Designing for Uncomfort Zones: A creative masterclass at Deree

Professor Chrissi Nerantzi taught a masterclass 'Designing for Uncomfort Zones: Creativity, Connection, and Co-learning in Higher Education' at Deree, The American College of Greece.

This session was organised by the MA in Learning Design and Technology in collaboration with the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Psychology and Human Development.

The session explored what it means to teach and learn in spaces of uncertainty and rapid change, drawing on Professor Nerantzi’s personal creativity manifesto and the work of leading scholars such as Craft, Jackson, and hooks.

Together with colleagues and students, attendees examined how imagination and inventiveness can transform educational practices, both online and face-to-face, and discussed strategies for fostering inclusive, creative learning communities.

The event sparked rich dialogue on curriculum design and the role of AI in education, generating interest and reflections on future possibilities also via the Imaginative Curriculum Research and Scholarship Centre.

It was a joy to reconnect with former colleagues Dr Gerasimos Chatzidamianos and Dr Marilena Antoniadou, and to meet Dr Marina Emmanouil, with whom I am co-editing a special issue on visual creativity. The beautiful setting of the American College in Athens provided an inspiring backdrop for this vibrant exchange of ideas. Thank you Dr Maria Avgerinou for inviting me, Professor Panos Vlachopoulos and Professor  Helena Maragou for your support and filoxenia.