Design and Technology Education (LJMU)
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Making the design process in design education explicit: two exploratory case studies
Get PDFThe aim of design education is that students learn to think and act like designers. However, the focus in the design studio is mainly on the design product, whereas the ‘why and how’ of the design process are barely addressed. A risk of learning by performing real-life tasks without addressing the skills involved, that is, without receiving appropriate support and guidance, is that learners are overwhelmed by the complexity of the tasks. To make the design process explicit, a conceptual framework is developed in earlier research. This paper reports a first evaluation how articulation of basic designerly1 skills with the help of a conceptual tool is perceived by students and teachers and whether it changes students’ conceptions of the design process and their self-efficacy. In two exploratory case studies, questionnaires give insight. The first is a short intervention in which student’s perception is measured. In the second case study the design process was addressed in the design studio. It measured changes in student’s conceptions and self-efficacy. Also, insight is provided in teacher’s perception of working with the framework. The results of these exploratory studies indicate a positive effect. The teachers involved perceived the framework as a structuring factor during the tutoring sessions, for both teacher and students. Students did perceive explanation of the design process as being helpful. A change in students’ design conceptions and an increase in self-efficacy is seen
Critical Thinking in Problem Exploration in Design and Technology Design Project
Get PDFThe current study aimed to identify and clarify students’ critical thinking processes in problem exploration. The current study will adopt the definitions of critical thinking conceptualized by Paul and Elder and, at the same time, attempt to apply the concept of elements of reasoning and intellectual standards to achieve the objectives of this study. By using questions to deconstruct the elements of reasoning when exploring problems, the intellectual standards for reasoning in problem exploration can be articulated. Using a qualitative approach to conduct a collective case study, 15 design journals completed by students in the upper secondary Express course in Singa Secondary School are used as objects of study. The primary source of data is collected via the documentations in the design journals. Using intellectual standards for reasoning in problem exploration to interpret the documentations in the design journals, students’ quality of reasoning can be observed and consolidated. Based on the findings, the following conclusion can be presented. Firstly, to achieve depth, accuracy and unbiased understanding of the problem, students need to research on information and data from different sources to triangulate the problem. Secondly, it is necessary for students to acquire necessary background knowledge in order to conceptualize problems accurate and clearly. Thirdly, the development of intellectual standards for reasoning relevant to the design process in D&T may be a potentially useful strategy for teachers to explicitly develop critical thinking skills in D&T
Framing craft and performance in hybrid puppetry workshops
Get PDFPrototyping Puppets combines craft and performance in a puppet making STEM workshop for informal learning. We report on its final evaluation in two events (n=10 and n=13) to show how the design addressed black boxing of technology through a craft-centric approach and successfully engaged different student populations through an educational framing that included performance practice. The informal learning workshops are aimed at 5th grade level students. First, the problem space is laid out and the approach of the project introduced. Second, the design realization is briefly covered. Third, the final evaluation of the design in two workshop conditions is presented using qualitative as well as quantitative data. Students showed self-perceived increases particularly in their attitudes toward technology. These results are discussed before we report on the adaptation of the workshop for different conditions to illustrate the flexibility of the basic set up
A Biomimetic Design Experience in Informal Interior Architecture Education
Get PDFBiomimetic design is the process of creating innovative ideas inspired by nature. This approach adapts processes of natural organisms to solve design problems and guides design in interior architecture, similar to many other disciplines. This study aims to present the process of implementing the biomimetic approach to interior architectural design in an informal education environment and to discuss the outcomes of this experience. In this context, the approach and implementation methods of biomimetic design have been examined and a workshop study called “BIOStructure”, which was intended to integrate these methods into spatial design, has been analysed. This workshop was organized as part of an International Student Triennial in order to experience the approach of biomimetic design as an informal education tool. In the workshop, students were asked to experiment with biomimetic design in either a solution-driven approach or a problem-driven approach. As a result, it was observed that most of the students preferred a solution-driven approach to a problem-driven approach and students in earlier stages of design education tended towards form-oriented abstraction of biological knowledge, whereas students with more design experience tended towards principle-oriented abstraction
Contributing to reading comprehension through Science and Technology education
