TRANSFORMING THE CLASSROOM WITH DESIGN THINKING

Design thinking is not a new concept, but it is a tool that could potentially be very useful in the classroom. It is deeply rooted in the scientific method and works well with the concepts of problem solving as well as critical thinking. It is an especially worthwhile learning method in conjunction with project-based learning. Traditionally the term design thinking might be associated with business and industry, but it is a process that can be practiced in all educational disciplines. Just as with other existing concepts, design thinking is a worthwhile tool that educators can use to help their students be successful in the classroom. The core tenets of design thinking are Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Each stage of the process allows students to work through a project step by step thereby allowing students to skillfully master a learning process can be used for a variety of projects, in all their classes. Today’s college students are very adept at creating a final project, but many are not aware of the design thinking process and how it can potentially help them be more successful. Far too often students simply go with their first idea to create a project and don’t take the time to analyze the steps needed to create a worthwhile project. By sharing the design thinking process as part of a class students will then be able to transfer the five tenets of the process into creating a higher quality final project. This study began by including the design thinking process in a sophomore level Graphic Communication course and then moved onto including the design thinking process in a senior level Graphic Communication course. Students in both classes were surveyed on their past experiences with the design thinking process, as well as their experience with the five tenets of the process. Both class formats were traditional in-person courses. Students were instructed on how they could use the design thinking process in a classroom project. Upon completion of the project students were then surveyed to find out their overall experiences with the design thinking process. Certain areas of the design thinking process including critique and reflection were emphasized as part of the project in both classes. This paper will explore the design thinking process though a literature review and how the process was implemented in two university level courses. Student’s prior experience with the design thinking process will be examined and student’s will be surveyed upon completion of a project based on the design thinking process to explore what elements they enjoyed of the overall process.