C-Academy Launches Design Thinking Programmes Integrated with Augmented Reality to Enrich Students in Singapore

Students presenting their idea in Design Thinking Programme by C-Academy

Students using C-Academy's creative tools to solve real-life problems

Using HOVARLAY AR within EDIT Design Thinking®, C-Academy enables students to prototype immersive concepts and communicate solutions in more engaging, real-world ways.

C-Academy is committed to equip students with future-ready skills aligned with Singapore’s digital transformation goals

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, January 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- C-Academy has launched a new design thinking programme that integrates Augmented Reality (AR) as a core learning outcome, enabling secondary school students to create immersive solutions for real-world challenges facing Singapore communities.

The XR Experience programme represents a significant evolution in design education, where AR technology is not merely demonstrated to students but becomes an integral part of their prototyping and presentation toolkit. Students complete the programme with both a working AR prototype and a compelling narrative they can present to stakeholders;making their learning visible and shareable.

We believe the best way to learn creativity is to apply it to real challenges. By integrating AR into our design thinking programmes, students don’t just learn about emerging technology, they use it to bring their ideas to life; said Yulia Saksen, Founder and Master Trainer of C-Academy. Every student leaves with something tangible: a prototype and a story that demonstrates their problem-solving journey.

Aligned with Singapore’s Digital Transformation and Education Priorities
The programme launch comes as Singapore intensifies efforts to build future-ready skills among young people. The Ministry of Education’s enhanced 21st Century Competencies (21CC) Framework emphasises critical, adaptive, and inventive thinking; competencies that C-Academy’s programmes are specifically designed to develop.

C-Academy’s approach also supports the national Digital for Life movement, which aims to galvanise the community to help Singaporeans embrace digital as a lifelong pursuit. According to IMDA, Extended Reality (XR;which encompasses AR, VR, and Mixed Reality, is a practical tool that helps work smarter, innovate faster, and create more engaging experiences.

“IMDA recognises that XR offers practical applications for enhancing workforce training, streamlining design collaboration, and transforming engagement.” noted Kimming Yap, Co-Founder and Lead Trainer of C-Academy. “By introducing these skills at the secondary school level through real projects, we’re preparing students for the digital economy before they even enter the workforce.”

Four Pillars of the Integrated AR-Design Thinking Experience
The XR Experience programme is built on four core pillars that distinguish it from conventional technology or design workshops:
1. Real-World Challenges
Students work on practical, relevant problems facing Singapore communities today. Past projects have addressed sustainability in school environments, cultural heritage preservation, accessibility for persons with disabilities, and reimagining shared learning spaces. These authentic challenges align with Singapore’s vision to become a more lovable city where communities can co-create solutions for the spaces they use.
2. Integrated AR as Learning Outcome
Unlike programmes that treat technology as a separate module or demonstration, C-Academy integrates AR directly into the design thinking process. Using HOVARLAY’s no-code AR platform, students create functional augmented reality experiences as part of their solution prototyping, making AR a tool for expression and problem-solving rather than an add-on feature.
3. Visible Outputs
Every student completes the programme with tangible deliverables: a working prototype and a presentation narrative. This approach ensures learning is demonstrable and shareable, students can show school leadership, parents, and community partners exactly what they’ve created and the design journey behind it.
4. Future-Ready Skills
The programme develops five competencies essential for the digital economy: problem framing (identifying the right questions to solve), empathy (understanding user needs deeply), creativity (generating novel solutions), collaboration (working effectively in teams), and communication (presenting ideas persuasively). These align directly with MOE’s Emerging 21st Century Competencies framework.
Programme Structure and Methodology

The XR Experience programme follows C-Academy’s proprietary EDIT Design Thinking^® methodology, developed by parent company Creativeans through over a decade of real-world consulting projects with more than 280 business clients.
C-Academy has been delivering design thinking programmes for secondary school students since 2017, with documented improvements in student competencies across multiple schools:
At Ngee Ann Secondary School, students who participated in the design thinking programme showed remarkable growth in collaboration and teamwork, with pre-programme assessments at 57% rising to 95% post-programme. The same cohort demonstrated a 40-percentage-point improvement in problem-solving confidence, jumping from 33% to 73%.
Sembawang Secondary School recorded one of the most significant shifts in design thinking understanding, with student comprehension increasing from just 13.5% before the programme to 69.5% after completing the six-session journey, a significant 56-percentage-point gain.
Programmes focused on the Community and Conservation theme (delivered in partnership with Jane Goodall Institute Singapore) showed strong development in empathy skills, with students improving from 44% to 78%. This outcome reflects the programme's emphasis on understanding user needs before developing solutions.
Similar patterns of improvement have been documented across programmes at Methodist Girls' School, Pei Hwa Secondary School, Hougang Secondary School, and Northbrooks Secondary School, demonstrating consistent results across different school contexts and student groups.
Industry and Community Partnerships

The XR Experience programme is delivered through C-Academy's network of technology and community partners. Students create AR prototypes using HOVARLAY's no-code platform, while learning journeys to design studios like Creuse show them how professionals work. Community organisations, including Jane Goodall Institute Singapore, Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), and heritage business Pek Sin Choon, provide authentic project contexts that give student work real-world relevance. With all these, C-Academy connects these experiences to Singapore's broader national design ecosystem

Programme Availability
The XR Experience programme is available to Singapore secondary schools and is part of C-Academy’s suite of five thematic options:
1. Sustainability: Waste management, recycling, energy use, environmental responsibility
2. Culture: Heritage preservation, multicultural celebrations, intergenerational storytelling
3. Community: Inclusion, belonging, well-being, shared spaces
4. Reimagining Learning Spaces: Classroom redesign, library transformation, accessibility improvements
5. XR Experience: Augmented reality creation for real-world applications (NEW)
Programmes are offered in two formats: Discovery (2 days) for introductory exposure, and Journey (6 sessions, approximate total of 18 hours) for comprehensive project-based learning. Both formats can accommodate up to 50 participants.

About C-Academy
C-Academy brings real-world design thinking into schools and organisations, turning authentic challenges into powerful learning journeys. C-Academy programmes are facilitated by Singapore-certified consultants and ACTA-qualified trainers. C-Academy is the education arm of Creativeans, an award-winning brand and design consultancy established in 2012 based in Singapore, Milan, and Jakarta.
C-Academy believes that Everyone Can Be Creative. Great ideas begin with understanding people’s needs, motivations, and everyday experiences.

Andina Rhamadani
C-Academy
+65 8896 6152
email us here

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