Futures of Design Ed 27: Creative Thinking and Mental Wellbeing

Muriel Sippel discusses the impact of creative design education on students’ mental health well-being in a distance design education setting.

"In my teaching practice, I have observed a positive impact of creative thinking practices on students' mental well-being. Learning to explore design problems from diverse perspectives, collaborating with friends and family, navigating uncertainty, and engaging with the creative flow that emerges from the process, appears to be beneficial to students’ well-being.

Following on from my prior scholarship work that identified barriers and enablers to student wellbeing during design project work, I am currently investigating the potential of creative thinking to support the mental well-being of distance design students experiencing mental health challenges, whether temporary or chronic.

While existing research often suggests creativity (or "little c") may be used therapeutically to support individuals with mental health challenges, my research focuses on creative thinking as a taught skill that can be developed through design education. Preliminary research and a recent pilot study suggest that collaborative problem-solving in a safe space, can be empowering for students who otherwise struggle with their well-being.

Drawing on my professional practice and insights from my scholarship and research with distance design students, this talk aims to stimulate discussion on plausible design learning and teaching strategies which promote and support the well-being of students in different educational settings."

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The Futures of Design Education series of presentations and discussions brings together design educators to share, discuss and consider key issues in design education. The aim is to highlight and share the plurality of contemporary, global practice and issues, as well as how this may inform futures of design education.
Each event hosts a presentation or conversation starter followed by open discussion. Anyone interested in design education is welcome to attend and take part. The 2024 series of events can be found on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/drs-ed...
Recordings of all past events can be found here.
Further details of the DRS Pedagogy SIG can be found here.