Design and Technology Education (LJMU)
Not a member yet
602 research outputs found
Sort by
Reflect, Assess, Visualize: Cultivating Skill Development in User Experience Education
Full text linkIn the field of user experience (UX), there is a wide range of skills that practitioners are expected to acquire and demonstrate as a competitive candidate for a job. Previous research identified three main skill categories of UX practitioners: technical skills, human skills, and dispositions. However, as educators, we have found that students often struggle to understand and incorporate the breadth of the skills they need into their learning and development. To help students identify, assess, and cultivate their skill sets, we designed a pedagogical intervention in the form of an ‘advance organizer’ that asks students to reflect on their initial and changing skill sets while enrolled in a UX-focused course. In this article, we present the basis of the intervention, including background on learning theories that supported its design. The intervention asks students to read and reflect on an academic article about the desired skills of aspiring UX practitioners, conduct an inventory of their existing and desired skill sets, and design a visualization to represent their current and future skill levels. We report on how the intervention was implemented in three different programs related to UX (one undergraduate, and two graduate programs). An analysis of the resulting assignments suggests the intervention was effective and valuable and helped give students a better sense of the range of skills required in industry. We conclude with considerations for implementing the intervention
Book Review Center of Excellence for Technology Education (CETE) Vol. 4: Future Prospects of Technology Education
Full text linkStudent’s perception about mechanical stress and what is most important for learning during a practical task using digital interactive lab description.
Full text linkThis study investigated student’s knowledge and understanding of mechanical stress including strain, and the relation between mechanical stress and strain, using material created by the authors of this text. It also investigated what the students perceived helpful for learning. The material was a complete laboratory setup and was intended to be simple and visual, including a digital part. During the studies in a Swedish upper secondary school, students enrolled in the technology programme took a general introductory course in solid mechanics. The students\u27 participation in our study was composed of four classes. The study was implemented by answering a questionnaire prior to laboratory and a similar one after the laboratory, 85 out of 107 students answered both questionnaires. A thematic analysis was applied on the material, resulting in six thematic groups based on the students’ previous knowledge and how much they have learned from the laboratory. To find correlations between the thematic groups, classes, and what the students perceived important for learning, a One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with multiple comparison post hoc test was performed. A significant difference between the class and the thematic groups was found (p<0.05). Another significant difference was found between the teacher and the class the students were in (p<0.001). This study showed that the teacher was important for the students’ perception of solid mechanics during this laboratory and that the interactive lab description played less roll. The teacher’s importance depended on what class the students were in
Reinventing Secondary School through design: An investigation of a Polytechnic High School Model focused on industry/community-driven design projects
Full text linkThis study examines the impact of a polytechnic high school model designed in collaboration with a research-intensive university and industry/community partners. Aimed at urban settings and focused on minoritized youth, this model replaces traditional subject-specific classes with industry-driven design project cycles. As design-based integrated STEM learning gains global traction, this research offers valuable insights. Pre/post surveys administered to seniors and teachers, along with follow-up surveys and focus groups with alumni during their first semester of college. This study explores the model’s effect on college and career readiness, teachers\u27 perceptions of its effectiveness, and challenges encountered in implementing design-based instruction. Through an exploration of the model\u27s successes and challenges, this study provides actionable recommendations for polytechnic models, contributing to the broader discourse on design-based STEM instruction
The Influence of Teachers’ Perception of Creativity and Makerspaces on Their Practice in Norwegian Compulsory Schools
Full text linkThe use of makerspaces in Norwegian compulsory education is growing. However, using maker-centred learning to support creativity has yet to be examined extensively in the Norwegian context. Consequently, the aim of this research is to explore Norwegian makerspace teachers’ conceptions of the use of maker-centred learning to augment creative capabilities and digital competences. The study focuses on teachers’ understandings of creativity and makerspaces along with various aspects of maker-centred learning and how they support creativity. The data was collected via six semi-structured interviews with teachers working in school-based makerspaces. In the interviews, the teachers conceptualised creativity related to makerspaces and reflected on various pedagogical aspects of managing creative makerspace activities. The research indicates that teachers have similar understandings of makerspaces but different interpretations of creativity. As a result, the makerspaces are designed differently, and the teachers use a variety of teaching methods. The findings also indicate that the teacher must be able to change their role from being an instructor to a facilitator and observer while also managing the utilised technology. Digital technology, collaboration, and constraints were also found to be factors that supported students’ creativity
