• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.124-140
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• 2024

This study aims to design and implement a co-curricular program that integrates an advanced academic course with design thinking and maker education. The goal is to analyze the program's effectiveness and enhance learners' academic achievement. By incorporating digital fashion technology and modular maker activities, the program seeks to strengthen learners' creative problem-solving skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication abilities. The research methods included a review of prior studies, the establishment of a modular maker education environment, group discussions, learner interactions, instructor guidance, and satisfaction surveys. The program ran from the second semester of 2021 to the second semester of 2023, focusing on integrating co-curricular activities with academic coursework. It involved problem presentation, data investigation, discussions, modular maker practices, contest presentations, online activity sharing, and feedback sessions. The findings indicate that the program successfully fostered an organic learning environment and supported a learner-centered problem-solving process. Instructors provided guidance and coaching, which contributed to enhancing learners' core competencies and academic performance. The effectiveness of the program was assessed through lecture evaluations, satisfaction surveys, and expert consultations conducted over the past three years. In conclusion, the creative and flexible implementation of the design thinking-based modular maker education program effectively meets learners' diverse needs and offers various learning opportunities. It promotes communication and collaboration grounded in core knowledge, establishes an individualized education environment tailored to each student's characteristics, and aims to enhance students' creative problem-solving skills, critical thinking, collaboration skills, and overall competencies.