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| First author (year) | Country and institution | Discipline | Students | Course learning objectives | Course assessments |
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| Apelian (2015) [26] | USA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Engineering | First-year undergraduate engineering students | To learn the concept of sustainable development, climate change, energy sources, food and water issues, housing, health, and transportation concerns
To approach these issues proactively and develop ecologically sound solutions
To practice all aspects of college writing and project development
To learn the importance of engaging different disciplinary perspectives
To learn to formulate researchable questions based on multiple sources
To participate in classroom debates and discussions on complex issues of sustainable development and contribute to teamwork | Essays
Active discussions
Design thinking project
Presentation to a public forum in the form of posters and 4-minute video clips of the value proposition of their proposed solutions |
|
| Becerik-Gerber (2018) [27] | USA, University of Southern California | Arts, Business, Cinematic Arts, Computer Science, Communication, Engineering, Journalism, and Medicine | 26 students representing 14 disciplines | To learn how to design products, services, and technologies with a human-centered approach to help solve the needs of people in the midst of global crises
To learn about the process of product innovation, prototyping, fabrication, and building sustainable business models | Design thinking project |
|
| Berger (2013) [28] | USA, Simmons College | Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Education, English, Management, Math, Nursing, Nutrition, Physical Therapy, Political Science, Public Health, Social Work, and Sociology | Sophomores from a private women’s liberal arts institution | To grasp key concepts, principles, and theories relating to the complexities surrounding food
To understand the critical social issues such as food insecurity, sustainability, and social justice
To understand the critical technical issues such as food safety, production, and distribution
To evaluate available information in order to target and define a specific issue
To address a specific global issue related to food and design and develop a local solution
To become more empowered to take the lead in learning and become better at risk-taking in learning environments
To work effectively in a team | Group discussion Presentation
Pretest-posttest
Self-reflection
Journal reflection |
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| Bernal (2013) | USA, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Engineering and Science | Undergraduate Engineering and Science students | To develop feasible concepts for solar energy collection
To develop a problem statement and report findings
To conduct competitive benchmarking to determine how their alternatives fair in response to current products
To build a prototype and analyze results | Oral exams
Presentation
Peer evaluation
Design thinking project |
|
| Brewer (1993) [29] | USA, University of California | Biology | Biology students | To develop a model for the global carbon cycle
To develop an outline for human implications of global climate change | Presentations
Group discussions
Design thinking project |
|
| Cohen (2009) [30] | USA, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School | Environmental Studies, Design and Liberal Arts | Undergraduate students | To provide students with the knowledge of systems thinking, including the life cycle of materials and products
To better appreciate the value of diverse human and natural systems
To introduce basic ecological concepts related to the sustainable food system, including energy consumption, organic cultivation, farmland conservation, and food security
To appreciate the role of design in critical and strategic thinking
To develop an ability to translate quantitative information into visually and verbally coherent presentations and to make an argument visually and in written form
To provide a clear understanding of mapping, including the development of concept maps that isolate, visualize, and represent in various formats ecological phenomena at an urban scale
To help students develop skills to explore the dimensions of a problem, identify alternative solutions, and develop a prototype or visual campaign to advance a proposed solution; and the skills to work collaboratively, including distribution of tasks according to skill level, interests, and leadership capabilities | Presentations
Design thinking project |
|
| Dean (2017) [31] | AUS, University of Technology Sydney | Architecture, Landscape, and Nursing | Undergraduate third-year and postgraduate students | To develop researched landscape-focused architectural solutions for refuge spaces
To explore the relationship between the built and natural spaces | Design thinking project
Poster presentation |
|
| Flammia (2011) [32] | USA, University of Central Florida | Biology, Digital Media, Economics, English, History, Information Technology, Nursing, Politics, Science, Social Science, and Technical Communication | Undergraduate students | To gain a fuller understanding on a particular grand challenge topic and develop a small local project to address one aspect of the topic | Design thinking project |
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| Fomich (2018) [33] | USA, The Ohio State University | Engineering | Undergraduate students | To apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
