Integrating Design Thinking and Problem-Based Learning in MOOCs

Design thinking, recognised as a human-centred approach to problem-solving, has garnered attention as a pedagogical framework across various disciplines, including higher education, for its potential to cultivate innovation, creativity, and problem-solving skills. In chemical engineering education, integrating design thinking methodologies holds promise for enhancing students' problem-solving skills and innovation capabilities. However, despite its potential benefits, its specific application and impact within chemical engineering education have not been extensively explored. Hence, this critical review paper aims to comprehensively analyse the application of design thinking pedagogy in chemical engineering education within higher education settings. This study contributes a systematic review and a case study from DUT, demonstrating the integration of design thinking pedagogy in chemical engineering education. The methodology involved in this review encompassed systematically searching academic databases, selecting relevant studies based on specific criteria, extracting data, synthesising findings, and reporting adapted from Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The overarching question that guided this investigation was: How could the integration of design thinking pedagogy in chemical engineering education enhance student learning outcomes and prepare them for the challenges of the engineering profession? Integrating design thinking pedagogy in chemical engineering education aims to improve student learning outcomes by fostering a holistic approach to problem-solving, emphasising empathy, creativity, and collaboration. By incorporating design thinking principles into the curriculum, educators seek to cultivate a mindset of innovation and critical thinking among students, preparing them to tackle complex engineering challenges in a dynamic and rapidly evolving global context, such as the shift towards ‘green engineering’. Design thinking pedagogy could potentially bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application of engineering principles, concurrent with developing essential soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and adaptability, which are crucial for success in the engineering profession. Through active learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and realworld application of engineering principles, design thinking in engineering education could equip students with the skills and mindset to become creative problem solvers, effective communicators, and ethical leaders. It is evident that design thinking offers a promising avenue to concurrently enhance student engagement, develop conceptual learning, critical thinking skills, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and prepare students for the demands of the chemical engineering profession. The findings highlight the importance of integrating design thinking principles in chemical engineering education to cultivate a culture of innovation, creativity, and adaptability among students. Moving forward, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of design thinking pedagogy in enhancing student learning outcomes and to identify best practices for its implementation in chemical engineering education. Furthermore, researchers are encouraged to conduct empirical studies to assess the impact of design thinking pedagogy on student learning outcomes, engagement, and professional development in chemical engineering education.

This practice paper presents the development, implementation and evaluation of a course, Design Thinking for Sustainability, a university core course for first-year students from undergraduate programs in Technology, Business administration, Computer applications and Design. As a greenfield private university in India, we integrated Design Thinking into the core curriculum to enhance problem-solving abilities. The course addressed real-world, ill-defined challenges through the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), equipping students with practical, creative problem-solving skills. Offered as a 21-day pre-semester credit course, it fostered interdisciplinary collaboration on sustainability-driven challenges. Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach, students worked in teams, applying the five stages of Design Thinking—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test—to develop innovative, sustainable solutions. The design thinking process encouraged iteration, collective work, and optional participation. With this first version of the course, the focus of evaluation was to explore the challenges faced by faculty members and students, which allow for revision during the next iteration of the course. The findings bring out various challenges perceived by our students and faculty members, and various strategies to overcome them. The challenges stated were psychological readiness for open ended problem-solving, struggle to identify and define real world problems, lacked access to stakeholders and sustainability related data. However, collaborative teamwork, prototyping and stakeholder feedback helped them to overcome the challenges and come up with feasible and workable solutions to the problems thereby developing problem solving skills. Faculty stated that they did not know design thinking whereas they learned it while during the course. Secondly, they had to put significant effort in designing, teaching and assessing in a way to promote active learning. They were agile during the course and did minor adjustments to the course during the course delivery. Overall, this paper provides practical insights for educators who will be seeking to integrate PBL and Design Thinking into their curricula, particularly with inclusion of sustainability-driven innovation and active learning.

