Effect of education based on creative problem-solving and asynchronous online discussions on student creativity in a product design course

Research in education has employed creative problem-solving (CPS) methodologies to enhance students’ learning efficacy. However, the majority of studies have focused on the effect of CPS on individual creativity. Few studies have examined the effects of CPS on teamwork and creativity. This study adopted CPS in a product design course, incorporating teamwork facilitated by an asynchronous online discussion platform. This platform fostered student engagement and iteration in knowledge construction through collaborative discussion. Additionally, experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The study recruited 61 university students divided into two groups. One group underwent CPS-based instruction, which involved knowledge construction, utilization of the asynchronous online discussion platform, and CPS guidance. The second group received conventional instruction, where students were tasked with solving problems set by lecturers. The 14-week experiment revealed that CPS effectively enhanced students’ creativity, fostering increased discussion and reflection. Moreover, CPS encouraged students to engage in deeper thinking processes through teamwork, resulting in the development of more optimal product designs.