Design and Technology Education (LJMU)
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Interaction with end-users in design and technology education: a systematic review
Full text linkThis paper is a systematic literature review of works focused on user-centred design practices and their potential application in pedagogical contexts in design and technology (D&T) education. It is a response to the increasingly complex demand of allowing students to develop so-called 21st-century skills within a D&T curriculum, which is often constrained by time, resources, and policy restrictions. This review highlights a range of studies that have been completed in various countries and phases of education, which enabled students to develop empathy with end-users whilst designing specifically for (and in some cases with) them. A Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model was used to extract works published concerning established inclusion criteria. The articles were analysed according to their relation to user-centred design in a formal education setting and categorised based on the focus of each study. NVIVO was used to code the included literature to establish themes and to support analysis. The literature highlights many advantages to students in engaging in user-centred practices, both contributing towards improved design outcomes as well as improved social and emotional skills. It presents a need to further explore user-centred design methodologies in schools, feasibly through the lens of 21st-century skill development
Book review Debates in Design and Technology Education (2nd Edition), Hardy, A. (ed) (2022)
Full text linkThis second edition of Debates in Design and Technology Education is situated within the somewhat precarious position that design and technology currently (still) holds in schools in the UK, and we are reminded of this context at a number of points through the book. At the same time, as stated by Alison Hardy in the introduction, it is also an acknowledgement of the new generation of research emerging within the subject, and as such is presented in part as a renewal or reframing. Much has happened, politically, socially, environmentally and technologically, since the first edition of Debates was published in 2013, and this second edition is a clear reflection of the related developments, though also at times the lack of development, in design and technology education. This volume presents debates around the subject in three distinct sections: political and international debates, the nature and perceptions of the subject, and classroom teaching, which provide the framing for the review that follows
Developing spatial literacy through design of built environments: Art and crafts teachers’ strategies
Full text linkDesigning built environments demands the ability to make translations between your visions, visual representations of these, and the full-scale environment that is to be built. Pupils working on architectural tasks face these challenges of translation. How can the teacher come to their aid? Research on teaching strategies for the architectural studio has sought to articulate the entire design process, something that leads to overarching strategies but less hands-on, detailed descriptions. This article offers greater in-depth insight into the strategies teachers use to enhance pupils’ spatial literacy. In semi-structured interviews, six lower secondary school Art and crafts teachers described their teaching practice related to architectural tasks. From the teachers’ detailed moves, we have identified five teaching strategies and placed them in a visual model that demonstrates what role they may play in aiding pupils in the process of designing built environments. By articulating these strategies, we hope to contribute to the development of the vocabulary used in and about teaching design and architecture
Enkindling “gestaltic” stimulation of knowledge encounters through perspectives in practice: Affordances of design-based concept learning: A review of Ineke Henze & Marc J de Vries (Eds.) (2021). Design-Based Concept Learning in Science and Technology Education, Brill/Sense Publishers, The Netherlands.
Full text linkCreating new 3D forms in collaborative product design
Full text linkIn collaborative design settings, designers communicate and explicate their ideas visually and verbally in order to reach a shared understanding. The verbal exchanges of group members engaged in a joint design task provide rich data regarding the design activities being undertaken by the group members. In addition, sketching and modelling are recognized as essential for designers to examine and produce design ideas at the very beginning of the design process. This exploratory case study focuses on collaborative design activities and problem–solution co-evolution among the various design disciplines that students engage in during their product design processes. Nine students from three design disciplines (interior design, product design, and graphic design) participated in a workshop providing knowledge about 3D modelling, following which they undertook a re-design task to develop a new 3D form of a detergent bottle. The research data consisted of video recordings and sketches, and the analysis focused on the progress of the design processes and the differences between the groups. The results highlight that the creation of new 3D forms was based on intensive reformulation activities such as setting new problem expressions or modifying existing ones. This kind of re-design task, which presented constraints in terms of developing a new 3D form within the prescribed requirements, served as a good exercise through which to practice co-evolution because it drove the design activities towards a balance of transitions in the problem and solution spaces
Audio feedback in distance design education
Full text linkThis paper reports on the use of feedback as part of a tuition strategy applied in a distance design course at The Open University in the United Kingdom. A blended feedback model (audio and summary text) was compared to the existing written-only feedback model in terms of student attainment, use, and perception. Comparison of feedback models confirms findings in the literature around the affective and interpersonal qualities of audio feedback, primarily in developing the relationship between student and tutor in a distance design education setting. The blended model demonstrated no major differences in student assessment outcome but differences in student activity and approach to feedback were observed, specifically that students engage in a series of extended and unexpected feedback opportunities beyond simple models of feedback normally assumed. It is proposed that a blended model, as part of a suite of approaches in a learning design, is more effective than either written or audio alone, allowing far richer student-tutor interactions and outcomes in distance settings
Mapping current research and future directions of Design Literacy with systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR)
