IMPACT OF FACULTY DESIGN-THINKING TRAINING ON TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN ENGINEERING COLLEGES IN CHENNAI: THE MEDIATING ROLES OF DESIGN-THINKING SELF-EFFICACY AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i3s.2026.7398Keywords:
Design Thinking, Teaching Effectiveness, Faculty Training, Self-Efficacy, Institutional Support, Engineering Education, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)Abstract [English]
The trend towards more innovative and industry-relevant engineering education has required the shift towards learner-focused pedagogy. Design thinking has become one of the potent models to help improve creativity, problem-solving, and learning through experiences in higher education. This paper examines the effects of faculty design-thinking training on teaching efficacy in engineering colleges in Chennai with specific attention to the mediating variables (design thinking self efficacy and institutional support). The research design used was quantitative and primary data used was the faculty members through a structured questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data in order to test both direct and indirect links among the variables. The results indicate that teaching effectiveness is positively affected significantly by faculty design-thinking training. Also, the mediating power of design-thinking self-efficacy was identified, showing that faculty confidence in the implementation of the design-thinking principles is another essential factor in the improvement of the teaching practice. Significant mediating role was also indicated with the institutional support which is critical to note the need of organizational encouragement, resources and professional development opportunities in enabling the innovation teaching. These findings affirm the fact that individual and institutional factors are the partial mediators of the relationship existing between training and teaching effectiveness. The current study adds value to the current body of literature since it offers a holistic framework, which emphasizes that faculty development, psychological preparedness, and organizational support are connected to teaching efficacy in engineering education. The results have practical implications on policy makers and educational institutions to establish efficient faculty development programs and create facilitative institutional settings.
References
Abolhasani, Z., Dehghani, M., Javadipour, M., Salehi, K., and Mohammadhasani, N. (2021). An Analysis of the Role of Design Thinking in Promoting the 21st-Century Skills: A Systematic Review. Technology of Education Journal, 16(1), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.22061/tej.2021.7206.2508
Aflatoony, L., Wakkary, R., and Neustaedter, C. (2018). Becoming a Design Thinker: Assessing the Learning Process of Students in a Secondary Level Design Thinking Course. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 37(3), 438–453. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12139 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12139
Albay, E. M., and Eisma, D. V. (2021). Performance Task Assessment Supported by the Design Thinking Process: Results from a True Experimental Research. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 3(1), 100116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100116 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100116
Aris, N. M., Ibrahim, N. H., Abd Halim, N. D., Ali, S., Rusli, N. H., Suratin, M. N. M., and Hassan, F. C. (2022). Evaluating the Academic Trends on Design Thinking Research: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2000 to 2021. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(4), 1022–1038.
Baker, F. W., III, and Moukhliss, S. (2020). Concretising Design Thinking: A Content Analysis of Systematic and Extended Literature Reviews on Design Thinking and Human-Centred Design. Review of Education, 8(1), 305–333. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3186 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3186
Bawaneh, A. K., and Alnamshan, M. M. (2023). Design Thinking in Science Education: Enhancing Undergraduate Students’ Motivation and Achievement in Learning Biology. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 13(4), 621–633. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2023.13.4.1846 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2023.13.4.1846
Gleason, B., and Jaramillo Cherrez, N. (2024). Design Thinking Approach to Global Collaboration and Empowered Learning: Virtual Exchange as Innovation in a Teacher Education Course. TechTrends, 65(3), 348–358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00573-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00573-6
Grau, S. L., and Rockett, T. (2022). Creating Student-Centred Experiences: Using Design Thinking to Create Student Engagement. Journal of Entrepreneurship, 31(2_suppl), S135–S159. https://doi.org/10.1177/09713557221107443 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09713557221107443
Guaman-Quintanilla, S., Everaert, P., Chiluiza, K., and Valcke, M. (2022). Fostering Teamwork Through Design Thinking: Evidence from a Multi-Actor Perspective. Education Sciences, 12(4), 279. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040279 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040279
Guaman-Quintanilla, S., Everaert, P., Chiluiza, K., and Valcke, M. (2023). Impact of Design Thinking in Higher Education: A Multi-Actor Perspective on Problem Solving and Creativity. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 33(1), 217–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09724-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09724-z
Hennessey, E., and Mueller, J. (2020). Teaching and Learning Design Thinking (DT). Canadian Journal of Education, 43(2), 498–521.
Henriksen, D., Gretter, S., and Richardson, C. (2020). Design Thinking and the Practicing Teacher: Addressing Problems of Practice in Teacher Education. Teaching Education, 31(2), 209–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2018.1531841 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2018.1531841
Henriksen, D., Jordan, M., Foulger, T. S., Zuiker, S., and Mishra, P. (2020). Essential Tensions in Facilitating Design Thinking: Collective Reflections. Journal of Formative Design in Learning, 4(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41686-020-00045-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41686-020-00045-3
Higgins, J. P., Thomas, J., Chandler, J., Cumpston, M., Li, T., Page, M. J., and Welch, V. A. (Eds.). (2019). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (2nd ed.). Wiley. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119536604
Padghan, N. P., Sapekar, K. N., Sonakneur, M. S. S., Masram, N. M., Lolure, S. R., and Madavi, S. C. (2025). Muscle Sensor Driven 3D Printed Prosthetic Arm. International Journal of Technical Advances in Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME), 14(1), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.65521/ijtarme.v14i1.513 DOI: https://doi.org/10.65521/ijtarme.v14i1.513
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 R. Hepsiba Beula, Dr. M. Radhakrishnan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