To deal with the constant changes in the social environment today, companies must adopt appropriate changes to face different challenges. Some change model was developed, however merely following the steps and procedures of these change models is not enough. Being able to change the thinking of the team is also a crucial factor. In recent years, many companies have used design thinking methods to engage in successful innovation and transition. Design thinking is a human-centered approach that focuses on interdisciplinary communication and the establishment of innovative thinking and implementation. The purpose of this study was to use design thinking to optimize the unfreeze step of change, develop a model, and determine whether this model can effectively help teams reach a consensus and set suitable visions and goals so that they can successfully initiate change. We used change in small physical bookstores (reference book stores) as an example in our case study. The results indicated that by integrating design thinking and change management, physical bookstore owners can efficiently define the visions of their companies when they are making transitions so that they can make preliminary plans for the change. Future studies can use the proposed model to examine similar small retail companies that are in need of change and innovative transitions as the times change.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the effect of integrating Design Thinking with GEMATH (GeoGebra and MATLAB) on vocational students’ critical thinking skills in mathematics learning. Method: The study employed a quasi-experimental research design using a pretest–posttest control group framework. The participants consisted of 50 eleventh-grade students from a vocational high school in Semarang, Indonesia, selected through cluster random sampling. Students were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received mathematics instruction through a Design Thinking approach integrated with GEMATH, while the control group was taught using conventional teaching methods. Data were collected using a critical thinking test developed based on Ennis’ indicators, supported by observation sheets and technology readiness questionnaires. The data were analyzed using normality and homogeneity tests, followed by an independent sample t-test and effect size analysis. Findings: The findings reveal a statistically significant improvement in the critical thinking skills of students who participated in the Design Thinking–GEMATH learning environment compared with those receiving conventional instruction. Significance: The results indicate that integrating Design Thinking with digital mathematical tools can effectively promote higher-order thinking skills and provide an innovative pedagogical strategy for improving mathematics learning in vocational education.

Due to the significant effect the COVID-19 epidemic had on employment and education within the tourism and hospitality sectors (Cameron et al., 2022; Carr, 2020; Fletcher et al., 2022) the purpose of this research project was to identify whether a different approach to vocational learning could better equip learners with the skills necessary to be work-ready. This research aimed to explore the application of a design thinking methodology to the development of a work-based learning programme for hospitality and tourism that serves the needs of industry and learners. The following fundamentals formed the basis of the research. • Explore the insights that can be gained by applying Design Thinking theory as a critical lens to evaluate teaching and learning initiatives in Tourism and Hospitality • Independently apply knowledge and implement this into the development of work-based learning pedagogic approach in tourism and hospitality education. • Evaluate the use of Design Thinking as a tool for pedagogic development through rigorous intellectual analysis, reflective practice, criticism and problem-solving. Initially, the methodology was Design Thinking incorporated into a work-based learning environment. However, the structure of the project had to be modified as a result of my transition to another role outside of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology. As this was a major pivot, I realised that by creating a reflective case study, I could discover how Design Thinking might feature in the study. Therefore, Design Thinking was used to explore the insights of how Design Thinking could be applied to a living event in an educational setting. The key insights were that a Design Thinking approach to hospitality and tourism education enables learners to grow holistically because the skills are not technical rather 21st Century skills whereby the learners develop both soft and core skills. Additionally, there was evidence of increased levels of student confidence, motivation, whanaungatanga and interdisciplinary collaboration. However, there were challenges and the following recommendations were made. Design Thinking can be messy and for Design Thinking pedagogy to be implemented into a curriculum there needs to be collaboration across a variety of sectors and you need tutorial staff with agile ability to cope with different needs. Moving away from a prescribed delivery dictates the need to develop a toolbox of resources and as traditional education is highly structured and prescribed compared with Design Thinking which responds to ‘just in time’ teaching there-needs to be flexibility without time constraints. Through my experience as a practitioner, I have gained invaluable insights from completing my Master of Professional Practice. A key outcome from my research project is the ability to view and formulate innovative pedagogic concepts by approaching it through a Design Thinking perspective. My development has spanned the kaiako role I held within Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, to the role as Ringa Whanake (Qualifications Development Facilitator) and a researcher. My new learning was a lived experience, unfolding and empowering changes to my practice.

