presentation

Learn X Design 2025 conference paper September 22-24, 2025.

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Peter Scupelli & Paulo Carvalho will present their co-authored paper titled “Design Futures Pedagogy: Does the type of exercise, year of study, order, and number of exercises matter?” at the DRS special interest group conference Learn X Design 2025 at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, on September 22-24.

Abstract

Teaching design for long-term, societal-level sustainability requires design students to learn new design methods that combine Futures Thinking with Design Thinking. This paper explores three questions: (a) how to teach Futures Thinking methods; (b) when to incorporate Futures Thinking into the undergraduate curriculum; and (c) how many exercises to assign to teach a futures method. In this paper, we focus on the Futures Thinking method called Causal Layered Analysis (CLA). Previous research has shown that a “Studio Project CLA” exercise is three times more effective than a “Personal Futures CLA” in helping students apply CLA to their design work. In this paper, undergraduate students in their first and third years did both exercises. We report on three studies. In Study 1, we replicated prior research using a larger dataset. Our results confirm that when performing a single exercise, the “Studio Project CLA” exercise is significantly more effective than the “Personal Futures CLA” exercise. In Study 2, we compared the performance of first-year and third-year design students on both exercises. We found that first-year students had more design insights on how they might apply CLA to design processes. In study 3, regarding the order and quantity of exercises, contrary to the maxim “more practice is better,” we found that “what one practices matters.” In other words, for first-year students, a single “Studio Project CLA” exercise provides more benefit than an additional “Personal Futures CLA” exercise. We posit that the observed transfer from “Futures Thinking” to “Design Thinking” may be explained by three theories from Learning Science literature: (a) concreteness and abstraction of the CLA exercises, (b) the layered aspects of CLA helped to emphasize structural similarities across contexts, (c) concreteness fading in the Design Studio exercise. This study examined the number of design insights; our future work will explore the types and quality of design insights.

Reference

Scupelli, P. & Carvalho, P. (2025) Design Futures Pedagogy: Does the type of exercise, year of study, order, and number of exercises matter?, DRS – Learn X Design intertwinia in Design Education conference in Aveiro, Portugal, on September 22-24, 2025.

Future of Education Conference Paper June 19-21, 2024.

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April 25, 2024 3:17 PM

Peter Scupelli is presenting a paper titled “Design Education Alternative Futures: Climate Disaster, Artificial Intelligence, and DEIBJ?” at the 14th Future of Education International Conference in Florence, Italy on June 19-21.

Abstract

How engaged should design education be with the unfolding Climate Disaster, Artificial Intelligence, and DEIBJ (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice)? Is the next generation of designers prepared to lead the zero-carbon transition? Second, what role might Artificial Intelligence (AI) play in design education? Thirdly, what does engaging with topics such as design for the pluriverse, decolonizing design, and DEIBJ practically involve? I explore a 2x2x2 cube of possibilities with three axes: Climate Disaster engagement, technological change, and DEIBJ—eight alternative futures result. Future 1 is the “business as usual” design education. (e.g., no meaningful engagement with AI or Climate disasters). Future 2 is the “high-tech status quo” (e.g., engagement with technology such as AI but not Climate Disaster). Future 3 is “Sustainable Luddite” design (e.g., Engagement with Climate Disaster but ignoring AI and technology). Future 4 is “AI for Climate Emergency,” using advanced technologies to engage with the zero-carbon transition and social innovation. Futures 5-8 emerge, adding the DEIBJ to the four futures mentioned. In this paper, I describe a survey conducted with faculty, staff, and students at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. The first set of questions probed the personal outlook on the future ten years out and the perceived agency on such futures. The second set of questions asked about interest and engagement with emerging topics. The third set of questions asked about the comfort and frequency of teaching emerging issues. Close to two-thirds of all participants thought they could impact the future in ten years (half of which thought the future would be worse, and the other half better). Close to one-third of participants said the future was worsening and that they could not improve things. Most of the faculty said they were comfortable teaching emerging topics. Regarding frequency of teaching, it was surprising to note, that SDGs and zero-carbon lifestyle transitions were in the “rarely “and “sometimes” taught range. DEIBJ frequency was between “sometimes” and “a good bit.” In contrast, decolonizing design and design for the pluriverse were in the “sometimes” range, suggesting that university and college leadership motivate faculty teaching frequency.

Global Design Futures Network Symposium and Workshops in Bali, Indonesia

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November 10, 2023 10:29 AM

The 2023 Global Design Futures Network Symposium and Workshops are being held at the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center in Bali, Indonesia November 16-19, 2023.

Global Design Futures Network (GDFN) was established through a memorandum of understanding signed in May 2023 by the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano, and the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. The aim is to establish a global design futures learning platform and community, attracting global government, universities, institutions, scholars, and students to jointly promote the emergent practices mixing design and futures studies, and provide frontier methods and tools to address global challenges.

