Abstract

Field trips have been documented as effective tools for learning in fields like sociology and anthropology at the undergraduate level. Much has been written about the importance of field trips and experiential learning in education, especially from kindergarten through high school. In interior design, field trips involve experience with products in the industry. The question guiding this study was “What are the perceptions of students about field trips as a pedagogical tool in the teaching and learning of interior design materials?” Students in a Materials of Interior Design class completed a questionnaire after each field trip that was part of the course curriculum. The questionnaire asked students about their experience with different aspects of the field trip and their impact on learning. Sixty-one students from three semesters of the course responded to the questionnaire for a total of 334 responses about nine different field trips. Almost all students (97.3%) deemed the field trip as necessary and agreed that course information should not be explained only in class. A majority of students preferred to have the information clarified in class after the field trip. Students placed high value on the learning experience and appreciated opportunities to ask questions. However, even after the field trips students were not highly confident about their material selection and communication ability. Discussion of these results and implications for design pedagogy is presented.