Learning Loss or Lasting Knowledge? Exploring the Application of Design Thinking Among University Students at a South African University

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-714-4_20How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Undergraduate students; learning loss; entrepreneurship; innovation

Abstract

There is a significant emphasis on entrepreneurship in South Africa’s National Development Plan, Vision 2030, which aims to improve regulatory reform and support to boost mass entrepreneurship. This initiative is intended to address the high youth unemployment rate of over 65%. Universities are also tasked with championing this course by training and supporting future entrepreneurs. This study investigates a selected South African university that adopted the Design Thinking (DT) teaching methodology to introduce innovative and creative thinking, which are essential components for entrepreneurship. First-year students at Durban University of Technology (DUT) in a Management Department undergo DT training, but it is not sustained in their second to fourth years of study. Consequently, the long-term impact of this shortcoming on students remains uncertain. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, with a selected sample of 12 third-year students who were conveniently sampled. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed using thematic analysis. Results of the study indicate a significant learning loss among participants. The key themes that emerged include: Business Development and Procedural People-Centric Approach, Lack of Recollection and non-Application of Concepts, Insufficient Training Initially Received, and No Further and Follow-up Trainings Received. These findings suggest that the participants may not have had sufficient opportunities to reinforce their understanding of DT principles, primarily due to lack of ongoing training. This points to the potential need for incorporating regular semester projects that focus on applying DT concepts, which could enhance students’ ability to retain and effectively utilize these principles.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Luther-King Junior Zogli
AU  - Siyabonga Khumalo
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/05/05
TI  - Learning Loss or Lasting Knowledge? Exploring the Application of Design Thinking Among University Students at a South African University
BT  - Proceedings of Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Equity and Digital Strategies (SEEDS 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 354
EP  - 367
SN  - 2667-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-714-4_20
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-714-4_20
ID  - Zogli2025
ER  -