Reimagining Higher Education: Empathy and Design Thinking Integration

Empathetic education at the University of Texas prepares students for success in a rapidly evolving, multidisciplinary world.

### Transforming Education: Preparing Students for a Multidisciplinary Future
* 🎓 For over 30 years, I have led teams and businesses through significant growth, but now I find fulfillment in **teaching students how to navigate the complexities of the modern creative economy**.
* 🌍 The landscape of business has evolved, necessitating a focus on **empathy, collaboration, and critical problem-solving skills** that students need to succeed beyond graduation.
* 💡 At the University of Texas, we aim to prepare students not just for their specific disciplines but for a multidisciplinary world where they can **work effectively with diverse teams**.
* 🛠 We are reimagining higher education by designing a curriculum that emphasizes **design thinking, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning**, allowing students to **engage directly with real-world problems**.
* 🚍 This past semester, a unique class took students to IBM design studios, where they tackled **actual business challenges**, enhancing their **confidence and presentation skills** through hands-on experience.
* 📈 We are also introducing microcredit courses to foster cross-disciplinary learning, ensuring students understand **various fields** and can **collaborate effectively**.
* 🤝 The focus on **empathy and human-centered design** is crucial, as businesses today seek graduates who can **connect with others and solve problems creatively**, not just rely on technical skills.
* 📚 Ultimately, we are creating an educational environment that **embraces mistakes as learning opportunities**, preparing students to thrive in a rapidly changing world while reinforcing the idea that "**what happens here changes the world**."

Design Thinking | Doreen Lorenzo | TEDxUTAustin

TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED's format and rules.

For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request here: https://media-requests.ted.com.

TEDx Talks

Transforming Education for the Creative Economy

The speaker has 30 years of experience in leadership, mergers, and product innovation, and is now teaching at the University of Texas.

The goal is to prepare students for the changing business landscape and to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration in higher education.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of teaching students empathy, critical problem-solving, and collaboration to succeed in a multidisciplinary world.

Reimagining Higher Education: The School of Design and Creative Technologies

The School of Design and Creative Technologies is redesigning its curriculum to be responsive to the market, focusing on design thinking, entrepreneurship, and collaboration.

The school is also changing the teaching model by partnering with companies like IBM to provide students with real-world problem-solving experiences.

This innovative approach has transformed both the students and educators, leading to plans for similar collaborations with other companies in the upcoming semester.

Innovative Learning Approach for Students

The institution is offering real-world experience through microcredit courses, allowing students to explore different disciplines.

The courses are highly sought after, creating a buzz of excitement on campus.

A serial entrepreneur has been hired to bring entrepreneurial skills to the creative team, while industry professionals are teaching the courses to keep students competitive in the job market.

The focus is on design thinking and human-centered design as a methodology for problem-solving, using an interdisciplinary approach.

The Importance of Diverse Perspectives and Empathy in Problem-Solving

Different perspectives, such as software, design, and engineering, are crucial for solving problems effectively.

Empathy, defined as a deep understanding of people, is a vital soft skill that is increasingly valued by businesses.

The demand for empathetic skills in graduates is growing, as teamwork and problem-solving in dynamic environments become essential for success.

Reed Hastings' late DVD return at Blockbuster led to the creation of Netflix, which started as a DVD mailing service.

Netflix's popularity grew as they offered a subscription model and eventually started producing their own content.

The company's strategy of releasing episodes all at once changed viewing habits, leading to the phenomenon of binge-watching.

The Impact of Design Thinking on Homelessness and Education

Design thinking was used in New York City to map the journey of a homeless person, leading to collaboration among agencies to change the system.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of viewing mistakes as part of continuous learning rather than failure.

The University of Texas is actively creating the right environment and providing information to help students cope with the fast-paced world and be successful in their careers and lives.