GDFN will gather academic resources and practical design futures cases from a global network and sustainably promote collaborative learning, teaching, and research. In addition, by organizing the establishment of academic exchange platforms and corporate cooperation platforms, we co-design future visions for global issues such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the challenges of the Anthropocene, climate adaptability, a community with a shared future for humankind, and future well-being.

There are five workshops:

  • Artificial Intelligence and Future Fashion facilitated by: Clarice Garcia，RMIT University Australia; WEI Qinwen, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology; SONG Yi, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology; Hosted by Ting Chawchen, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Future Cultural Tourism facilitated by: GAO Xiang, VOYA LINK ; Host: HE Siqian, University of Science and Technology Beijing; MA Yuemei, Politecnico di Milano, GDFN International Coordinator.
  • Futures Thinking and Consensus Community facilitated by Cheryl Chung, Kantar Public, Head of Singapore; Host: WANG Yun, Beihang University.
  • Strategic Foresight and Digital Futures facilitated by Jörn Buhring, Abu Dhabi University, Host: ZHU Lin, Tsinghua University, GDFN International Coordinator.
  • Artificial Intelligence Content Generation (AICG) and Future Metaverses facilitated by 分享嘉, 宾林宾华, 刘文俊 Host: ZHANG Mengting, Macau University of Science and Technology

GDFN co-founders Prof. Peter Scupelli, Prof. Anna Barbara, and Prof. Zhiyong FU will facilitate a community symposium to discuss the GDFN’s emergent mission, vision, and roadmap for the next three years.

Organizers: Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
Design Department, Politecnico di Milano 
School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University
HOST: Department of Information Art & Design, Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University
CO-HOST: Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center

IASDR 2023

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September 1, 2023 1:42 PM

Peter Scupelli will present a paper titled “Teaching to transfer Causal Layered Analysis from Futures Thinking to Design Thinking” at the 2023 IASDR conference held in Milan, Italy October 9-14 at The Politecnico di Milano.

Abstract
We live in exponentially changing worlds. Design educators are challenged to teach new design methods to productively engage with ongoing societal problems with planetary implications such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the unfolding climate disaster, zero-carbon lifestyles, circular economies, nuclear disarmament, etc. Such societal-level problems require both short-term design action and strategic long-term vision goal alignments. How might design educators teach new design methods effectively and efficiently within already packed design education curriculums? In this paper, I describe a required design futures course that teaches an experimental form of design, called Dexign Futures, it merges design thinking with futures thinking. One often unstated goal of teaching new design methods is to enable students to transfer such knowledge to other design courses, and, ultimately, to their professional practice. The futures thinking method, Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) is the focus of this paper. Prior research on Dexign Futures, made clear that with a “Personal Futures CLA” assignment, only 19.8% of design students could articulate how the Futures Thinking method CLA related to future design methods and practice. In this paper, I describe a new way to teach CLA called “Studio Project CLA”; it more than tripled the number of undergraduate design students (62%) who described applications of CLA to their design practice. I posit that transfer of knowledge mechanisms likely explain observed performance gains. I hypothesize key insights relevant for design educators to create design exercises for undergraduate design students that likely facilitate knowledge transfer from futures thinking methods into design practice.

IASDR 2021

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October 15, 2021 7:50 PM

Peter Scupelli will present a paper titled “Teaching Designers to Anticipate Future Challenges with Causal Layered Analysis” at the 2021 IASDR conference held in Hong Kong December 5-9 at TThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Abstract
Low-probability disasters like global pandemics, nuclear war, earthquakes, solar flares and so forth require anticipatory imagination and strategic preparations. The COVID-19 global pandemic amply illustrated how being unprepared results in tragic outcomes for human lives, families, organizations, and economies. Preparing for different kinds of possible futures requires new thinking, imagining, and acting. Globally, design educators are challenged to prepare the next generation of designers for a rapidly changing world. How might designers learn to meaningfully engage with the challenges of our time (e.g., climate emergency, sustainable development) and emerging opportunities (e.g., AI, fourth industrial revolution, and so forth)? In this paper, I describe two futures thinking methods taught in a design centred futures course taught in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). First, an Alternative Futures exercise with a 2×2 matrix that yields four possible futures. Second, students explored one possible future in-depth with Causal Layered Analysis (CLA). The design futures course was taught with the flipped-classroom active learning pedagogy through five activities: online learning, mini-lecture, demonstration, small group in-class workshop activities, and weekly reflection/discussion. I report on text analysis of student weekly reflections parsed with five codes related to CLA (i.e., personal insights, thinking structures, design insights, CLA details, other). Step-by-step scaffolding and multiple integrated learning activities helped students to engage with futures studies methods. CLA provided students with new thinking structures for sensemaking, new insights into futures thinking,  and design methods and process insights on how to design for future challenges.

Last updated: 4:21 pm

Georgia Tech Invited Lecture

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March 11, 2019 3:22 PM

Peter Scupelli gave a talk titled “Teaching to Future – Tradeoffs Between Flipped Classroom and Design Course Pedagogies.” at the Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing.

