Design thinking has gained popularity among universities as a way to promote key skills, demanded by labor markets. Two of those skills are problem solving and creativity, which are sometimes referred to as 21st century skills.
In this paper, the results of a large-scale study (910 students) are analyzed, by multiple actors. The design thinking methodology was used in a multidisciplinary course for all 1ste year undergraduate students, working on a real life problem, at an Ecuadorian University.
Results show a significant improvement on students’ problem solving and creativity skills throughout the semester. This improvement was validated by self-reported measures, as well as by the objective measured by the peers and teachers, three times, i.e. i.e. at the beginning (t0), in the middle (t1) and at the end (t2), after solving a case study.
Guaman-Quintanilla, S., Everaert, P., Chiluiza, K., & Valcke, M. (2022). Impact of design thinking in higher education: a multi-actor perspective on problem solving and creativity. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09724-z