To design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs
To function on multidisciplinary teams
To identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems and use techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice
To develop an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
To communicate effectively
To understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context
To recognize the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning and develop knowledge of contemporary issues | Design thinking project
Executive summary report |
|
| Forbes (2018) [34] | USA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Agribusiness, Economics, Engineering, Fisheries, History, Hydrology, Journalism, Math, Prehealth, Science, Technology, and Wildlife Biology | Second-year undergraduate students | To explain fundamental hydrologic concepts and use this knowledge to engage in scientific practices including posing and answering scientific questions
To explore hydrologic phenomena, analyzing and making inferences from data, and determining validity of conclusions
To engage effectively in principled analysis of and reasoning about sociohydrologic systems, including their scientific, ethical, social, economic, cultural, and civic dimensions, to make informed decisions about water resource use | Student discussions
Presentation of infographics to scientists, policymakers, and educators at a global conference |
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| Fortner (2016) [20] | USA, Wittenberg University, Virginia Tech, Santa Rosa Junior College | Agriculture, Ecological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geology, and some Non-Science majors | Undergraduate students | To develop a plan for sustainable soil management in one or more agricultural settings using geologic data
To predict agricultural challenges that might result from climate change | Creation of a fact sheet |
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| Fortuin (2013) [35] | NLD, Wageningen University | Economics, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technology | BSc and MSc environmental science students | To holistically develop an understanding of the environmental issues
To identify, understand, appraise, and connect disciplinary knowledge
To reflect on the role of science in solving environmental problems | Scientific report
Design thinking project
Reflection papers |
|
| Gama (2018) [36] | BRA, Federal University of Pernambuco
CAN, McGill University | Computer Science and Information Systems | Undergraduate students | To find ways to grow quality vegetables in a domestic environment
To predict and identify possible sources of fire in private rural estates | Design thinking project |
|
| Gardner (2010) [37] | USA, New York University | Social Work | Masters students | To assess the community well-being of low-income urban residents
To develop, analyze, and propose policies, programs, and services that support the needs of vulnerable community members
To promote a broader, more critical understanding of the multiple and interacting factors that negatively affect poor individuals and families in urban communities | Essays
Poster presentation |
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| Gillet (2019) [38] | USA, University of Michigan | Management and Education (multidisciplinary) | Undergraduate students | To build global competence and career readiness skills for young people in the United States and across the Middle East and North Africa (the MENA region) | Design thinking project
Video presentation of the suggested entrepreneurial solutions |
|
| Gosselin (2016) [39] | USA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The University of Utah, West Chester University, Metropolitan State University | STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and some non-STEM disciplines (interdisciplinary) | Undergraduate students | To explain water projects to nontechnical people and assess implications of technical and nontechnical water project solutions and decisions in a societal context
To develop effective communication with others to develop, judge, and recommend multiobjective solutions to water resource challenges
To think critically and analytically across disciplinary boundaries about connections between natural, social, and economic systems
To make informed decisions and ethical choices by actualizing sustainability as a system dependent on both fact and value | Papers and Essays
Design thinking project |
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| Griffin (2011) [40] | USA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Political Science | Upper-level undergraduate students | To design a solution to a political or social problem | Design thinking project
Presentations
Essays
Reflections |
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| Grose (2014) [21] | USA, Arizona State University, Bucknell University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Bucknell University, Duke University | Engineering | Undergraduate students | To design, build, and test materials that can help the developing world | Design thinking project
Essays
Presentations
Reflections |
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| Hogfeldt (2019) [41] | SWE, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
TZA, University of Dar es Salaam | Engineering | Undergraduate and graduate students | To apply design thinking methodology to address water and sanitation issues | Design thinking project
