DISTANCE LEARNING IN META-DESIGN. CONDUCTING INCLUSIVE DIDACTICS AND USER RESEARCH FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF AUTISTIC PEOPLE WITH REMOTE DESIGN TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has radically affected every aspect of human life around the world, inevitably involving education and universities as well. This paper describes how the didactic activity of the Co.Meta course responded to the emergency situation, transferring the knowledge gained in years of teaching experience to Blended and Distance learning approaches. The aim is to provide an overview of the learning methodologies of Co.Meta, a meta-design laboratory for the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano, which was able to adapt its curriculum to face the emergency. The key aspects of innovation are the challenging and highly social theme of the course, the student-centred learning approach, the multidisciplinary network involved and the didactic tools implemented. The paper discusses the limits and opportunities of Distance Learning applied to Design Courses, comparing the results obtained during the year 2020 with the results of past editions. This paper aims to provide an overview of Co.Meta's teaching methods and to show the tools used to deal with Covid-19 emergency. Co.Meta was able to bring innovation and create a social impact even in the pandemic situation, responding to the emergency by creating a breakpoint for traditional teaching, introducing an innovation that may have radically changed its higher education system.