Impact of design thinking in higher education: a multi-actor perspective on problem solving and creativity

Abstract This study investigates the effects of using design thinking on students’ problem solving and creativity skills, applying a constructivist learning theory. A course where students use design thinking for analyzing real problems and proposing a solution, was evaluated. The study involved 910 novice university students from different disciplines who worked in teams throughout the semester. Data were collected at three times during the semester, i.e. at the beginning (t0), in the middle (t1) and at the end (t2), after solving a short case study. Each time the problem solving and creativity skill of each student was rated by three different actors, i.e. the students themselves (self-evaluation), one peer and one teacher (facilitator). The objective of this study is to investigate whether the problem solving skills and creativity skills improved along the course, as rated by the three actors. A repeated measures ANOVA was used for the data analysis of this within-subjects design. Results show a significant improvement on students’ problem solving and creativity skills, according to the three raters. Effect sizes were also calculated; in all cases the effect sizes from t0 to t1 were larger than t1 to t2. The multi-actor perspective of this study, the adoption of reliable and valid measures and the large sample size provide robust evidence that supports the implementation of design thinking in higher education curriculum for promoting key skills such as problem solving and creativity, demanded by labor markets. Finally, a discussion that puts forward an agenda for future research is presented.