Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity

Examining the function and possible effects of the "Imaginative Design Thinking" courses created for postgraduate Master of Design (M.Des) students, this paper places its inception within the changing context of higher education. It is becoming more and more important to go beyond conventi...

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Main Author: Rahat Varma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: World University of Design 2025-07-01
Series:International Journal of Arts Architecture & Design
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author Rahat Varma
author_facet Rahat Varma
author_sort Rahat Varma
collection DOAJ
description Examining the function and possible effects of the "Imaginative Design Thinking" courses created for postgraduate Master of Design (M.Des) students, this paper places its inception within the changing context of higher education. It is becoming more and more important to go beyond conventional, inflexible pedagogies and promote vital cognitive and interpersonal abilities like creativity, imagination, problem-solving, and teamwork as postgraduate students become more diverse and independent. This paper aims to define “Imaginative Design Thinking” courses and further infer the structure and pedagogical strategies that must be used to deploy these courses in various delivery contexts, as well as comparisons with similar international programs. It does this by drawing on national educational policies such as India's NEP 2020, which promotes experiential, inquiry-driven, and holistic learning. Multidisciplinary content, active and collaborative learning, and thematic exploration of creativity in design, sustainability, and social transformation are all proposed for use in the course. To demonstrate how creative inquiry can question accepted wisdom and stimulate fresh viewpoints, a literary case study of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's writings is employed. According to the analysis, a course like this can greatly improve students' capacity for innovation, adaptability, and personal development, preparing them to lead and navigate in challenging, quickly evolving work environments. In the end, the study makes the case that fostering the next generation of design leaders who can envision and bring about significant change requires incorporating imagination and creativity into postgraduate design education.
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spelling doaj-art-25ba07c2b3ba4226b8c851e6cb82ad3f2025-08-20T03:58:44ZengWorld University of DesignInternational Journal of Arts Architecture & Design2584-02822025-07-0132304410.62030/2025Julypaper3Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate CreativityRahat Varma 0 Design Educator and Independent Researcher, New Delhi, Delhi, 110076, IndiaExamining the function and possible effects of the "Imaginative Design Thinking" courses created for postgraduate Master of Design (M.Des) students, this paper places its inception within the changing context of higher education. It is becoming more and more important to go beyond conventional, inflexible pedagogies and promote vital cognitive and interpersonal abilities like creativity, imagination, problem-solving, and teamwork as postgraduate students become more diverse and independent. This paper aims to define “Imaginative Design Thinking” courses and further infer the structure and pedagogical strategies that must be used to deploy these courses in various delivery contexts, as well as comparisons with similar international programs. It does this by drawing on national educational policies such as India's NEP 2020, which promotes experiential, inquiry-driven, and holistic learning. Multidisciplinary content, active and collaborative learning, and thematic exploration of creativity in design, sustainability, and social transformation are all proposed for use in the course. To demonstrate how creative inquiry can question accepted wisdom and stimulate fresh viewpoints, a literary case study of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's writings is employed. According to the analysis, a course like this can greatly improve students' capacity for innovation, adaptability, and personal development, preparing them to lead and navigate in challenging, quickly evolving work environments. In the end, the study makes the case that fostering the next generation of design leaders who can envision and bring about significant change requires incorporating imagination and creativity into postgraduate design education. imaginative design thinkingdesign educationhuman-centered designproblem-solvingexperiential learningcritical thinkinginterdisciplinary pedagogyactive learningcreative problem-solvingdesign pedagogy
spellingShingle Rahat Varma
Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity
International Journal of Arts Architecture & Design
imaginative design thinking
design education
human-centered design
problem-solving
experiential learning
critical thinking
interdisciplinary pedagogy
active learning
creative problem-solving
design pedagogy
title Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity
title_full Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity
title_fullStr Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity
title_full_unstemmed Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity
title_short Integrating Imagination and Design Thinking: Pedagogical Approaches for Postgraduate Creativity
title_sort integrating imagination and design thinking pedagogical approaches for postgraduate creativity
topic imaginative design thinking
design education
human-centered design
problem-solving
experiential learning
critical thinking
interdisciplinary pedagogy
active learning
creative problem-solving
design pedagogy
work_keys_str_mv AT rahatvarma integratingimaginationanddesignthinkingpedagogicalapproachesforpostgraduatecreativity