BOARD #126: The Accidental Design Teacher: Educating Without a Formal Design Education

This research examines the implementation of design thinking within UK undergraduate engineering programs, analysing integration patterns and key challenges. A systematic review of 61 engineering institutions reveals significant disparities in design education implementation across engineering curricula. Only 8 institutions were found to directly introduce design-related courses within their engineering curricula, and a wide disparity exists in how design is embedded across different fields. Upon further examination, the study identified significant variations in the educational backgrounds of the educators responsible for teaching design. Semi-structured interviews with seven engineering educators identify six primary challenges: educator identity reconstruction, inadequate training opportunities, student resistance to design thinking principles, resource constraints, industry collaboration barriers, and assessment complexities. The findings highlight how these challenges interact and compound each other, particularly in how resource limitations affect both teaching quality and industry engagement. The findings suggest that the inconsistent integration of design into engineering programs poses significant challenges for developing well-rounded engineers. This study contributes to understanding design thinking implementation in engineering education and suggests the need for systematic changes in curriculum development, educator support, and resource allocation to better prepare engineers for complex, interdisciplinary problems.