Abstract

This paper will address the need for interdisciplinary design-driven studio education to spread awareness of electronic waste to students. Students need to learn and understand the importance of recycling and the reuse of electronic waste. They also need to be taught not to mix electronic waste with other regular waste that will end up in a landfill without proper treatment. If not treated properly, electronic waste will contaminate the soil and the water, resulting in harmful chemicals being released into the environment and causing health issues. We can educate students with a design-driven studio, where creativity is a mode of various solution generators. We can use design education to solve problems; compile, combine, and generate ideas; and evaluate them. The primary aim is not only teaching about electronic waste but also “doing,” by reusing electronic waste and thereby developing the behavior of reusing the electronic waste components. A few institutions have been educating students on this practical-oriented approach and concentrating on how to reuse electronic waste. Unfortunately, these courses specifically concentrate on students with engineering backgrounds, and a gap needs to be filled to address students from all backgrounds. This paper will compile the research of the existing courses on electronic waste and concentrate on how an interdisciplinary design course can benefit students. Additionally, it addresses the need for different departments to collaborate to build courses for students from diverse backgrounds. This way, the awareness of electronic waste will be widespread and can be built into a habit in students’ everyday lives.