“Design Thinking" as Collaborative Creativity in Group Work: A Case Study at a Japanese Liberal Arts University

Abstract

The purpose of Design Thinking is to develop human resources who can exercise creativity in groups and solve various problems in society, mainly through group work. In Japan, many universities have introduced design thinking as an educational program. However, some issues have been pointed out, such as the inability in boosting students’ creativity. Studies have been conducted to examine the effects of design thinking on students’ creativity. The design thinking activities are performed in groups where various factors overlap and creativity is demonstrated as a collaborative effort. To date, only a few studies have examined design thinking as a collaborative creative activity. In this study, we targeted a university online class and recorded the students’ group work and analyzed by focusing on the relationships that are established among people and between people and objects. The results revealed the factors that constitute a collaborative creative activity.