Knowledge Sharing
Beyond academic research, we are involved in multiple forms of knowledge production and sharing from a Podcast, The Design Thinking Roundtable, to the Design Jam for Impact, and courses.
Podcast
The Design Thinking RoundTable is a podcast where we invite social innovators, designers, and change makers who share their work and perspectives with us. We have 3 themes in the Podcast: Conversations on Design, Social Innovators in Residence and Tales of the Field.
The Podcast is a collaboration between the DESIS Lab@NOVA SBE with the Design Lab @ NYU MakerSpace. The Design Thinking Roundtable Podcast was selected as one of the 15 best social innovation podcasts. It was also recognized as #23 of the Top 100 Design Podcasts for 2025, #22 of the Top 80 Social Innovation Podcasts for 2025. and in the Top 43 Social Innovation Podcasts in 2026 by Million Podcasts.
Design Jam for Impact
The Design Jam for Impact emerged from a partnership between the DESIS Lab@NovaSBE and the DESIS Lab at FAUL. It is a one-day event designed to help refine and strengthen projects addressing social and environmental challenges.
Rather than generating entirely new ideas as traditional design jams often do, the jam supports initiatives already in development. It creates space for critical reflection, creative input, and new perspectives that may reveal hidden obstacles or opportunities. It has been held annually every spring since Spring 2022.
You can learn about our previous editions below.
Previous Design Jams
It was really interesting to work with actual projects, to be able to be part of the project development directly with the founders. And to use different tools and address different issues for different projects.
Participant 2026
It was very exciting to be involved in the process, gain new ideas, and hear different perspectives. We truly appreciate the support of the mentors and the open atmosphere for discussing our project.
Project lead, 2026
Our Courses
Experimenting, collaborating and reflecting are at the core of the learning process. It starts in the classroom, but it continues beyond. Our understanding of the classroom’s boundaries is fluid – inviting professionals, local communities, and other stakeholders to join the conversations and support students’ projects. We offer four courses at Nova SBE that reflect the work we do at the DESIS Lab. We also, from time to time, offer workshops.
Design Thinking for Social Innovation (DT4SI) Course
An experiential project-based course which introduces participants to the value of the design thinking process and a human-centered approach to social innovation to develop meaningful and sustainable solutions.
Anne-Laure Fayard | Spring Semester
Power and Social Change
NOVA SBE elective course for students interested in how power is exercised by people and organizations to bring about social change.
Samantha Ortiz Casillas | Spring Semester
Research Methods in Management
Mandatory course introducing students to management research. Over six classes, students learn key steps: reading literature, developing research questions and hypotheses, understanding qualitative and quantitative methods, and critically assessing existing research.
Samantha Ortiz Casillas | Spring Semester
P.h.D Research Seminar on Qualitative Methods: Field Methods and exploratory data analysis
This course provides a “how-to” of ethnographic research. Students will conduct an ethnographic project of their own, complemented by weekly readings and discussions.
Anne-Laure Fayard | Spring Semester
Qualitative Research Methods Workshop
Since 2022, the ERA Chair in Social Innovation has been supporting the Qualitative Methods Workshop, an intensive 4-day experiential workshop in qualitative research methods at NOVA SBE. It was offered in June 2022, June 2024 and June 2026.
Anne-Laure Fayard, and invited post-doctoral fellows. Past: Beth Bechky (UC Davis), Ruthanne Huising (ESSEC), Melissa Mazmanian (UC Irvine) and Hila Lifshitz-Assaf (Warwick), Sam Ortiz Cassillas (Nova SBE).