Comparing Design Thinking Traits between National Samples of Civil Engineering and Architecture Students
Publication: Journal of Civil Engineering Education
Volume 147, Issue 2
Abstract
Civil engineers and architects are both trained in design thinking, but they approach the process of design from differing perspectives largely due to the divergence in their educational curriculums. With an interest in the effect of differing educational perspectives on design thinking outcomes, comparisons were made between the self-identified design thinking abilities of students in their final year of undergraduate civil engineering or architecture programs. Perceived design thinking ability was evaluated through a survey that was distributed to students enrolled in 4-year institutions across the United States. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare responses between the civil engineering () and architecture () student samples. There is a significant difference in perceived design thinking ability between the groups. Architecture students score higher than civil engineering students on all design thinking traits. Based on these results, the civil engineering curriculum may benefit from the incorporation of pedagogy that emphasizes design thinking, like studio-based learning.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This material is based in part on work supported by the National Science Foundation, through Grant Nos. EEC-1635534 and EEC-1635204. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Journal of Civil Engineering Education
Volume 147 • Issue 2 • April 2021
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 9, 2020
Accepted: Sep 9, 2020
Published online: Nov 27, 2020
Published in print: Apr 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Apr 27, 2021
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