Yee-On CHEUK

If you were them

The first step of Design Thinking — empathy — is challenging to teach as it requires a mindset change instead of mere skills learning. The "Design Thinking and IT Empowers Social Innovation" course at The Baptist University of Hong Kong spanned one semester teaching tools and skills that aid the first step. Students are required to interview stakeholders using the learnt skills. If they were yet to be able to exercise empathy, the quality of the interview would be undermined, and the stakeholders may feel unheard, which defeats the purpose. Hence, a safe environment is introduced to the students where they can safely practice empathy before full engagement with community stakeholders. Before directly engaging with the community, a simulated environment could be created to bring the community to the students as a first step.

Teaching approach

Process Drama as a pedagogical tool is known for its strength in raising empathy by creating a safe space for participants to walk in someone else’ shoes. Hence, course leader Dr. Kristen LI invited CHEUK Yee-On, Process Drama facilitator, to conduct an experiential learning class that brought the real world into the classroom. A real-case scenario based on actual stories in a nursing home was introduced to the students where they were also invited to take on some of the roles, such as the elderlies, the carers, and the health-care professionals. The facilitator also stepped in and out of different roles to invoke reflection. Both group and individual work were employed during the Process Drama. By using their bodies holistically, students were able to experience the feelings and struggles of different characters, paving way for a deeper understanding of the actual stakeholders whom they would be interacting with.

Learning outcome

The session is measured twofold: i) the workshop per se; ii) teaching effectiveness. The Process Drama workshop per se had an encouraging score of 4.38 out of 5 among the five aspects — empathy deepening, skill-sets improvement, understanding of different perspectives, willingness to put into practice, overall benefit. In their own words, students expressed the following takeaways which demonstrated deeper understanding of the taught skills and the reason behind:

“through these activities we can really understand how our target audience thinks and feels”

“how to ask better interview questions and really empathize with the interviewee”

“overall is beneficial and fun”

Teacher’s reflection

In terms of teaching effectiveness, directly quoting from Dr. Li:

"The outcomes of this session were outstanding. Students’ feedback consistently highlighted how process drama deepened their understanding of design thinking, particularly the empathy stage."

Students were able to better apply what they have learnt in class:

"Crucially, students reported that the session helped them develop practical empathy skills: active listening, perspective-taking, and unbiased interviewing, by engaging directly with realistic scenarios. The workshop’s immersive format made abstract concepts tangible, and students expressed renewed motivation to serve elderly populations in the future.

Survey results echoed these sentiments: over 90% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the workshop deepened their experience of empathy, enhanced their understanding of relevant skills, and was beneficial overall. Many cited role-play as the most satisfying and memorable aspect."

The Process Drama session effectively prepared students to engage the community:

“It bridged theory and practice, fostered creative confidence, and cultivated genuine empathy - essential attributes for future designers and changemakers.”