The purpose. The purpose of this study is to reveal the features of the method of design thinking. Analyze design thinking, which consists of stages such as empathizing, defining, ideating, prototype, and testing. Introduce design techniques and tools that should be used at each stage of this process. Present the differences between the methods in the traditional (application of logical thinking) and non-standard (design thinking) approach. Design/Methodology/Approach . The study examines the hypothesis that applying the design thinking method in the context of a crisis is quite adequate, particularly in doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic. General scientific theoretical methods of research, particularly formalization, analysis, synthesis, systematization, and explanation, have been used to study the essence, advantages, and comparative characteristics of design thinking methods. Conclusions. The studies have shown that design thinking is cross-functional, customer-oriented, resource-saving, creative, and versatile. This confirms the hypothesis that this method should be used in times of crisis and the period of recovery. The practical application of design thinking requires a complete and clear understanding of its capabilities, the availability of the necessary resources, and all participants' interest in the observed outcome. The practical consequences/results of this study are of interest to managers and company heads who want to rethink and change the work processes, particularly regarding decision-making against the background of uncertainty. The quality and effectiveness of applying the design thinking method will depend on the qualification and efficiency of the team performance. It has been suggested to approach teams' formation carefully – they should balance analytical and design thinking in the best possible way. Team members must be aware of the challenge and diversity of use of their experience, including all functions starting from research and development to marketing and sales. For successful work, teams need to be given maximum independence; specific rules or restrictions must be general and minimal. The application of design thinking must be continuous. In general, this should be a way of doing business, not separate project works. Originality/value. This study emphasizes the effectiveness of the design thinking method and its incomplete application in domestic companies. It indicates the advantages, disadvantages, and differences from traditional methods. It is valuable for a deeper understanding and application in practice by managers at different levels.

This study investigates the comparative effectiveness of Context-Based Learning (CBL) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Electrical Engineering programs at Universitas Airlangga. With growing emphasis on active and student-centered pedagogies in engineering education, it is essential to understand how different instructional models influence student learning outcomes, engagement, and satisfaction. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving 80 undergraduate students across two course sections, one taught using CBL and the other using PBL. Quantitative data were collected through pre-tests, post-tests, and engagement and satisfaction surveys, while qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The findings reveal that CBL is more effective in enhancing cognitive engagement and conceptual understanding through structured real-world scenarios, while PBL fosters collaboration and critical thinking through open-ended problem exploration. Students in the CBL group demonstrated slightly higher academic performance, whereas those in the PBL group excelled in creative problem-solving tasks. Both models were positively received, but their success depended on student readiness, instructor expertise, and alignment with course objectives. The study concludes that rather than viewing CBL and PBL as mutually exclusive, an integrated pedagogical approach may offer optimal benefits for engineering education in Indonesia and beyond.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in using design thinking for business model innovation. However, few studies have explored the application, potential and challenges of design thinking from a comprehensive perspective. In order to better understand how design thinking can contribute to business model innovation, this paper regards business model innovation as a subject of design research and provides a critical review of researchers’ explorations of how to apply design thinking for business model innovation. In light of the literature review, this paper distils seven key design research themes: (1) design thinking as a mindset and a methodology; (2) designers of business models; (3) design activities for business model innovation; (4) design tools for business model innovation; (5) design approaches for business model innovation; (6) co-creation of new products, services and business models, and (7) evaluating and measuring the impact of design thinking. The themes not only highlight the potential of applying design thinking as a necessary mindset and methodology to business model innovation, but also emphasise the nature of designing as a social process.

Design Thinking embraces challenges, and re-frames problems into opportunities for positive change. Design thinking is interdisciplinary and can be applied to a myriad of situations. There are multiple models of Design Thinking but one of the more popular ones has come out of the d.school at Stanford University (Costa, 2017). This thesis uses Qualitative data which has been collected through multiple research projects. Through exploratory means, I will evaluate the data that is presented in the research studies already conducted to help understand the issue of Design Thinking within education, as it stands today. I will be looking for similarities in findings through the different studies, as well as working to create an educated hypothesis to help propose future data collection and form a curriculum which supports design thinking as a learning aid. Design Thinking can be compared to the scientific method, however it is tailored to the design field and interdisciplinary practices. It is a methodology which helps designers identify the correct problem, ideate creative solutions and prototype and test these new ideas. This system can be learned and adapted by educators into their curriculums to help reach the 21st century student, and prepare them for the jobs of the future. Inter-disciplinary design and group collaboration has become essential in large companies and successful businesses. Which is why in a rapidly changing world it is important to fluidly remodel our approach to education. This thesis proposes that by teaching the Design Thinking framework in a "designerly" manner young students will more likely become well rounded human centered innovators. And more importantly, go on to work collaboratively with positive global change in mind. Teaching this framework to an age group that is rapidly cognitively developing (adolescence) it may help with their problem solving and problem framing abilities. Adolescence is a developmental phase when the brain is changing the way a person thinks and relates to themselves in direct correlation to their environment and their peers. According to brain research and MRI studies, the frontal cortex and amygdala both responsible for decision making and emotional responses are developing at a very fast rate during adolescence. For this reason, there is inherent justification for teaching effective and creative problem solving in a time when they are forming their decision making skills and are most at risk for problem behaviors. Through making courses available that encourage innovation and surveying student responses to Design Thinking and how it impacts their decision making, we can begin to understand the positive change. A few studies on this subject have already been done, however more research is needed to evaluate how design thinking can be applied across the curriculum, and a rigorous inquiry into how we think and why design can help. I will explore the existing research studies that have been conducted around the topic of how Design Thinking can affect the learner. The purpose is to propose the positive impact that teaching design problem solving to adolescents can have. In the studies presented there has been quantitative data that exhibits positive growth and development as a result of students being involved with creative thinking processes. Through using control groups and surveying student responses to Design Thinking and how it impacts their decision making, we can begin to understand the whether or not there are legitimate correlations.

