Running a policy lab in an on-line classroom

The paper discusses experiences and prospects of using the policy lab approach to teach the basics of public policy design to students majoring in disciplines different from political sciences. The rationale for the course is that modern policy problems are complex (Head, 2019). To address them effectively requires the collaboration of different stakeholders across the sectors. Thus, helping business students understand how policy design works could build future cross-sectoral cooperation and better public policies. The practical challenge of the course was to find a formula that (a) allows presenting basic policy design concepts, (b) provides the possibility to demonstrate the practical value of the subject matter, and (c) provides engagement and collaboration in the digital environment. We have chosen a policy lab formula. Policy labs are broadly defined as teams and organizations set up for innovative activities of public policymaking. Their practice has been emerging in recent years (Wellstead, Gofen, & Carter, 2021). At their core, stakeholders engage in the collaborative design of policy solutions. The paper presents the experimental use of policy lab formula in five courses with 143 business and management majors students throughout the semester. Students worked in 41 teams, drafting policy solutions to food waste problems in the Warsaw metropolis. In the introduction to the paper, we outline the policy lab approach in more detail, explaining how an earlier behaviorally-informed design framework (Olejniczak, Śliwowski, & Leeuw, 2020) was simplified and adapted to the course requirements. At the core of the paper, we discuss the results of our experimental course presented around three major themes and backed up with data collected from course participants during the semester. (1) Participants' perception of the process. The clarity and user-friendliness of the process are discussed based on survey results before-after the course, the facilitator's observations during the course, and exit interviews with students about the positives and negatives of the lab experience. (2) Quality of outputs generated in the lab. This issue covers the comparative assessment of design solutions developed by the teams of students. The quality of ideas was graded by the instructor and evaluated by practitioners from Warsaw City Hall. (3) Knowledge gains. This point covers reflection on the knowledge gained by students and their takeaways beyond the course. It is discussed based on students' test results, self-assessments, and their general reflection on the utility of the lab experience for a future career. In the conclusions we sum up our assessment of the value of the policy lab formula for the teaching public policy. Furthermore, we put forward three broader takeaways coming from this individual practice. These are (i) ideas for implementing experiential learning in a digital environment, (ii) lessons on keeping the engagement in the design process throughout the semester, and (iii) lessons on improving the user-friendliness of policy design concepts and procedures to the general public. We hope that our paper can be a valuable contribution to ongoing discussions on improving public policy teachings and co-designing policies with non-experts in democratic environments.