Presentations |
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| Hasan (2017) [42] | AUS, University of Wollongong | Computer Science, Green Information Systems, and Information Communication Technology | Professors, undergraduate. postgraduate students, and representatives from local businesses | To identify a problem, define the obstacles in reaching a solution, design, develop, and demonstrate a solution, and communicate findings | Design thinking project |
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| Hecht (2014) [23] | USA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab
iNDOVATION and Engineering colleges, India | Engineering | Undergraduate and graduate students, high school students, technology professors, entrepreneurs | To build and test prototypes of hardware, sensors, and mobile apps for surge population attendance in advance of Kumbh Mela Festival | Design thinking project |
|
| Heinricher (2008) [22] | USA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Aerospace Engineering, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering | First-year undergraduate students | To engage with current events, societal problems, and human needs
To engage in critical thinking, information literacy, and evidence-based writing
To develop effective teamwork, time management, organization, and personal responsibility skills | Report writing
Presentations
Group discussions
Miniprojects
“Adventure assignments” |
|
| Holzer (2016) [43] | CHE, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Université de Lausanne,
ITA, University of Ferrara | Engineering, Science, and Social Science | First-year undergraduate students | To show the links between technological solutions and societal issues
To guide future scientists and engineers to become responsible citizens, and develop critical thinking around global issues | Design thinking project
Presentation
Self-reflection
Posters |
|
| Jahan (2019) [44] | USA, Rowan University | Engineering (integrates engineering and humanities/social sciences content) | 69 first-year undergraduate students | To engage in project-based learning using a living organism
To learn about engineering fundamentals and core concepts from humanities | Design thinking project
Presentations
Classroom-based discussions |
|
| Johannes (1996) [45] | NLD, University of Technology Eindhoven | Engineering | | To emphasize interdisciplinary work and promote cooperation within a group
To acquire and apply a systematic approach to problem-solving | Design thinking project |
|
| Jonker (2019) [46] | NLD, Institute for Management Research, Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University Nijmegen | Business | Graduate students and third-year undergraduate students | To learn about sustainability concepts from a management and business perspective | Design thinking project
Learning portfolios |
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| Judge (2020) [47] | USA, Roger Williams University, University of Rhode Island, Northeastern University, GNCB Consulting Engineers, United States Naval Academy, University of Massachusetts | Architecture, Ecology. Landscape, Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences | Graduate students | To bridge the gap between research and practice regarding the design of resilient infrastructure for coastal adaptation
To develop a resilience-improving hybrid structural/social/ecological infrastructure design for a particular site | Design thinking project
Presentation |
|
| Kienzler (2017) [24] | GRB, King’s College, London
USA, George Washington University | Social Sciences | Undergraduate students | To gain and create knowledge about specific global health-related challenges
To acquire tangible and transferable skills being a part of the course
To define global health and how it might be secured
To understand the knowledge-to-action gap in different fields of global health and the strategies that aim to close it
To develop skills needed to critically evaluate initiatives and identify the role of key stakeholders in shaping them
To demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary approaches to global health
To use methodological and epistemological tools in the production of global health research | Essay
Infographic Poster
Public presentation |
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| Kim (2018) [48] | USA, Purdue University, John Hopkins University | Engineering | Undergraduate students | To develop a problem statement by identifying explicit and implicit goals, determining the constraints involved in a given problem, and considering multiple perspectives regarding the design scenario to help eliminate any perceived assumptions that unnecessarily limit the problem-solving process
To plan and manage a design project by applying a variety of project management strategies | Design thinking project
Concept map
Presentations |
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| Knudson (2011) [49] | USA, University of California | Anthropology, Chemistry, Community Development, Design, Ecology, Education, Engineering, Environmental Resources, Geography, Physics and Soil Science | Graduate students | To develop environmental leaders through a professional development mentoring program | Design thinking project
Presentations |
|
| Leon (2015) [50] | USA, Emory University | Global Health | First-year students of Master of Public Health | To integrate core public health disciplines into team-based problem-solving around authentic global health challenges | Written reports
