17 The Integration of Design Thinking and Engineering Practices in Cultivating Cross-Disciplinary Innovation Competencies Among Pre-service Educators

Abstract

Traditional academic departments often limit innovation in education. They create a gap between knowledge and real-world problem solving. This study focuses on helping future teachers develop skills across different subjects. Specifically, it looks at combining design thinking and engineering with science teaching. We suggest a new teaching method that uses computer models and repeated testing to connect these areas. This method is different from traditional ways that add subjects separately. We used both number-based data and written feedback to evaluate the process. The results show this method helps future teachers build better lesson plans. They improve in asking deeper scientific questions and designing better engineering solutions. Our findings show that using computers and a structured way to combine design and engineering teaches teachers to work across subjects. This approach can be expanded to other teacher training programs. It helps future teachers prepare for a world with many connected problems. It also aims to create students who are knowledgeable in science and good at solving new problems.