MoD Oslo 2009

A COCREATING SCHOOL AND STUDENT COLLABORATION. Since Winter 2006-2007 faculty at two very different higher education schools in Oslo, that is, BI Norwegian School of Management and KHiO, the National Academy of the Arts, and some of their student groups have cocreated what we call MoD, management of design (*originally management and marketing of design).

It is a crossover kind of ideation, project management and entrepreneurship course for bachelor students from the two higher education schools involved. So far, students and faculty from two educational areas, 'culture and leadership' and 'design' of the two schools respectively can engage in this. The joint 'MOD' learning project is focused on concept-development, visual design and communication, and management of creative projects in interdisciplinary business and design groups. The business and design students are organized into preset mixed groups and 'thrown' into joint ideation and project managing practice for three weeks.

THE TASK each year is to come up with eventually one core idea in each group and make, refine, organize and communicate the group's core idea, visual design, and project and business planning around the idea chosen within a short time frame. The groups are free to choose idea and set up of their project organization within the overall aims and frame of this learning project. See the MOD overall aims and intentions as well as history and experiences outlined elsewhere (modoslo.blogspot.com). Brief on the background initiative, see note below.

IN MOD 2009 18 groups have been working from 5. to 23. January in a highly intensive cocreation in addition to lectures, seminars, field visits, guest lectures and so forth.

On last Friday, the 23 January, 18 groups presented their idea - many in highly triggering 15 minutes performances. The ideas varied from culture-communication focused ones to business ideas based on mixtures of health, safety, and environmental concerns. Arts and design aspects were essential in the projects. Many concrete ideas could contribute to social and service innovation for people and places in Oslo. For example a project that could light up literally dark areas along the Akerselva (*river in Oslo) because many people want to walk in this area.
It is amazing how the groups had developed their ideas and team spirit in few weeks.
It will be exciting to learn about the future careers of the 2009 MOD students and see if any, or other related, projects will become realized. Most important perhaps is to learn to collaborate in new ways.

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Note on background
THE INITIATIVE for MOD was originally taken in 2006 by four faculty members, two from each school, i.e., dean of design Halldor Gislason and fashion design professor Tove Kjær from Khio and Donatella de Paoli and Birgit Helene Jevnaker, both associate professors from BI. Thus, the collaboration also is involving two of BI Management school's departments, 'Communication, culture, and language' and 'Innovation and economic organizing'.
Both Dori and Birgit had run ideation and entrepreneurship/design-business creativity oriented courses previously (also in other school settings), and we have also friends that have been involved in some related initiatives in other countries. The other faculty members, Donatella and Tove also had long and varied experiences that could be reused creatively for this joint learning project. All were also in formal positions (*with course or program responsibilities) at their schools to influence the school's courses and students' work. Last but not least, I would say a critical success factor, is a group of at least four faculty members have been highly engaged in both launching AND following-cum-realizing this project. A creative joint effort by more than one faculty made this crossover initiative feasible in practice.