Class discussions
Presentations |
|
| Lim (2016) [51] | AUS, Griffith University
GRB, University of Dundee | Law, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences | Graduate students | To bring together expertise from the natural and social sciences
To link priorities and preferences expressed by decision-makers with regard to issues concerning the environment, land and natural resource use, and livelihood | Design thinking project
Class presentations |
|
| Nagarajan (2019) [52] | USA, Bowling Green State University
AUS, Monash University | Chemistry | Undergraduate students | To educate students on the principles and importance of green chemistry, circular economy, recycling, and life cycle analysis | Design thinking project |
|
| Nichols (2019) [53] | USA, South Dakota State University | Agriculture, Arts, Sciences, Biological Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Human Sciences | Undergraduate students | To support interdisciplinary undergraduate research experiences | Design thinking project
Presentations |
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| Nitkin (2016) [54] | USA, Simmons College, Worcester State University | | Sophomore level | To understand the local and global social, economic, political, and cultural dynamics related to a societal challenge, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of existing responses to the problem
To develop organizational and communication skills needed to work effectively in teams
To formulate creative and actionable solutions to the challenge | Design thinking project
Presentations |
|
| Nurius (2017) [55] | USA, University of Washington, University of Texas, University of Illinois, Boston College | Social Work | Undergraduate and graduate students | To develop entrepreneurial thinking and leadership skills and practice these skills inside and outside of the classroom with diverse, interdisciplinary teams | Design thinking proposal |
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| Piens (2015) [56] | USA, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Engineering, Humanities, and Social Sciences | Undergraduate students | To develop and design a project for Haiti disaster relief addressing the housing crisis | Design thinking project |
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| Radberg (2018) [57] | SWE, Chalmers University of Technology | Civil Engineering, Energy, Environmental Studies, Maritime Engineering, Physics, and Technology Management | Masters students | To describe critical sustainability challenges, their connection with, and effect on industrial and societal actors
To reflect on the challenges of policy implementation for sustainable development
To apply a systems perspective to meet sustainability challenges and apply practical methods and tools for sustainable product development and design | Design thinking project |
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| Reichmanis (2017) [58] | USA, Georgia Institute of Technology | Biochemistry, Chemistry, Engineering, and Material Science | | To understand how chemicals can be used/integrated into products to achieve the best benefit to customers while minimizing life cycle sustainability impacts
To make decisions taking into account life cycle thinking and systems analysis | Design thinking project |
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| Richards-Kortum (2012) [59] | USA, Rice University | Engineering | Undergraduate students | To use the engineering design process to develop innovative technologies addressing global health challenges | Design thinking project
Presentations |
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| Rodríguez (2019) [60] | USA, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, University of California, North Carolina State University, University of Minnesota, Northern Arizona University, University of Louisiana, Johns Hopkins University | Biological Sciences, Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences | Graduate students | To ask transdisciplinary questions across disciplinary boundaries to build on existing sources of knowledge and to understand and design innovative solutions | Design thinking project |
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| Sienko (2013) [61] | USA, University of Michigan, Humboldt State University | Engineering | Fifteen students from Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and the School of Information | To focus on technologies that are designed to prevent, diagnose, or treat the top ten leading causes of death in low-income and middle-income countries, as well as maternal and infant health | Group report
Class discussions |
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| Tandon (2017) [25] | USA, California State University | Engineering and Science | Undergraduate and graduate students | To promote engineering education in the context of mosquito-borne illnesses, a relevant real-world problems | Design thinking project
Presentations |
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| Telenko (2016) [62] | USA, Georgia Institute of Technology
SGP, Singapore University of Technology and Design
LUX, Université du Luxembourg
USA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Engineering | | To understand the engineering subject fundamentals
To reflect, observe and hypothesize, and assess contexts, opportunities, and needs
To ideate and abstract using multiple representations
To make decisions for open-ended, design problems and creatively utilise resources within a complex system | Design thinking project |
