This week I visited Goldsmiths University of London to share some of Bournemouth University’s best practice in problem-based learning. It focused on action-based research and relied heavily on co-creation. Students were introduced to a form of scenario planning which utilises expert opinion to create plausible scenarios. The students were taking the MA in Event and Experience Management offered by the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship.

Student generating ideas for a problem they can work on collaboratively

Firstly, students by a democratic process using stickers chose a creative endeavour to focus their scenario planning.

London Nightlife was the topic selected for the scenario planning exercise

Next the students worked on generating the key inputs for developing the scenarios. Scenarios are multiple qualitative pictures of the future that organisations can use to inform their strategic planning exercises.

The third and final step was to name the scenarios and describe them. The students came up with “Sweet Dreams”, “Limbo”, “You Topia” and “Hell”. The key uncertainties of cost of living and gentrification formed the key boundaries for framing these scenarios.

Four scenarios for London’s Nightlife based on the key uncertainties of affordability and gentrification

To read more about the session, please follow this link. Interested in having a scenario session run for your students? E-mail me at nferdinand@bournemouth.ac.uk. I’d love to hear from you.