Teaching platform for "Parametric Design" wins Inclusive Design Award

The teaching platform Parametric Design of the Department of Design has won the Inclusive Design Award 2024 of the Institute for Universal Design (IUD) in the "Expert" category and was also honoured with the additional gold award. The platform impressed the jury with its outstanding consideration of accessibility and a comprehensive approach to implementing inclusive design principles.

In the jury discussion, it was particularly emphasised that Parametric Design goes beyond the technical requirements and integrates various dimensions of inclusive design into the learning environment. For example, content is offered in several languages, including German, English and German sign language, in order to appeal to a broad user base. Learners can also access different learning modes, such as text, video and code, to suit individual needs and preferences. The platform provides a diverse collection of references that go beyond the classic examples of parametric design and cover a broad spectrum of perspectives and ideas. Data protection aspects were also taken into account as part of the development process in order to protect students' privacy in the best possible way.

The platform is currently being expanded to include the topics of inclusive design and artificial design in order to adapt the programme to current developments in the field of design and to train students in these forward-looking subject areas.

Parametric Design makes all content available as Open Educational Resources (OER) and thus enables free access to learning materials and reuse in the educational community. The platform was most recently supported by the Innovation Fund of the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences in order to promote the further development and dissemination of innovative teaching content.

With these awards, Parametric Design is recognised as a pioneer for inclusive and modern learning and sets standards for the future of digital education.

Parametric Design is a project by Prof Dr Sebastian Meier and design graduate Jolanta Paliszweska.