Abstract

Is it truly feasible for a design curriculum to provide the wide range of instruction needed to fully prepare a student to lead the next generation of innovation? Do design-centric projects fully promote a mindset of innovation that is flexible enough to adjust to future shifts in the discipline or an individual’s career? Is pairing another degree with design really the only answer to extending the knowledge-base required for future innovators? Perhaps we should begin to view and compose undergraduate design programs as a palette of different collaboration types, levels, and exposures that give students a more holistic and outward understanding of the broad impact of design. By coordinating distinct types of collaboration (process-based, project-based, and instruction-based) while balancing both internal and external experiences, students and faculty can reap the gains of learning through, and with, other disciplines and organizations as an alternative to further extending curriculum requirements or establishing dual degree systems. This paper will examine and illustrate recent examples of how an industrial design program can integrate a diverse set of collaboration frameworks into a curriculum to grow a culture of innovation among both its faculty and students.