Design thinking as a pedagogical approach for the Jam, a fast-paced cross-institutional programme with a focus on social justice

Abstract

This contribution reports on the design phase of the Jam, a short, fast-paced, cross-institutional online programme over three days. Its focus is on social justice and specifically access, use and management of community space, as integral part of sustainability. This novel programme aims to enable learning, generate ideas to address complex issues, build connections and support diverse community members engage in cultural exchanges. Developed by the University of Leeds in collaboration with the University of Pretoria, ls14trust in Seacroft, and Mothong African heritage in Mamelodi, it brings together educators, professional services staff and students and the public in non-hierarchical ways to inspire new and different ways to interact and learn. We present an account of the design phase of the Jam, including an account of our institutional design context, an overview of literature on Jams and Jamming that informed our design of the Social Justice Jam: Spaces for Change 2024.