Using Design Thinking to Drive Curriculum Transformation in a Transnational Setting: An Autoethnographic Account and a Reflection

The purpose of this chapter is to tell the story of a design thinking exercise to enhance alignment between a foundation year curriculum and the next levels of study within the context of an integrated foundation year delivered in a transnational British University in China. The chapter will offer an autoethnographic account of the development and execution of a design thinking workshop. The chapter takes an autoethnographic approach within a narrative inquiry paradigm, with the goal to offer a thick description of an event (the workshop) and its implications in the author’s professional practice. The account will show how a design thinking approach can offer the basis for driving change in a transnational setting characterized by a multicultural make-up. The result is a template for a change management methodology that has the potential to be used to drive curriculum change in other transnational contexts.