COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS THROUGH DESIGN THINKING AND TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The paper discusses how Design Thinking (DT) and technology-enhanced learning can support multidisciplinary teams in Higher Education (HE), working on creative projects. In particular, it proposes the integration of Design Thinking and AI-driven technologies into educational methodology to improve communication, engagement, personalized learning, and interactivity. The intended results of this approach are to address one of the challenges faced by HE institutions consisting in developing students' creativity, appreciation of the learning process, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This educational project is being designed in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Design and the Learning Mall at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). The methodology includes literature review on DT, surveys collected from the Design School students at XJTLU, and the AI assistants. The integration of dynamic tools such as Articulate Rise 360 and AI has made it possible to visualize concepts and create interactive content for the learners. The results share two educational prototypes that introduce a new thinking model to Design Thinking methodology and share experiments with interactive technological features. By applying this approach, teachers can create an environment conductive to the development of skills needed in the 21st century.