8/29/2020 GTU Open Design School | Concept Note

GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Centre for Industrial Design (Open Design School)

Home About Us Registra on Examina on Blog Academics Login Contact Us

Concept Note

Today, India stands at the threshold of dynamic economic growth. India is the seventh largest economy in the world with a
steady growth in its GDP. India has a rich social, cultural and environmental diversity. But it missed the industrial revolu on;
and its growth rates from 1947 to 1990 were insufficient to sa sfy its needs. By opening up the controls on economic
ac vity, the growth rate picked up a er the nine es. Everyone agrees that if growth is to be sustainable, it requires
innova on in all areas of the innova on ecosystem by providing skill sets to NextGen: innova on in products, produc on
systems, service systems, businesses and policy. In year 2015-16, Government of India has designed programs such as
“Make in India”, “Start-up India, Stand-up India” and “Skill India”, which can become pla orms for suppor ng innova ons.

Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has started the process of bringing excitement of learning into the laboratories,
classrooms and workshops from its founda on in 2007 focusing on Prac cal Based Learning (PBL). Besides other ini a ves,
one strand in the process is to imbue the whole of the learning process, during the undergraduate studies, with design
orienta on. On 2nd February, 2013 (The first cohort of 4-year degree engineering students graduated out in May 2012.),
GTU started the process of upda ng its syllabi. It was decided to develop a design-based learning system, so GTU has
introduced a very new, innova ve - Design Engineering subject in 3rd semester. It is a first of its kind ini a on in the Indian
Educa on system and it is based on “Design Thinking” methodologies which is developed and used by engineers &
designers all over the globe. One of the key objec ves of this ini a ve is to infuse the methodology of Design Thinking into
the mind-set of the students and the Faculty Members so that it is used in the study of all the core subjects of every
branch. Other main objec ves include; To s mulate thought process and crea vity among the students, To learn problem-
solving techniques, To lessen the copy-pas ng in the Project work etc. A strong Design Spine of Design Engineering has
been included in the syllabi from 3rd to 6th semester from AY 2014-15. At GTU, the processes of designing the project at
the final year and of the spine of Design Engineering of degree engineering programs have been synchronized in the
interest of seamless progression of prac cal learning and skill development.

Recently many large Indian industries and organiza ons working in the areas of manufacturing, ICT, Logis cs and Public
systems have strongly advocated that design thinking and allied tools add value to the kind of HR that they need to run
21st century enterprises, which face global compe on and which need con nuous innova on. GTU while developing its
academic program has taken into account these needs and has blended the design spine in the program in such a manner
that it becomes a win-win situa on for both academia and industry.

© Gujarat Technological University. All Rights Reserved.

de.gtu.ac.in/Account/ConceptNote 1/1