Full text linkDesign literacy is an emerging research field that is gaining attention among scholars today. Credit goes to the growing acceptance of design thinking in various disciplines beyond design. Design literacy develops natural abilities in everyone to solve real-world, wicked problems by supporting the cognitive development of concrete (making things) and iconic (making meanings) modes of cognition. The author argues for embedding design literacy in every educational level, particularly across disciplines in higher education. To gain insight into the state of scholarly discourse around design literacy in educational contexts, a systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) was conducted using 12 databases to map its research direction and define its characteristics. The SQLR revealed several findings. First, the foundations of design literacy are grounded in general education and design education. Second, publications were meagre but well represented by the secondary and higher education level. Finally, two thematic directions were observed - design literacy for making things is the situated practice in secondary education while design literacy for making meanings is for higher education. This SQLR serves as a benchmark review and a starting point to initiate scholarly discourse on design literacy as it aims to contribute to the advancement of research in the field
Gendered Pathways in Design Education: Findings from a Public University in India
Full text linkThe substantive aims of education include equitable learning, which stands for equitable gender access to preferred learning and choice within. These substantive aims can be furthered by pursuing certified vocational courses that equalize the presence of males and females in the job market through competitive skill sets. Design education in India was imagined as a composite field encompassing both technical studies and social sciences, and it was concentrated in metropolitan cities and technical institutions. It has now slowly spread to newer cities and more disciplinarily diverse institutions. Our research posits that the current unstructured growth of design education leads to a lack of emphasis on substantive outcomes. Rather, there is a focus on education for the sake of acquiring a certified competitive skill. We further analyze the distinction that has emerged between \u27industrial\u27 and \u27communication\u27 domains within design. This distinction is visible in the twinning of industrial design with engineering and architecture, while communication design is seen closer to fine arts and aesthetics as a stream not requiring technical expertise. This perception has precipitated a trend of gendered pathways in design education. This study used an exploratory approach to analyze five years of admissions data from the design department of a public university in a Tier 2 town in India, followed by semi-structured interviews with students and alumni. We found evidence to support the thesis of gendered pathways, attributed to factors like conventions of society, perceived safety, learning styles, curricular expenditure, and course briefs
From a teacher student’s view – how STEM-actors have impact on teacher education and teaching in STEM
Full text linkIn this study, Swedish STEM-teacher students\u27 experiences of STEM-actors are explored. 85 teacher students have visited each, of a total of 21 different STEM-actors (science centres, museums etc.) who all offer school classes STEM-activities but also in-service teacher education. The teacher students were given the task of observing, interviewing and analysing. The teacher students\u27 report texts constitute data that has been analysed thematically.
The teacher students face a preconceived view that more individuals are needed for a career in technology and science (T&S). The teacher students describe how the STEM-actors clarify views and knowledge required for the future: that self-confidence in technology is required, new innovators are needed, that girls can choose STEM careers, curiosity and creativity are important, etc. In their analyses, the teacher students seem to share the same views. The teacher students seem to get the impression that the school education itself is not able to make that possible. The teacher students seem to take for granted that the starting point for pupils is that T&S are boring and uninteresting, and it is necessary to present the subjects fun and exciting. Teacher students describe the importance for pupils to meet the STEM-actors\u27 environments. In the teacher students\u27 statements, no disputing attitude towards the STEM-actors emerge. It seems that a preconceived approach is being developed among the teacher students that the school system needs external STEM-actors for both further education and teaching in T&S, an approach evoked by STEM-actors
Landing your first job in Creative Technologies: Soft skills as Core skills
Full text linkRecent university graduates face an ever-changing professional landscape where it can be challenging to find jobs that lead to successful careers. This is particularly the case for emergent professions such as Creative Technologies, given the changing nature of technology and the value as well as the challenges of working across traditional disciplines. This paper presents a research project that seeks to help fresh creative technologists get better work opportunities in a changing landscape. Students, alumni, and industry experts were interviewed to identify current perceptions and practices, opportunities and challenges, and to generate insights that inform the design of future solutions. Three themes were identified from these interviews: unexplored existing opportunities, a demand for employability skills, and the need for better student-industry interactions. The first refers to opportunities that may already be available but lack sufficient recognition or need more visibility. The second points to the need of an ongoing dialogue between academia and industry to identify the changing landscape of skills in demand. The third highlights the need for creative collaborations across sectors and actors to increase the interaction between students and potential employers. The insights from this study inform the aspects that need to be addressed to design solutions that help Creative Technologies graduates start their careers in the right directions. The research raises new questions about why and how universities in the future can engage stakeholders to make the most of existing untapped opportunities and restructure processes to align with changing demands in industry
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Design and Technology Education (LJMU)BLResearchDay (LJMU)Journal of Living Labs (LJMU)Journal of Natural Products Discovery (L...Journal of Social Media for Learning (LJ...Student Law Journal (LJMU)PRISM (LJMU)Public Health Institute Journal (LJMU)SPARK (LJMU)Student Experience Proceedings (LJMU)Transformation in Education (LJMU)Innovations in Practice (LJMU)Links to Health and Social Care (LJMU)Access Repository Dashboard
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