Participatory Design as A Pedagogical Lever to Raise Awareness of Responsible Innovation in Higher Education: Case Study of the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Mahdia

Teaching represents a fundamental pillar in the transmission of knowledge and serves as a driver for societal progress. Methods and pedagogical approaches in Tunisia remain traditional, which limits students' creativity and imagination. Thus, we propose participatory design as a new innovative pedagogical strategy through an upcycling project in which twenty students designed furniture from waste materials available at the university. The experience revealed that this participatory approach, based on student involvement in the design process, changed their perspective on design by making them more creative, analytical, and open-minded. Moreover, it raised their environmental awareness. The results highlight the potential of participatory design as a lever and an innovative and sustainable pedagogical model, which stimulates students' creativity while transforming the university into a laboratory for experimentation to train future responsible designers.