Collaborative Creativity in Design Education: A Case Study of the Design Sketch Course

Abstract

Collaborative creativity has been widely adopted in design education, mainly from interdisciplinary, industrial, and online perspectives instead of traditional classrooms. However, there is a lack of research on integrating collaboration into teaching the essential craft and thinking ability in classrooms, such as the design sketch. In this study, the effect and critical factors of collaborative creativity were examined by applying the action research method to a design sketch course in university. Totally 52 students were enrolled and grouped with 3 - 4 members in each team to perform course tasks. The data was collected by class observation records, interviews, and questionnaire surveys. Then, the results show that integrating collaborative creativity into the design course can inspire students to generate more new ideas outside the box. Besides, students were more likely to clarify the motivation and dared to face challenges with confidence due to the assistance of teachers and team members. Finally, a model for collaborative creativity in design courses was proposed for the future development of design education at colleges and universities.