Students scientific argumentation skills remain relatively low, posing both global and national educational challenges that require innovative solutions. Effective learning methods to foster these skills are still limited and not yet optimal. This study aimed to identify research trends in the application of design thinking in learning, the learning outcomes achieved, the subjects most frequently using design thinking, and its contribution to developing scientific argumentation skills. The method used in this study is the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with PRISMA analysis of 20 relevant articles. The articles were obtained from two databases, namely Google Scholar and PubMed with a publication range between 2020 - 2025. The article selection process was carried out to collect, analyze and compile findings on the application of the design thinking method in learning. The findings of the Systematic Literature Review show that the most dominant research trend uses quantitative methods. Design thinking has a positive impact on creativity, critical thinking skills, learning outcomes, numeracy, learning interest, motivation, and scientific attitudes. Design thinking tends to be applied more in the context of science learning, especially in science and biology subjects. In addition, design thinking not only increases student engagement and creativity, but also significantly trains and strengthens scientific argumentation skills which are essential in science learning.

The objective of the article is to explore the importance of integrating the Design Thinking (DT) and Project-Based Learning (PBL) in the engineering education. Traditional PBL is a systematic and innovative teaching method that encourages learners to explore more through queries by doing activities. In PBL, the problems are solved using critical thinking, collaboration and proper communication. On the other hand, Design Thinking, a contemporary approach, is a problem-solving approach creatively. By integrating the advantages of PBL (do more and talk less) and DT (solution-based learning) techniques, proposed method aims to build a practical solution for ‘Online Faculty Evaluation System’ from a student’s perspective. The online faculty evaluation system allows the students to evaluate the faculty members on vital parameters. The integration of PBL and DT provides the seamless understanding of modules and interpretation of fields in the feedback forms for further processing. The OFES not only diminishes the overhead in the manual feedback method but also saves more time through the customized reports. Experimental results concluded that the proposed method (integration of PBL and DL) uncovers the solutions to the complex problems in a lucid manner.KeywordsTraditional teaching methodProject-based learningDesign processDesign thinkingFeedback system

Industry 4.0 is crucial in the industrial revolution, specifically focusing on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. In this context, the Internet of Things (IoT) is critical, especially in smart environments, where machines are equipped with sensors and interconnected through web-enabled devices. Hence, individuals in this industry must constantly update their knowledge of IoT programming. Online learning is a flexible approach that allows learners to learn at their own pace and access courses from anywhere. However, existing educational websites for learning IoT programming are hindered by the lack of effective application of instructional design principles. Despite the importance of design thinking, there remains a paucity of evidence that educational websites incorporate critical components of effective learning paradigms. Additionally, these websites do not effectively integrate usability principles to make them easy to use and more pleasant. This study aimed to develop an educational website for learning IoT programming by integrating design thinking principles and the ADDIE model. The study uses a qualitative and quantitative approach in three phases to provide more significant insights. The iterative development process for design principles involves empathise, problem definition, ideating, prototyping, and testing. Meanwhile, the ADDIE model stages include analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Data were collected from ten learners through a semi-structured interview at the initial stage to identify problems with existing educational websites. Themes and sub-themes were developed from the interview responses using a thematic analysis. The findings were entered into an empathy map, and proposed solutions were used to develop the prototype. In the evaluation/testing stage, the prototype was evaluated by twenty-nine respondents to identify areas of improvement. The study findings were used to make recommendations to improve the prototype to enhance user experience, engagement, and effectiveness in learning IoT programming. The evidence from this study suggests that educational websites should optimize load times, improve mobile accessibility, enhance feedback mechanisms, provide real-time user support, and implement customization features.

