Pedagogical Pursuits (Asynchronous Session)
Tech Packs: Communication from Afar View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Melinda K Adams, Lori Wahl
The original idea began with developing a project to provide students with a more realistic production experience. This project incorporates Technical Line Development at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, and the Computer-Aided Pattern Drafting at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. To provide both groups of students with similar experiences, students at both universities create patterns for the exchange. Tech pack development is part of many technical design courses, but rarely do students have the opportunity to test the effectiveness of their pattern making and spec writing skills. Leveraging experiential learning methods (Kolb, 1984), this project has evolved to have students from the Computer-Aided Pattern Drafting course and students in the Technical Line Development class create patterns and tech packs. These are then swapped between the universities for prototype construction based only upon the information provided. Students were not allowed to contact one another as to simulate the process of a company sending their tech packs to a factory.
Blending Graphic Design: Pedagogical Approaches View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Katarzyna Chmela-Jones, Reshma Maharajh
Graphic design program facilitators are encouraged to include blended learning components as an integral part of the curriculum to align with developing University approaches and create meaningful learning experiences for students. Traditionally the major subjects in a graphic design program rely heavily on practical instruction which is underpinned by a theoretical foundation. Blended learning modalities offer opportunities for collaboration and which are highly valued in a graphic design course as they are perceived as a reflection of design professional practice. Additionally consistent online availability of lecture notes, presentations, podcasts, instructional videos, and self-learning activities have been shown to improve students’ performance in a number of fields. However, due to the emergent, creative, and praxis driven nature of the design process, the incorporation of blended learning into a practice-led program such as graphic design is challenging. Blending a program limits the presence of the subject expert to guide the critical reflection-on-action process that manifests in earlier knowledge and design skill acquisition. This paper explores identified limitations and proposes solutions to integrating blended learning in a graphic design program at a historically disadvantaged University of Technology in South Africa.
Toward a Design-centered Pedagogy for Teaching Code
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Brian James
Since the advent of digital computation, the language of computer code has transformed almost all aspects of our lives, including education and design. As a myriad of accessible tools and languages have emerged in recent years, the practice of coding has become increasingly widespread in a variety of disciplines, including art and design. Design programs across the globe feature some degree of code instruction as a valuable, perhaps even essential, element of design education for the twenty-first century. Despite coding’s emerging importance in design education, however, research on code pedagogy appears predominantly in the context of its disciplinary origins in computer science or engineering; there is a dearth of research in design, which has a unique set of disciplinary interests, needs, and challenges relating to technology. Without a coherent approach to inform the integration of code into a design program, educators are left to grapple with this difficult yet vital challenge in isolation. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a well-articulated framework for teaching computer coding in design curricula. As a step toward that long-term endeavor, this paper reviews the notion of “signature pedagogies” described by Lee S. Shulman, along with research on the signature pedagogy of design, juxtaposing it with coding pedagogies in STEM subjects. Areas of pedagogical compatibility between the two domains will be hypothesized as a starting point for a teaching framework. Finally, it suggests future research necessary to test those hypotheses and construct a robust, design-centered pedagogy for teaching code.
The Design Mind Set View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Claudia Scaff
Attention-deficit disorder, anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity are common examples of disorders found in college campuses. Mental health issues in higher education nationwide have become so overwhelming that many counseling centers have increased the number of professionals to attend the new demands. Is there a particular major most represented? Are our art and design students the most frequent patients? Should we be alarmed? In 2016, research done on 64,519 graduate and undergraduate students at 81 colleges in the United States conducted by psychologists at University of Michigan showed that more than 45 percent of Art and Design students had the highest occurrence of mental health problems. A substantial number of studies validates the findings that art and design students are at greater risk of mental illness. In 2003, in a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that “the brains of creative people appear to be far more open to incoming stimuli than those of the noncreative…their extreme responsiveness to all situations makes them prone to anxiety and depression in the face of a distressing situation. ” In order to prevent distress in the classroom and create a more dynamic learning environment, we should explore different ways of teaching design. Introducing engaging teaching methods, restructuring classroom time, and using experiential learning assignments may help our students mentally and professionally. This paper examines traditional methods of assignments, critiques and class environment and proposes alternative approaches that encourage creativity in a nurturing environment.
How Will I Thrive?: Developing Designer Professional Identity Among Undergraduate Communication Design Students View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Denise Bosler
Research shows that communication design programs in higher education settings historically encourage design skills, a.k.a. the tech savvy designer, over personal attributes. This approach creates design students with excellent computer skills but who are identity deprived. When design students’ identity is underdeveloped, when students don’t know what it is to holistically become a designer, it becomes a barrier to successfully transitioning from student to professional. Research shows that it is crucial for students to not only benefit from learning what it means to act and perform as a professional but also what it means to become one. To better prepare them for the industry and respond to design-based challenges, it’s important for higher education design programs to help students discover their designer professional identity (DPI). With these implications, design educators would be wise to incorporate DPI development into their classrooms. Providing students with authentic experiences, real-world challenges, reflection opportunities and extra-curricular activities begin to help students become a designer. In this study, Design-Based Research (DBR) provides the methodological framework to specifically explore the role of reflective practices in discovering how communication design students’ professional identities are developed through design curriculum.
