Aug 2026· Discover Education· Vol 5· 0 citations· 48 references
Abstract
Design Thinking is conceptually broad and is often treated as a process, a mindset, a method, or a pedagogical framework, with no clear distinctions among them. This systematic review investigates whether Design Thinking (DT) is associated with learning experiences in higher education. The review examines how DT strategies are integrated into instructional practices and their influence on student engagement, creativity, academic satisfaction, and learning outcomes. Drawing on evidence from 27 empirical studies, it shows Design Thinking has been implemented through project-based learning, design studio pedagogy, flipped learning, STEAM integration, and culturally relevant methods. The review finds that Design Thinking-based instruction was reported to support student motivation, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and ownership of their learning. The review recommends further research into DT’s effectiveness using a clear measurement model, contextual variations of DT, comparative Design Thinking with non-DT active learning strategies, and longitudinal effects on student learning.
Currently, the application of design thinking in the field of STEM education is expanding. However, in this field, there is currently no systematic analysis or comprehensive explanation of the extent to which design thinking can enhance students’ learning outcomes, nor of how related moderating variables affect these outcomes. Through a meta-analysis of 44 effect sizes, it was found that: (1) The intervention of design thinking can effectively enhance the overall effect of students’ STEM learning, and has a positive effect on specific dimensions such as professional knowledge and skills, learning interest, creativity and design thinking ability. Among them, the improvement effect in students’ creativity and design thinking ability is particularly significant; (2) In terms of moderating variables, learner types, instructional models, learning environment and intervention duration all have an impact on the STEM learning outcomes and their sub-dimensions under the intervention of design thinking. The research not only reveals the utility characteristics and influencing factors of design thinking for students’ STEM learning, but also offers many inspirations for the deepening of subsequent teaching practices.
Xiuchuan He, Hui Xiong, Kaijun Peng et al.· Humanities and Social Scienc...· 0 citations
Findings showed that traditional models such as ADDIE, Gagné's Nine Events, and Merrill’s First Principles remain effective when combined with active learning, differentiated instruction, and flipped classrooms, and emerging technologies, including AI-driven tutoring, predictive analytics, and immersive tools, enhanced personalization and inclusivity.
Reynald Alfred Sy· Pedagogy Review: An Internat...· 0 citations
Practice-oriented learning is widely promoted in business education as a route to employability; however, much existing research often evaluates such approaches through intended outcomes or broad categories (e.g. “experiential learning”) with less emphasis on examining how students interpret specific features of learning design within programme contexts. This study explores how students in an international MBA programme experience and evaluate practice-oriented learning and how these experiences shape their perceptions of professional capability and confidence.
The study adopts a qualitative, interpretive design. Data were collected through four online focus groups with 28 students enrolled in a UK-based international MBA programme. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to examine students' experiences of pedagogical design, peer interaction and engagement with professional tools, tasks and practices across modules.
Four interrelated learning mechanisms were identified: (1) scaffolding and sequencing that supported understanding, (2) peer learning through negotiation and interaction in culturally and professionally diverse groups, (3) engagement with professional tools, tasks and practices that shaped perceptions of professional relevance and (4) the development of applied understanding and confidence through repeated engagement with practice-oriented activities. Across these themes, students evaluated learning in relation to how effectively design, interaction and application supported their ability to engage with complex material and develop confidence in applying knowledge in practice. Students valued practice-oriented learning when it aligned with contemporary workplace expectations, but also highlighted challenges where curricular practices diverged from current industry practices and employer expectations.
The study addresses a qualitative gap by providing a mechanism-focused, student-centred perspective of how practice-oriented learning is experienced within a postgraduate MBA context. It extends existing research by showing how students actively evaluate learning design in relation to progression, interaction and relevance, and how these processes shape perceived professional capability and confidence. This contributes to experiential learning and employability research by demonstrating how learning is interpreted and assessed by students within specific pedagogical arrangements.
M. Doargajudhur· Higher Education, Skills and...· 0 citations
The present research analyzes to what degree ‘learning by doing’ approaches are applied in the didactic planning of student teachers. Based on a constructivist-experiential paradigm, the study emphasizes that lesson planning is a reflective and evaluative action which displays pedagogical comprehension. A research-based qualitative documentary method was used to study five lesson plans with two reliable observation instruments. For quantitative scoring, attention was directed to items involving experiential structure and methodological coherence, whereas qualitative analysis identified themes of conceptual triangulation in which activities, resources and evaluation approaches were mutually associated. Results suggest that some lesson plans are well aligned with the experience, reflection, conceptualization, application framework, while others indicate a lack of bridging of theory to practice. Plans that scored highest used integrated themes and cohesive sequencing, while those that scored lowest were minimally evaluated and resource minimally aligned. The research fills important gaps in the literature for providing empirical findings on the implementation of experiential learning in the context of the Latin-American teacher education scene, as well as for discussing observation guides as an indication of meta-evaluation and staff training. This study provides an expandable and thought-provoking structure for enhancing the quality of didactic planning in teacher education, drawing attention to the ethical role of deliberate instructional design in supporting meaningful and effective learning.
Judith Maldonado Rivera· Higher Education for the Fut...· 0 citations
This study developed and implemented a design thinking-based glocal curriculum within an international joint short-term intensive learning environment for Asian graduate students, with the aim of empirically exploring how glocal competence is formed in international joint graduate education. The curriculum was systematically developed based on the ADDIE instructional design model and organized into five modules — covering global education and ODA, empathy-based problem definition, case and field exploration, and community-based problem solving — informed by analyses of international joint curriculum cases and learner needs. The curriculum was implemented over three days with 40 graduate students from five universities across four Asian countries. Its effectiveness was examined through pre- and postsurveys measuring glocal and design thinking competence, supplemented by reflective journal analysis. The results revealed significant improvements in community understanding, problem definition, idea generation, and testing competence, while perspective-taking and problem reframing through multinational collaboration were observed on an exploratory basis. These findings suggest that glocal competence may be cultivated through the structural interpretation of community-based educational issues and the exploration of actionable solutions, and that design thinking may function as an effective instructional design principle for organizing the collision and negotiation of perspectives among multinational learners in international higher education contexts.
Hyo-Jin Lee, Jisoo Lee, Yeonwoo Lee et al.· The Institute of Educational...· 0 citations
This study seeks to investigate the antecedents, processes, and outcomes of AI‐based education in fostering design thinking among engineering students. Through a meta‐synthesis of 151 peer‐reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025, sourced from databases including Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and ScienceDirect, we generated a grounded theory. Findings revealed two major antecedent domains: Students' prerequisites (including positive attitudes, basic skills, and foundational knowledge of design thinking) and Instructors' triple competencies (technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge). These factors collectively shape students' intention to learn design thinking (DT), represented by the core themes of usefulness and success, and moderated by variables such as demographics and ethical awareness. The instructional process was structured around the five core stages of the design thinking framework—Empathy, Definition, Ideation, Prototyping, and Testing—with relevant AI tools integrated into each stage to facilitate activities, yielding 46 open codes. The outcomes were categorized into two themes: the development of design thinking competencies and social‐psychological growth. The findings highlight AI's significant contribution to fostering both technical skills and ethical reasoning, offering an instructional model that can serve as a practical guide for enhancing design thinking skills among engineering students.
Mehdi Mohammadi, Farzane Deimehkar Haghighi· Computer Applications in Eng...· 0 citations
