Speaking to Design Students’ Motivation−When Creating Design Thinking Courses Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

This paper investigates ways to create design thinking courses that speak to design students’ motivation based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG). The question is examined through a case study at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design (KADK), in which third-semester students from eight design disciplines engaged in a six-week project-based design thinking course with UN City Copenhagen as an external partner. KADK is hard at work to secure faster recruitment because the number of students accepted has been cut due to high unemployment rates among graduates. One strategy is to devote three years to the 17 UN SDGs; another initiative is to educate students to be able to work outside traditional areas of design.

Previous experiences and research show that although some design disciplines find cross-disciplinary design thinking courses to be a natural extension of their practice, others are demotivated, saying they take time away from discipline-relevant projects and are generally a waste of time. With the intent to heighten students’ motivation to engage in the learning process, the course design integrates motivational factors such as a meaningful topic, working with real-life challenges, collaborating with a high-profile external partner, and positioning design thinking as a means to complex problem solving and innovation in public and private sectors.

Data consist of qualitative, written student responses, submitted at the outset of the course and then again two weeks into the program, allowing for open reflection about what motivates and demotivates them. Student responses are compared to the applied motivational factors and to theories on motivation and creativity.

Contrary to expectations, there is a marked shift—from the initial responses to the replies two weeks later—in the students’ perception: virtually every student is now motivated by learning design methods and collaboration skills. Equally surprising, the topic itself only motivates a small portion of the students. Hence, it is a mistake to believe that the UN SDGs in themselves constitute the engine and drive for student motivation.

Based on the findings, the paper offers suggestions for future courses. First, to increase students’ intrinsic motivation, it will be helpful to (1) narrow down the SDGs to less complex subthemes and (2) explicitly address the exploratory nature of the investigation and include theory and supervision of how to handle the vexing emotions when entering complex territory.

Second, the general desire to acquire design thinking competencies should be built upon, placing more emphasis on creative thinking skills, individually and in teams.

Third, teachers need to be aware of how the pressure to secure recruitment might affect the creative performance of design students. If the push is too great, this extrinsic motivator can jeopardize the students’ ability to get in touch with their intrinsic motivation—the curiosity and passion necessary to come up with creative solutions. It is vital to get the balance right: addressing the professional and societal contexts that we are a part of while paying attention to the inner worlds of the students.