DESIGN THINKING EXPERTISE: A NOVICE-TO-EXPERT LEVEL FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING DESIGN THINKING

Design thinking has emerged as useful human-centred methodology for examining/reframing complex problems, and creating innovative solutions to these problems outside the traditional design domains (e.g., industrial design). Design thinking has also emerged as a valuable set of 21st century capabilities (e.g., problem framing creative thinking) that augment the capabilities developed in other discipline areas. In response, over last ten years or so, a range of individual design thinking courses and associated programmes have been developed and enacted within universities, private training organisations, and within businesses. In this sense, design thinking is emerging as expertise area in its own right. There is however, only a relatively small but growing body of research on strategies for developing curriculum and teaching design thinking. Importantly, there is also a lack of expertise frameworks that support rigorous curriculum development and teaching.

This paper explores the background and emergence of design thinking, and provides a brief overview of research that explored the development, evaluation and iterative improvement of a design thinking course, and associated curriculum over three semesters for first year university students. The paper then presents a design thinking capability map that was developed as part of the curriculum development and evaluation process, and a novice to expert expertise framework that demonstrates how design thinking can be taught beyond an individual course - in this instance a four course design thinking minor. The findings of this research will be useful for other educators who are interested in teaching design thinking to business and other university students, and for the design of innovative and effective learning environments.