Research On The Design And Practice Of Learning Activities To Cultivate Engineering Students’ Design Thinking In Technology-Rich Environment

Design thinking is a necessary qualities for engineering talents to practice and innovate.Under the dual influence of the technical background in the digital age and the policy background of "new engineering" construction,cultivating engineering students’ design thinking can not only enhance the functionality and value of engineering design achievements,but also play a positive role in promoting engineering practice innovation and cultivating innovative engineering talents.Therefore,it is necessary to introduce it into the cultivating process of engineering students.The research is helpful to deepen the epistemology and methodology of cultivating innovative talents in engineering under the background of "new engineering".It also can provide operational guidance,resource tools and beneficial experience for teachers engaged in cultivating design thinking of engineering students.The research is based on the EDIPT design thinking mode,crowd intelligence innovation and knowledge construction,and adopts various methods such as literature research,investigation research,quasi-experimental research,quantitative ethnography and statistical analysis.It is carried out from two levels: theoretical construction and practical operation.Research questions are as follows:(1)What are the cultivating status and needs of engineering students’ design thinking?(2)What are the design principles,overall framework and specific processes of learning activities to cultivate engineering students’ design thinking in technology-rich environment?(3)What is the practical effect of learning activities to cultivate engineering students’ design thinking in technology-rich environment?To solve the above problems,the main contents of the study include: Part I: research status.Through the method of literature research,this thesis sorts out the research status of "technology-rich environment" and "engineering students’ design thinking" at home and abroad,summarizes the relevant academic theories,and explains the enlightenment of existing research and academic theories to this study,which provides theoretical support for the follow-up research(Chapter II).Part II: sampling survey.Through the investigation and research method,this thesis makes a thorough investigation on the current situation of design thinking and cultivating needs of samples,looks through the current level of design thinking of engineering students,measures the cultivating needs and interests,and provides comprehensive,accurate and scientific data support for the design of learning activities(Chapter III).Part III: activity design.On the basis of discussing the correspondence between the technology-rich environment and the cultivation of design thinking,the four principles followed in the design of learning activities are formulated,the overall framework of learning activities is constructed,and the main flow of learning activities is clarified,which provides theoretical guidance for the cultivation of design thinking of engineering students(Chapter IV).Part IV: practical application.The case of learning activities to cultivate engineering students’ design thinking in technology-rich environment is implemented.The effect is tested according to the "4-5-5" activity effect analysis system,and the design framework of learning activities is iteratively tested and revised.Theory is summarized and constructed again from practice(Chapter V).Based on the above theoretical and practical exploration,the research draws the following conclusions:(1)The technology-rich environment and the design thinking of engineering students are rich in connotation and clear in composition.The design thinking of engineering students consists of six elements: seeking feedback,comprehensive thinking,optimism,experimentalism,cooperation spirit and empathy.(2)The current level of design thinking of engineering students is relatively weak,and it is urgent to increase attention and cultivating.There is no big difference in the overall design thinking between boys and girls,but the level of empathy of boys is low.Students’ willingness to cultivate is relatively strong,and the demand for cultivating forms is diverse.(3)The design principles of learning activities are put forward in four aspects: task orientation,organizational form,support services and evaluation methods.The overall framework of activities with six elements is constructed,and the specific process of activities is put forward,namely,inspiring empathy,stating and defining requirements,creating solutions,making rapid prototypes and iterative test optimization.(4)By designing appropriate cases of learning activities and applying them in a natural environment,the effect analysis is carried out from four dimensions: design thinking characteristics,design process,design results and learning satisfaction.It proves that the designed learning activities can promote the development of engineering students’ design thinking and solve the outstanding problems in the cultivation of design thinking in technology-rich environment.