The Next Generation Science Standards call for engineering design solutions using computer technologies, but many K-12 classrooms either do not have accessible technologies or the teacher pedagogical knowledge on how to effectively implement engineering design into the curriculum. Without access to computer or mobile technologies, teachers are faced with a challenge integrating design thinking and computational thinking into inquiry-based teaching practices. Embedding design thinking and computational thinking within a socioscientific framework is a possible solution. Socioscientific issues, design thinking, and computational thinking are thoroughly researched and published constructs. There has been some research suggesting a connection between design thinking and computational thinking, however pilot data suggest a potential intersection of the three concepts which became the crux for our research. This study sought to construct a pedagogical framework amalgamating socioscienfific issues, design thinking, and computational thinking for science teacher practice in classrooms without the use of technology. Practicing science teachers enrolled in a master’s level class served as the study’s participants and they were charged with designing a mixed reality Serious Educational Game embedding socioscientific issues in a climate change context. Incorporating a case study design with triangulated data sources that were collected through reflective journals, design documents, and observations, an iterative process was used to analyze data to build trustworthiness. Results suggest initial hypotheses of the potential commonality between the three constructs were not completely accurate, however a refined model emerged. Articulation of how to integrate the new model using socioscientific issues, design thinking, and computational thinking are discussed.

Since about a decade ago, design thinking has become a prominent topic in the scientific and business world. In order to keep up with global competition, design thinking has proven to be a valuable concept for assisting companies to innovate their products, services and processes. Therefore, business schools worldwide have introduced design thinking courses with the aim of preparing the future workforce. Scholars debate about the appropriate approach to teach design, with this paper trying to identify how a design thinking course should be arranged to teach non-designers the processes, methods and mindset of design thinking. It deals with the question of which form of knowledge conversion is more effective for bringing non-design students closer to the design thinking mindset. To answer this, it reviews current studies on design thinking in education. In particular, the research refers to Simon’s and Schon’s concepts of science of design and reflection-in-action, along with Nonaka and Takeushi’s SECI model. The research involves an experiment with two similar one-week design thinking courses, each having different teaching approaches. The courses are then compared through analysis of reflection reports by students, semi-structured interviews with them and a survey. This research shows that applying design thinking knowledge to real-life projects should be a core element in design thinking curricula, as it plays a crucial role in successfully imparting design thinking. Further, co-teaching and co-learning modes, where designers and non-designers work together and socialization takes place, is more appropriate for imparting design thinking than instructional teaching and learning modes, where design thinking coaches instruct non-designers to internalize design thinking.

This paper explores the impact of integrating Design Thinking and Systems Thinking frameworks and methodologies into a participatory learning environment to enhance emotional intelligence (EI) among fourth-year engineering students at the University of Victoria. This study was undertaken to address the noted gap in the social competencies of engineering graduates frequently noted in both literature and by engineering practitioners. A course, “Infrastructure Design with Indigenous Communities”, was developed, drawing on theories of identity formation and best practices from educational psychology. A mixed methods approach was used to analyze the data. This included pre- and post-semester EQ-i 2.0 EI inventories, and thematic analysis of qualitative self-reflective writings to triangulate the data. The sample included 17 fourth-year civil engineering students. Statistical analysis of pre- and post-semester EQ-i 2.0 EI inventories from the 17 students indicated an average overall EI increase of 5.4 points with a critical t-value of 3.105 and a p-value of 0.0034, rejecting the null hypothesis that the course did not affect the students' EI. Qualitative data and thematic analysis were used to triangulate the findings to support the hypothesis that the course had a direct impact on the students’ EI. This study is highly relevant to engineering education and practice. It highlights and addresses the need for engineers to possess not only technical competencies, but also emotional competencies to address complex, interconnected challenges at the intersection of technology and society. This is especially crucial when working in cross-cultural contexts with Indigenous communities. This study addresses a gap of relevance to the contemporary training of engineering students. This study suggests that the careful integration of Design Thinking and Systems Thinking into engineering curricula increases many trait parameters of EI, including empathy. This may be beneficial to engineering academia and practices as it produces engineers with more developed social competencies who may be better equipped to consider the social nuances and impacts of engineering designs.