In the 21st century, change is exponential. Products and services are designed and developed faster, and their shelf-life disrupted by a constant flow of new offerings. Thus, design for the 21st century requires different skills and design educators are challenged to teach new skills within an already packed curriculum. How might design educators revolutionize teaching and learning to rise to 21st-century challenges? In this talk, I’ll compare two versions of a futures studies course developed for design students. Specifically, I’ll describe tradeoffs between course design decisions for flipped pedagogy and design studio pedagogy measured with faculty course evaluations as outcomes, and speculate on how reflective practices were associated with described transfer activities. I will also describe changes made to the courses and provide key insights on applying flipped pedagogy to design courses.

event link

Last updated: 2:33 pm

Design 3.0 Forum in Beijing, China.

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October 10, 2018 2:36 PM

Peter Scupelli is presenting a talk at the Design 3.0 Forum in Beijing China on October 19. The forum is organized by Tsinghua University and KAIST University. Design 3.0 Forum aims to raise and discuss the challenging issues in design research, education and practice in this newly emerging paradigm we now face with new forms of end-user products such as intelligent products and services, DIY/fabrication tools, and IoTs. These new forms of products and services change the ways people interact with them and shape their everyday lives.  We would like to re-think about our traditional user-centered and human-centered approaches and what are new agenda to be raised and considered for future designers and design researchers to be prepared for. This is what Design 3.0 Forum is targeting for, and we hope that this can be the start of continued conversations around these issues even after this forum.

http://www.design3-0.com/en/

Last updated: 3:28 pm

China National Arts Fund Initiation and forum: Training innovative art and tech talents for the 2022 Winter Olympics Games.

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June 1, 2018 5:54 PM

Peter Scupelli delivered a keynote speech titled “Olympic projects as desirable futures” at the “China National Arts Fund Initiation and forum: Training innovative art and tech talents for the 2022 Winter Olympics Games” on June 9 at the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University.

http://www.ieeac2015.org.cn/p/17/20180614/171813553838279.html

Last updated: 2:36 pm

IASDR 2017 conference

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September 22, 2017 2:49 PM

Peter Scupelli to present a paper titled “Opening a Design Education Pipeline from University to K-12 and Back” at the IASDR 2017 conference in Cincinnati.

Opening a Design Education Pipeline from University to K-12 and Back

  • Peter Scupelli, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
  • Doris Wells-Papanek, Design Learning Network, Cross Plains, WI, USA.
  • Judy Brooks, Eberly Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
  • Arnold Wasserman, Collective Invention, San Francisco, CA, USA.

AbstractTo prepare students to imagine desirable futures amidst current planetary level challenges, design educators must think and act in new ways. In this paper, we describe a pilot study that illustrates how educators might teach K-12 students and university design students to situate their making within transitional times in a volatile and exponentially changing world. We describe how to best situate students to align design thinking and learning with future foresight. Here we present a pilot test and evaluate how a university-level Dexign Futures course content, approach, and scaffolded instructional materials – can be adapted for use in K-12 Design Learning Challenges. We describe the K-12 design-based learning challenges/experiences developed and implemented by the Design Learning Network (DLN). The Dexign Futures course we describe in this paper is a required course for third year undergraduate students in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. The “x” signifies a different type of design that aligns short-term action with long-term goals. The course integrates design thinking and learning with long-horizon future scenario foresight. Broadly speaking, we ask how might portions of a design course be taught and experienced by teachers and students of two different demographics: within the university (Design Undergraduates) and in K-12 (via DLN). This pilot study is descriptive in nature; in future work, we seek to assess learning outcomes across university and K-12 courses. We believe the approach described is relevant for lifelong learners (e.g., post-graduate-level, career development, transitional adult education).

Last updated: 1:47 pm

Futures Panel@2016 a2ru National Conference

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August 16, 2016 10:45 AM

Peter Scupelli gave a talk on the opening plenary panel 2016 a2ru National Conference at the University of Colorado in Denver.  The theme of this year’s conference was ArtsRx: Creative Venture, Wellbeing & the New Humanities. The conference highlighted keynote speakers, panels, breakout sessions and workshops that explore and reflect arts-integrative interdisciplinary research and practice in higher education related to the following topics:

  • Arts and Health
  • Arts and Entrepreneurship
  • Science, Engineering, Arts & Design (S.E.A.D.)
  • New Directions and Applications in the Humanities

The opening plenary panel was a “Futures Panel” — using foresight as a cross-cutting lens to motivate a2ru’s work, to provide a bridge for adopting futures thinking into practice (as artists, scholars, interdisciplinarians), and to highlight it as a core skill for academic leadership.

The panel was composed of a collection of futures-based practitioners in the arts and was moderated by J.D. Talasek, Director of Cultural Program at the National Academy of Sciences, with student respondents from MIT, UT Dallas, and UC Denver.

Last updated: 10:45 am