The integration of Design Thinking/Design based learning/STEAM into secondary education has impacted the understanding of the role of design as a field. These effects show up in multiple ways; first through students’ confusion around the relationships between STEM and design disciplines, second the role of design education within academic curriculum development, or policy issues, and lastly, the impact of an ill-defined inter/cross disciplinary interaction has resulted in potential funding gaps for the arts vs the sciences.

This study examines the trajectory of design thinking and its use in secondary STEM education, revealing that while design thinking enhances student engagement and experiential learning, its inconsistent application across traditional engineering programs can result in frustration and attrition for students. Rather than advocating for further disciplinary silos, this paper promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasizing the need for equitable recognition of all fields within research and education. Design, as a discipline, plays a critical role in shaping our world and must be valued accordingly.

The author advocates for design educators to serve as stewards in creating interdisciplinary pedagogies that respect disciplinary histories and embrace diverse forms of knowledge, fostering problem-solving skills for the future.