Social Creativity and Design Thinking: Developing Foundation Courses in Undergraduate Transdisciplinary Design Education

Abstract

The author argues that social interaction and the design-thinking process are keys to divergent thinking because students learn more effectively in a collaborative work environment conducive to social creativity, which can be supported by a systematized design process through teamwork. We hypothesize that foundation courses in a transdisciplinary design program should be distinguishable from those that currently exist in design education in order to further develop students’ creativity. To explore this proposition further, we examine the leveled and dialectical thinking connecting to social creativity and the principles pertaining to systematic and interactive ways of educating in design. Finally, on the basis of our observations and empirical application in class, we make a few suggestions to instructors for fostering students’ social creativity and divergent thinking skills: Time management, Process-centered, Encourage social interaction, Use of appropriate methods.