MRER Lecture: A Design Thinking Approach to Student-Centred Learning

Professors from Kaunas University of Technology were recently welcomed at the Faculty of Education as guests of Prof. Carmel Borg. Invited in his role as editor of the Malta Review of Educational Research (MRER) and coordinator of the MRER Project, they delivered an MRER Lecture exploring innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

The lecture, led by Associate Professor Brigita Stanikūnienė (Vice-Dean for Education) and Associate Professor Nida Kvedaraitė (Head of the Technologies and Entrepreneurship Competences Centre), focused on the use of design thinking as a student-centred pedagogical approach. It traced the full learning process, from identifying real-world challenges to generating ideas, prototyping, and presenting solutions, highlighting how experiential learning fosters creativity, critical thinking, and decision-making in uncertain contexts. Through concrete student projects and reflective insights, the speakers illustrated how this approach enhances motivation, responsibility, and collaboration.

The lecture also addressed teamwork structures and assessment practices, emphasising peer feedback, shared learning, and the development of practical competences.