Fostering engineering students' divergent thinking skill using a collaborative learning environment

Abstract

Design of effective solutions to ill structured problems, is a key skill that engineering students are expected to demonstrate. However students are daunted by the combination of analytical and creative approach required to address a given design problem. Design fixation is a widely prevalent problem seen among students. Emphasis on planning and conceptual design stage involving divergent thinking, is one of the ways to counter design fixation and bring in originality in design solutions. We propose a collaborative learning environment as a means of developing divergent thinking skills among undergraduate engineering students. We use collaboration, shared visual representation, divergent ideation techniques and restructuring thinking patterns as the four main pillars of our divergent thinking learning environment.