Abstract
When the world is becoming more globalized and multicultural, does design education empower the future generation of designers to engage in multicultural environments? While conversations around diversity and inclusion have become more common, what tools and practices are utilized to support these discussions? This research focuses on the questions above through the creation of a pedagogical prototype tool to examine cultural dimensions present in the design studio to support more culturally sensitive environments. Culture is integral to interaction as it influences ways of thinking and organizing, values and beliefs, communication styles, sense of self, roles, and expectations and motivations for learning. Often, the values, attitudes, and priorities of leaders and mentors are modeled and/or perpetuated among community members often without recognizing the implications. This paper shares a didactic tool designed for faculty, students, and designers to examine, evaluate, and discuss the values that influence how people work, think, and engage in diverse social, cultural, and professional situations. It adapts the cultural dimensions of learning framework (CDLF) developed by Parrish and Linder-Van Berschot for the studio. It builds upon the research of Hofstede, Nisbett and Lewis and implements a survey for examining issues such as leadership balance, atmosphere of support, independent and group dynamic, structure and uncertainty, communication and rationale, systems and situations, time, and motivation. This pedagogical tool allows users to gain iterative feedback and insight into the cultural dimensions at play in the studio to advance levels of cultural consciousness in the design curriculum.
Presenters
Marianne HolbertTeaching Professor, Environmental Design, University of Colorado, Colorado, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design Education, Cultural Dimensions of Learning, Design Studio, Multicultural Learning
