UnBoxed 2025 themes
We welcome contributions sharing teaching practices, methods, tools or exercises across the globe and and how they’ve worked related to three themes:
Effective Collaboration
in Higher Education
This track is for sharing teaching practices, methods, tools or exercises supporting collaboration between students, educators, institutions, disciplines, external stakeholders and beyond.
Collaboration is a core value for the Design Factory Global Network and a key element in education. For example, how do you support interdisciplinary student teams in navigating conflicts? How do you engage startups in your courses? What works in co-designing curricula with co-teachers? Do you mix degree students and life-long learners? We’re excited to learn from your practices!
Impactful Design- and Project-Based Learning for Innovation
This track is for sharing teaching practices, methods, tools or exercises designed to support different phases, facets and processes included in design- and project-based learning.
Most Design Factories engage in some form of problem, design or project-based learning. For example, how do you create effective design briefs that support exploration? How do you maximize the impact of the outcomes that students create? What are great ways of reframing in class? How do you promote taking sustainability into consideration in idea evaluation? We’re looking forward to learning from your practices!
Leveraging Technology
for impact
This track is for sharing teaching practices, methods, tools, and exercises that equip students with the skills to integrate technology into problem-solving. It explores how technologies such as AI, XR, and big data can enhance project-based learning experiences.
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As technology rapidly evolves, Design Factories are exploring the best ways to integrate new tools into education. For example, how can simulations or AI assistants support student teams? What exercises help students engage with emerging technologies or collaborate with tech companies? What are effective strategies for incorporating technology-driven exploration into your classes?
We can’t wait to learn from your practices!
Contribution format, templates and submission
The presentation format of the contributions has been carefully designed to maximize the experience of the authors and the participants. As a non-traditional conference, we aim to use methods that differ from others! ​ There are three formats of contributions:
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Experience: host a 20 minute demonstration or experience
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Discuss: have a 20 minute fishbowl conversation on your practice
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Share: prepare a poster capturing your practice and mix-and-mingle to share your experiences during a joint poster session
The deadline for all submissions is May 30th 2025, including a one-pager of your contribution and either a short slide deck or a poster.
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Click the "Instructions for Authors" button to find the guidelines for formatting your submission. Carefully read through them. After that, you can download the appropriate templates for each submission format, which are provided below.​
Experience:
Demonstrations
The 20-minute interactive demonstration session is designed to actively engage the audience in exploring innovative tools, collaboration techniques, experimental evaluation methods, and technology integration in the classroom. Even if your chosen activity would take longer to complete, you could choose to demonstrate only a portion of it. The session begins with a 20-minute live demonstration, where presenters showcase their tool, process, or approach in action, encouraging hands-on interaction where possible. This is followed by a 10-minute audience-driven Q&A and discussion, allowing participants to ask questions, share insights, and explore real-world applications. The format fosters engagement, participation, and practical learning, making it ideal for educators, researchers, and practitioners seeking actionable takeaways.
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What will I need at the time of submission?
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Please complete and submit the form, which includes the submission title, a concise description of the practice, method, approach or tool, and a short biography of the authors for the publication booklet.
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The Demonstration template slide deck (submitted as a .pptx). This will be digitally shared with the Unboxed participants. Slide 1 includes the title of the contribution and author names & affiliations. Slide 2 onwards will be the content you need to run the 20-minute demonstration.
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Choose the Demo's Template based on on the theme of your presentation and when you're ready submit the form:
Discuss:
Fishbowl
A Fishbowl session encourages dynamic, participant-driven discussion around key conference themes. In a Fishbowl format, a small group of participants begins the conversation in an inner circle while the larger audience observes. The time limit for conference fishbowl sessions is 20 minutes. At any time, audience members can join the discussion by stepping into an open chair, prompting another participant to step out, ensuring a fluid, evolving conversation. This session is ideal for exploring emerging ideas, challenges, and best practices, fostering diverse perspectives through active participation. Moderators guide the conversation to ensure engagement, while the format naturally promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and knowledge exchange.
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What will I need at the time of submission?
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Please complete and submit the form, which includes the submission title, a concise description of the discussion topic, and a short biography of the authors for the publication booklet.
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The Fishbowl template slide deck of 2 slides (submitted as a .pptx). This will be digitally shared with the Unboxed participants. Slide 1 includes the title of the contribution and author names & affiliations. Slide 2 should be the key information, graphic, image, or visual you want to display during the fishbowl discussion. This will function as a stimulus or reference for the audience (eg the teaching practice, method, tool or exercise being discussed or something else you would find helpful)
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Choose the Fishbowl Template based on on the theme of your session and when you're ready submit the form:
Share:
Posters
The poster track provides an opportunity to present completed or ongoing research, educational practices, or innovative projects that align with the conference themes. The poster should be a visual display summarising key findings, methodologies, and insights. The poster presentations will happen in a shared social event allowing for informal, one-on-one discussions between presenters and attendees. Presenters should stay close to their posters during the session, engaging with participants, answering questions, and exchanging ideas. This format fosters networking, in-depth discussions, and constructive feedback, making it ideal for sharing research in progress, gathering new perspectives, and sparking future collaborations.
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What will I need at the time of submission?
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Please complete and submit the form, which includes the submission title, a concise description of the poster topic, and a short biography of the authors for the publication booklet.
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The digital version of your final poster as a .pdf file. Please use A1, horizontal, as your poster format. Please ensure your file has a high resolution (minimum 300dpi) Please download the logos that are required to be added to the poster. These should be included in the poster's upper right or left corner, along with the UnBoxed, DFGN, and conference track logo.
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Download the instructions and logos to create the Poster and when you're ready submit the form:
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Who is UnBoxed for?
This gathering is aimed at educators, experts, and practitioners, with attendance registration open to the public. Submissions are welcome from contributors with affiliations to universities or organizations with a Design Factory or those seeking to establish one (an invitation is required for the latter).
Participation fee & registration
Event registration will open in June 2025.
The fees for attending the 2-day event are:
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300 € (including lunches and dinner) for authors and event participants not registered as the institutional representatives of their Design Factories in the International Design Factory Week 2025
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​0 € for authors and participants registered as institutional representatives of their Design Factories in the International Design Factory Week 2025