasters capstone project draws on the skills you have mastered in Creative Coding, Media Law, and Theories of Media & Technology. You will draw upon your technical and conceptual skills, and create a 'remix' project that speaks to the broader themes and ideas in the other courses. In addition to producing a web-based work that draws on these learning experiences, you will create a document outlining your project from concept to completion, and include references and documentation to support the core argument you are making with your work.

Cities are built site by site. Site planning has been taught in urban planning, landscape architecture and architecture programs for over a century and continues to be a foundation course for those who aspire to plan the built environment. It is a required subject on licensing and certification programs for each of these disciplines. Mastering the art of site planning requires substantive knowledge, well-honed design skills, and familiarity with examples and prototypes of site organization. This course provides the perspectives of leading academics and practitioners on the important issues in preparing site plans. It offers a foundation of knowledge, and the opportunity to apply what is learned in preparing a site plan.

Designing and creating skirts will teach learners how to design and make clothing by recording measurements from a person, and creating unique designs and made to measure garments. Learners will understand how to record body measurements used to create skirts, and develop the knowledge and skills to adapt the basic blocks into unique designs, with activities to create different waistbands, pockets, openings, pleats, gathers and different skirt shapes and designs. Learners will develop the skills to create skirt patterns, adapting patterns to individual designs by use of fullness and manipulation techniques, and create specification sheets for commercial patterns and manufacturing. With tutorials in pattern making and sewing techniques learners will develop the skills to hand or machine sew garments to fit their own body shape, to develop the skills and knowledge to manufacture clothing, including fit analysis and adjusting the fit of clothing to fit the body shape and size. Gaining valuable knowledge in the art of made to measure clothing, and how to obtain a perfect fit of a garment. Learners will gain appreciation of the history of design, fashion styles and design elements, to be able to design their own unique range of skirts for a specific body shape and size. This course will prepare learners for a career within the fashion industry, gaining a foundation of knowledge to complete an undergraduate programme, or work within the fashion industry as a designer, pattern cutter, merchandiser or fit technologist. The skills obtained in this course will provide a foundation of core skills used within the fashion industry.

Brainstorm, brainstorm! UX Design is not just about having ideas! The user-centred approach fuels innovation in ways that support incremental, radical and disruptive innovations towards great user experience like no other. User experience design helps the team hone down on a new concept, on general interactions, on desired experiences, before jumping into user interface design (the next MOOC!). Learn divergent ideation methods to bring creativity to problem-solving, whether you are called upon for a simple redesign or a major change in a digital offering. Use convergent ideation methods to anchor a new concept within your business context, seeking win-win innovation for all parties involved, within the project team, across the organisation including external end-users. Thinking through innovation helps position even the smallest change into a long-term perspective. No wonder Design Thinking is a highly valued method. No previous knowledge needed. Join us in the journey to master the divergent and convergent ideation methods. Unlock their potential, through the UX Design and Evaluation MicroMasters, or as an individual course.