Design-centric Interdisciplinary Creative Problem Solving
(ICPS-D)
Empowering teachers to design future-ready, interdisciplinary learning.
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What Is ICPS-D?
ICPS-D (Design-centric Interdisciplinary Creative Problem-Solving) is a SUTD–NIE collaborative research and professional learning initiative that helps teachers design and facilitate interdisciplinary, human-centred learning. Grounded in SUTD’s Design Innovation (DI) framework and aligned with MOE’s 21st Century Competencies (21CC), ICPS-D supports educators to plan richer, design-led classroom experiences. Through workshops, tools, and AI-enhanced supports, we work with schools to build teachers’ design mindsets and confidence in interdisciplinary facilitation.
Why Interdisciplinary Design Thinking Matters
Contemporary education increasingly expects students to tackle “wicked problems” that are ill-structured, value-laden, and interdisciplinary. Yet, much teacher professional development is still organised by subject, focusing on content delivery rather than creative facilitation or design-led inquiry.
ICPS-D responds to this gap by positioning design, as a way of thinking, doing, and relating, as a core capability for teachers. By integrating design thinking with MOE’s 21CC. ICPS-D supports teachers to design learning experiences where students collaborate, empathise with stakeholders, and test ideas in real-world contexts.
The ICPS-D Framework
The ICPS-D framework brings together Design Innovation (DI), pedagogy, and assessment, mapped explicitly to 21CC, and key design mindsets from design education research. It treats design content knowledge and design pedagogical knowledge as interdependent, teachers learn both how designers work and how to facilitate design learning with students.
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Design Innovation
Teachers experience the full Design Innovation process:
- Discover – Understand users and contexts through empathy and field exploration.
- Define – Reframe problems, crystallise insights, and identify opportunities.
- Develop – Ideate, sketch, model, and explore multiple concepts.
- Deliver – Prototype, test, gather feedback, and refine solutions.
Design Pedagogy
Teachers explore how to:
- Integrate DI phases into existing syllabi and programmes (e.g. GI, applied learning projects).
- Facilitate student collaboration and inquiry across disciplines.
- Use method cards, templates, and tools to scaffold student design processes.
- Design assessments that foreground process, reflection, and real-world impact.
ICPS-D Mission
We strengthen teacher capacities to:
- Apply design innovation in authentic classroom contexts.
- Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration across STEM, humanities, and the arts.
- Nurture design mindsets such as empathy, experimentation, teamwork, and critical questioning.
- Leverage AI responsibly to support planning, feedback, and creative learning.
- Align teaching practices with Singapore’s. 21CC and MOE competency frameworks