Get PDFIn this study, an educational development approach is investigated aiming at improving reading comprehension outcomes in primary education through inquiry and design-based Science & Technology teaching. The context is societal pressure to increase the likelihood that more students, later in their life, will aspire for careers in technology-intensive professions. However, schools are under more pressure to focus on core subjects, such as language. Integrated Science & Technology and Language education may overcome this problem. In this study, students from Years/Grades 3-6 (9- to 12-year-olds) received an experimental treatment, in which regular reading comprehension lessons were replaced by inquiry and design-based projects with a strong focus on oral language. Before and after, their performance on tests for reading comprehension was measured. No significant differences were found from performance in a control group, who received the regular reading comprehension lessons, but hardly any Science & Technology lessons. In the experimental group, teachers used the Skills Rubric Inquiry and Design and reported that students’ skills for inquiry and design improved considerably. Substantial professional support in the form of weekly meetings in a professional learning community was necessary to achieve these goals. Initially, the teachers involved had little knowledge of Science & Technology and low self-efficacy with regard to teaching this subject, but teacher attitude towards teaching Science & Technology improved considerably during the project. It was concluded that integrating Science & Technology and language education is a complicated yet rewarding approach
Multistable Technologies and Pedagogy for Resilience: A Postphenomenological Case Study of Learning by 3D printing
Get PDFAccelerated technological innovation induces disruptions in society and education. It results in both threats to and opportunities for the way the society learns and works. This case study examined the phenomenon of learning in a disruptive environment. The chosen typical case of a disruptive learning environment was comprised of multistable technology and multiple crossdisciplinary, stakeholders. To reveal how inexpert stakeholders cope with technological barriers, the study examined design studio education as a research site. There, groups of design students used 3D printing to develop assistive technologies together with patients and therapists. The empirical data collected on site was analyzed through qualitative content analysis and postphenomenological concepts. The study showed how new multistable technologies impose relational, fluid models of learning on site by revealing mediations between technology and humans. This new perspective on learning in disruptive environments informs practical sustainable pedagogical practices and theoretical approach to learning for resilience by expending vocabulary concerning technological education. It also proposes altered priorities for formal education. Instead of solely focusing on the knowledge content or learners’ development, formal education should also take into account learners relations with their social and technological environment
Broadening the Horizons of Technology Education: Using Traditional Cultural Artefacts as Learning Tools in a Swedish Sámi School
Get PDFThe aim of this case study was to explore the nature of technology education in a Sámi school setting and to examine how knowledge about traditional cultural artefacts can contribute to broadening the horizons of technological literacy. The participants (teacher and pupils) in the study were all from the same Sámi primary school in Northern Sweden, and the activities connected to the artefacts took place with year 2 and 3 pupils. The method employed was participatory observation, and field notes, recorded conversations, photographs and children’s drawings were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The findings show that technology education in this school was connected to specific artefacts that are important in Sámi culture. Using these traditional cultural artefacts as a starting point, the pupils were given the opportunity to see that technology is more than modern high-tech; it is an age-old tradition of problem-solving, modification and adaptation to fulfil human needs. Technology education in this school was grounded in a holistic view of knowledge and was largely integrated with other school subjects. Myths and storytelling were frequently used to contextualise the technological content, and the historical aspect of technology was clear since connections between older and newer technological solutions were frequently made. The knowledge system embedded in the technology teaching can be described as collective and related to both artefacts and activities. Technological knowledge, activities and specific artefacts were not only attributed a practical value, they were also given a symbolic value, since a common knowledge base in technology contributes to strengthening the children’s cultural identity. This study confirms that artefacts can play an important role in technology education and that an understanding of the relationship between technology and culture can be regarded as a critical part of technological literacy. A cultural context, in combination with a holistic perspective on learning, gives artefacts meaning and provides a context within which they are used. Including indigenous technological knowledge can thus not only prevent a marginalisation of indigenous knowledge, it can also provide opportunities to broaden pupils’ perspectives of what technology is, how it evolves, and the driving forces behind technological change
A Case Study of Game-Based Learning in Interior Design Studios
Get PDFThe purpose of this paper is to understand perceptions of interior design students after using game-based learning (GBL) as an approach to address workload distribution, lack of clear assessment criteria, and deficiencies of the master-apprentice model during the process of solving several small-scale design problems along the course of a semester. A literature review of the instructional issues in design studios is presented along with an overview of the activity systems theory as an underpinning theoretical perspective. This research paper explains the research design behind the case study methodology used to perform data collection, analysis measures and organize coding schemes. Findings from the study conclude that GBL fits into the iterative and experimental nature of the design process, helps students focus on the design process through trial and error without a significant risk, changes the studio’s feedback structure, and allows students to track their progress while having creative freedom. This paper provides empirical evidence supporting the existence of instructional issues in traditional design studios, provides considerations for using GBL to address these issues, and suggests directions for future research studies in fields of instructional technology, design pedagogy and higher education policy
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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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