Research
The Impacts of Integrating Introductory Composition, Communication, and Design Thinking Courses
Authors:
Amelia Chesley ,
Northwestern State University of Louisiana, US
About Amelia
Assistant professor of English and Technical Writing at Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Nathan Mentzer,
Purdue University, US
About Nathan
Associate professor of Engineering and Technology Education at Purdue University
Dawn Laux
Purdue University, US
About Dawn
Associate Department Head and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Technology (CIT) at Purdue University
Abstract
Much recent STEM research indicates that course integration improves the student learning experience and fosters stronger connections among concepts and skills; this study attempts to evaluate whether or not students learn the design process more fully in the integrated version of a required first-year course, Design Thinking in Technology. Drawing from an ongoing assessment of an Integrated First-Year Experience at Purdue University, this article reports on the challenges of teaching design thinking and analyzes whether students in an interdisciplinary course integration can demonstrate the work of their design processes more completely and effectively compared to students in a non-integrated version of the course. We employ a modified version of the Engineering Design Process Portfolio Scoring Rubric (EDPPSR) as a method of evaluating students’ design portfolios. Our initial and follow-up analyses show that students in both versions of the course struggle to complete design journal assignments satisfactorily. We assess and analyze the impact of STEM-humanities integration on students’ abilities to document and contextualize the design process using journals, and also offer discussion and suggestions about our findings.
How to Cite:
Chesley, A., Coots, M. W., Jackson, A., Knapp, S., Mentzer, N., & Laux, D. (2018). The Impacts of Integrating Introductory Composition, Communication, and Design Thinking Courses. Journal of Technology Education, 30(1), 66–82. DOI: http://doi.org/10.21061/jte.v30i1.a.4
Published on
21 Sep 2018.
Peer Reviewed
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