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Creating Innovation Leaders pp 149–162Cite as

Embedding Design Thinking in a Multidisciplinary Engineering Curriculum at Harvard University

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Part of the Understanding Innovation book series (UNDINNO)

Abstract

The 21st Century inherited challenges that require new methodologies and processes to solve. Engineering has a critical role to play in supporting changes and solving these problems, but our educational system needs to evolve to prepare future leaders to solve and mitigate such human problems. In particular, the educational system needs to shed disciplinary silos and allow students to learn and engage in multidisciplinary dimensions. Engineering embedded in a liberal-arts education provides unique opportunities, especially when design and innovation have been integrated into most of the engineering courses in the curriculum. The case of Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences with its forward-thinking pedagogy is presented here as an example of such a curriculum data and methodologies for assessment of the interdisciplinary courses with embedded design thinking are presented.

Keywords

  • Engineering Education
  • Wicked Problem
  • Design Thinking
  • Design Content
  • Classroom Response System

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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  • DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-20520-5_8
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Notes

  1. 1.

    This term is used by indicate students who have broad background, yet possess deep knowledge in a discipline. See for example: Joe Tranquillo, “The T-shaped Engineer: Connecting the STEM to the TOP” - 120th ASEE Annual Conference, June 2013.

  2. 2.

    The S.B. program in Engineering Sciences is recognized by the national accreditation agency for engineering programs in the United States: ‘Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET).’

  3. 3.

    Eric Mazur, “Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual,” Addison-Wesley, 2013. Also Derek Bruff, “Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments,” Jossy-Bass Publishing- Wiley 2009.

  4. 4.

    See: http://www.seas.harvard.edu/teaching-labs

  5. 5.

    http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2010/12/es-51-drives-home-principles-engineering-design

  6. 6.

    http://www.seas.harvard.edu/nectar

  7. 7.

    http://i-lab.harvard.edu

  8. 8.

    http://www.seas.harvard.edu/audiences/current-students/innovation-design

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Fawwaz Habbal

Authors
  1. Fawwaz Habbal
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Correspondence to Fawwaz Habbal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA

    Banny Banerjee

  2. Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Ceri

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Habbal, F. (2016). Embedding Design Thinking in a Multidisciplinary Engineering Curriculum at Harvard University. In: Banerjee, B., Ceri, S. (eds) Creating Innovation Leaders. Understanding Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20520-5_8

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