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| Trowbridge (2018) [63] | USA, Arizona State University | Engineering | First-year engineering students | To develop talent, multidisciplinary, viable business/entrepreneurship, multicultural, and social consciousness competencies needed to solve global challenges | Design thinking project
Digital portfolios
Reflection |
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| Udugama (2018) [64] | DNK, Technical University of Denmark Universitetsparken, University of Copenhagen
GRB, Newcastle University | Biotechnology | Postgraduate students | To learn cutting edge, industrially relevant knowledge about industrial scale bio-based production processes
To build relevant soft skills
To facilitate working in a multicultural and multidisciplinary group | Design thinking project |
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| White (2018) [65] | USA, no specific institution listed | Engineering | Mechanical Engineering doctoral candidate, along with 15 new university first-year students | To explore how engineering solutions can be used to support the basic human needs of the world’s population
To understand how engineering solutions are impacted by the surrounding economic, environmental, and societal context
To explore how engineering solutions may impact global society and how culture and political philosophies impact the appropriateness and sustainability of engineering solutions
To explore the influence of a given culture on the engineering solutions used in that culture
To design and implement engineering solutions addressing the needs, both from a practical and cultural perspective, of a range of communities including those that are currently disadvantaged | Service learning
Reflections
Discussions |
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| White (2017) [66] | USA, University of New Hampshire, University of Arizona, University of Dubuque University of Nebraska, University of California | Geosciences | Undergraduate students | To introduce the interdisciplinary science needed to understand the Critical Zone (CZ) of earth
To examine geosciences-related grand challenges facing society, especially soil and ecosystem services
To address interdisciplinary problems by using data visualization and analysis skills with authentic data
To incorporate systems thinking by employing examples and activities that demonstrate the connection between water, air, soil, and organisms in biogeochemical processes | In-class discussions
Presentations
Essay and report writing |
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| White (2014) [67] | USA, Worcester State University, Simmons College | Communications, Lab Science, Liberal Arts, Library Science, Mathematics, Management, Nursing, Nutrition, Science, Social Work, and Sociology | Undergraduate students | To acquire a working knowledge of the global social problem, including an understanding of local and global social, economic, political, and cultural dynamics and existing responses
To develop the practical organizational, technical, research, and communication skills to work effectively and efficiently in teams
To formulate creative and actionable solutions to address the global social problem | Design thinking project |
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| Wilson (2019) [68] | USA, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, Colorado State University School of Social Work | Business, Computer Science, Education, Engineering, International Studies, Psychology, and Social Work | Interdisciplinary team of faculty, graduate students, and community member | To encourage students and community members to come together to brainstorm to develop innovative solutions to address homelessness | Design thinking project
Presentations |
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| Wobbe (2010) [69] | USA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Engineering and Technology | First-year students | To develop information literacy, effective writing, and speaking skills, while working in teams | Design thinking project |
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| Wyrick (2016) [70] | USA, West Virginia University, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources | Civil Engineering | | To develop a sense of how to identify and act on opportunity
To develop a multicultural and international perspective to comprehend the impact of working with people and society | Design thinking project |
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| Zou (2015) [12] | Hong Kong, China, Center for Engineering Education Innovation, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Engineering | Freshmen from all backgrounds | To apply an integrated learning approach to learn about energy
To enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills
To introduce a multidisciplinary view to understand energy and its sensible usage
To introduce the relationship between energy and society
To tackle the complexity of energy through multiple disciplines including basic sciences, social sciences, economics, and technology | Design thinking project |
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| Zuin (2019) [71] | BRA, Federal University of Sao Carlos
GBR, University of York | Chemical Engineering | First-year undergraduate students | To develop a way to extract valuable products from orange waste using chemistry concepts and methods | Design thinking project |
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