Introduction to Prototyping

Course Title

Introduction to Prototyping and Four Horizon Thinking

Course Description of Student-Led Course

This course introduces the Moonshot methodology (Carleton & Cockayne, 2023) as an approach to tackling complex, “almost impossible” societal and technological challenges by combining visionary thinking with practical prototyping. Students learn to transform radical ideas into tangible outcomes through three iterative phases: imagining future possibilities using strategic foresight, designing and building physical artefacts (e.g. with 3D printing), and testing and critically evaluating prototypes in relation to real-world contexts.Throughout the course, students develop the ability to distinguish between incremental and radical innovation, while also exploring funding models that support high-risk, high-impact ideas, such as the DARPA model. The course contributes to BAUHAUS4EU’s transformation goals by equipping students with a transferable methodology for addressing future-oriented challenges. As a credit-bearing course, it represents an innovative educational model within the alliance, with potential for replication across partner universities. Its pedagogical foundation is rooted in active, project-based STEM learning.

The course aligns with the New European Bauhaus values. In terms of sustainability, students learn to work with long-term time horizons (“Horizon 4”), approaching planetary-scale challenges such as climate adaptation and social inclusion by framing uncertainty and translating visions into prototypes. Regarding togetherness, the course is interdisciplinary, bringing together students from diverse fields without specific prerequisites. It incorporates Deep Listening fieldwork, which encourages students to engage with stakeholders, challenge assumptions, and understand underlying issues. The course culminates in a public exhibition that fosters dialogue with the wider community. In relation to beauty, the course emphasises aesthetic communication as integral to innovation. Practices such as “Press Release from the Future” and prototype exhibitions create meaningful, shared experiences. The course also supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), by fostering innovative learning and the capacity for radical innovation.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Knowledge and practices: Explain the Moonshot methodology's foundational frameworks, including the Four Horizons model and the IMAGINE–BUILD–TEST project cycle.
• Be able to explain the difference between visionary and incremental innovation, and the role of ambiguity and
• uncertainty in working on long-horizon problems.
• Account for where radical ideas are historically developed and funded, including DARPA-style programmes,
• national innovation agencies such as Vinnova, and European programmes such as Horizon Europe and the
• European Innovation Council.
• Skills and abilities: Apply core methods of the Moonshot methodology such as Context Maps, "What If?" questioning, the Press Release from the Future, Deep Listening, and the Premortem to a self-chosen project.
• Independently develop a visionary artefact combining methodology with physical prototyping using tools such
• as 3D printers and microcontrollers. Communicate a moonshot vision to a public audience through prototype, visual artefact, and oral presentation.
• Judgement and approach: Evaluate and justify their methodological and technical choices in relation to the project's vision, context and constraints.
• Reflect on their working process in relation to horizon thinking, uncertainty and the handling of ambiguity.
• Demonstrate the ability to balance and integrate visionary thinking with practical implementation throughout
• the design and prototyping process.

Alignment with the New European Bauhaus Compass: The learning outcomes embody the working principle of
transdisciplinarity (Ambition II): students draw on methods from engineering, design, foresight, and science
fiction, and collaborate across BTH's disciplinary boundaries on shared projects. They embody the value of
Beautiful (Ambition II, "to connect"): vision-artefact production treats aesthetic communication as integral to
technical work, culminating in a public exhibition that creates meaningful collective experiences. They embody
the value of Together (Ambition I, "to include"): the course is open across faculties without disciplinary
prerequisites, and Deep Listening fieldwork requires students to engage with perspectives beyond their own.

Alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: The learning outcomes contribute most directly to SDG 4 (Quality Education) by introducing students to a structured methodology for visionary work that is rarely taught at undergraduate level, and to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by developing innovation capacity in students, equipping them to address long-horizon challenges throughout their careers.

Prerequisites for the Course 

General Entry Requirements

Registration Info and Deadline

Only BTH students can apply. Information on registration will be communicated internally. 

At a Glance

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