Monash Tech School has been named a Good Design Award Winner in the 2023 Australian Good Design Awards for our Superspace program.
Issued by Good Design Australia, the award aims to “recognise, reward and promote the value of design” in promoting a better and more sustainable future.
Product and Project Manager Justin Mitchell spoke of the importance of the award, declaring it a prestigious landmark for the entire Tech School Initiative.
“This is a big win for the Tech School Initiative. Being funded to produce design thinking in STEM education, to have our design practices externally validated by Australia’s most reputable design body only encourages us as we undertake more complicated design processes in the future.”
“We embrace the challenge of bringing design thinking principles into the educational space, to leave a lasting impact on students within Monash precinct and beyond.”
The award was received in the Service Design - Education Services category. Superspace was recognised for its exemplary performance across three discipline-specific criteria; achieving good design, design innovation and design impact.
With reference to the skills deficit in space industry-related sectors, our submission posited the design challenge of “How might we connect early secondary students with Australia’s growing space sector at scale?”
This overarching question guided the entirety of the design process for Superspace, from the initial design of the program all the way through to the student experience, which offers a hands-on simulation of the technology within the space industry.
The submission also spoke to the innovative nature of Superspace’s pedagogical approach. It presents students with the opportunity to engage in a human-centred design sprint while offering a high level of agency throughout. This allows them to critically consider what STEM-related outcomes are desirable and build industry-relevant skills.
Follow the Good Design Awards website to celebrate other winners across all eleven disciplines.
