Book Launch | Taking Design Seriously in Education

Book Launch | Taking Design Seriously in Education The QUT Design Lab invites educators, researchers, school leaders, designers, industry professionals and students to celebrate the launch of Taking Design Seriously in Education, co-authored by Associate Professor Nick Kelly and Leighann Ness Wilson, illustrated by Vaughan Huck Published as part of the Cambridge Elements: Critical Issues in Teacher Education series, the book explores why Design capabilities are essential for human flourishing in an AI era and argues that Design should be recognised as a core discipline within education. The launch will feature a keynote presentation by Melanie Hughes, Curriculum Specialist – Technologies at the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), who will present: Creating Preferred Futures through The Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies Melanie will discuss the role of Design and Technologies within the Australian Curriculum and how design education can help prepare young people to think creatively, solve complex problems and shape preferred futures. Following the keynote, Associate Professor Nick Kelly and Leighann Ness Wilson will share reflections on the book, its development, and why Design matters now more than ever. About the book Taking Design Seriously in Education examines why decades of efforts to embed future skills, 21st-century skills and design thinking into schools have often fallen short. Rather than proposing another framework, the authors present a practical vision for embedding Design capabilities throughout education and argue that Design should be recognised as one of the most important subjects in every student's education. Written for teachers, educational leaders and researchers, the book offers practical insights into how Design can better prepare learners for an increasingly complex and AI-enabled future. Event Details Date: Thursday, 17 September 2026 Time: 1.30 pm – 3.00 pm Venue: KG-E-550 Queensland University of Technology Kelvin Grove Campus ☕ Afternoon tea and networking will follow the launch. 🎟 Registration is free, but places are limited. Please register to secure your place. For speaker biographies and further event information, please visit the Design Lab event webpage.