Design Thinking: A New Perspective for the Academy-Community Relationship

Published in: Global Partnerships for Development and Engineering Education: Proceedings of the 15th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education and Technology
Date of Conference: July 19-21, 2017
Location of Conference: Boca Raton, FL, United States
Authors: María Fernanda Calderón Vega, PhD. (ESPOL, EC)
Cinthia Mariela Párraga Lema, Eng. (ESPOL, EC)
Adriana Patricia Santos Ordoñez, PhD. (ESPOL, EC)
Carlos Eduardo Gonzalez Lema, MS. (ESPOL, EC)
Full Paper: #271

Abstract:

Education in their interest to respond society needs in terms of professional training, involve the development of human vulnerable groups to encourage the endogenous development of the society. This document aims to integrate the Design Thinking (DT) and the Agricultural Extension (AE) tools through the design of a prototype focused on problem solving by students together with community members. The methodology concerned: Creative process based on the DT and AE tools, which is focused on problem-solving process in agricultural practices; and the Disciplinary Learning Outcomes (DLOs) evaluation career, which are based on the set of KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ATTITUDES. Results showed that integration of DT and AE tools was suitable, since the students made a proposal understanding farmers’ needs along the process of production and commercialization. DLOs evaluation identified that students are not attending orderly the program subjects which allowed us to improve the teaching-learning process. This methodology permitted to students to know the problems from the farmers’ point of view, as well as, that the AE covers other perspectives such as the understanding of professional needs. This kind of proposals encourage students to work together and to design projects applied to the agricultural engineering.