Formation of Industrial Design Culture from Educational to Professional Life
Full text linkAlthough the professional culture of designers has been emphasized as a peripheral issue in various fields of study in design, such as design culture and design management, it has rarely been the central topic of research. However, studies from other professional fields have demonstrated the significance of studying professional culture, especially its formation in higher educational contexts, as it has direct implications on professional status and career prospects of these professions\u27 members. This paper aims to redress this gap by exploring how the professional culture acquired in industrial design education shapes industrial designers’ work experiences in manufacturing companies? It focuses on the context of Turkey and empirically draws on interviews with industrial designers who have work experience in large-scale manufacturing companies. Interviews reveal insights into industrial designers’ perceptions of the profession, experiences in undergraduate education, adaptations to professional life, and professional experiences in manufacturing companies where they collaborate with other professions, where cultural disconnect becomes visible. The qualitative data analysis highlighted the significance of being a community and having flexibility in space and time in industrial design’s professional culture in the examined context. The findings underline collaboration and teaching of soft skills such as communication and teamwork as implications for industrial design education
Teaching programming in technology education: Revealing student teachers\u27 perceptions
No full textThis study explores the changing landscape of technology teacher education, in relation to the increasing integration of digital content, especially programming, in teacher education for grades 4–6 (pupils 10-12 years old) and how student teachers in Sweden perceive this content. Limited research exists on student teachers in technology, particularly focusing on programming. This study therefore investigates student teachers\u27 perceptions of teaching programming in technology education, after completing their technology course in teacher education. We answer the following research questions: What are the student teachers’ perceptions of teaching programming in technology education? and How is potential subject didactics knowledge for teaching programming manifested in student teachers’ perceptions of technology teaching? Using a phenomenographic approach, 25 student teachers’ perceptions of programming in technology education were investigated through semi-structured individual and group interviews. Different perceptions were revealed and presented in four categories: (1) following instructions in a logical order, (2) learning a programming language, (3) solving technological problems, and (4) understanding and describing a technological environment. The results show that student teachers\u27 perceptions of the subject of technology predominantly focuses on following instructions and the learning of a programming language. The identified potential subject didactics knowledge is constituted of an awareness of three critical aspects: understanding programming language, understanding programming as a way of solving problems, and the relationships of technological problems to everyday life and society. This study offers valuable insight into the development of competencies required to teach programming in technology, informing educational strategies and future research in this emerging field
Student Insights on Product Improvement and User Perspectives in Japanese Junior High Technology Education
Full text linkThis study investigates junior high school students\u27 perspectives on improving manufactured products and their perceptions as users after participating in materials processing technology learning in Japan. Guided by recent changes in Japanese curriculum guidelines emphasizing real-world application, we conducted a web-based survey collecting 721 valid responses from 833 students. The survey explored students\u27 enjoyment of and satisfaction with materials processing learning, as well as their intentions regarding future technology-related careers. Our findings reveal high engagement in practical tasks, with 91.7% of students expressing positive attitudes towards making things. However, only 41.5% viewed their experiences as positively impacting future career aspirations. When prompted to describe product improvements, students frequently focused on safety (45.2%) and functionality (34.4%), while often neglecting environmental and economic factors. Differences emerged between those who described user-oriented improvements and those who did not, suggesting that descriptive reflection may enhance safety awareness and other practical concerns. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on technology education by highlighting the need for curricular advancements that better link technological learning with future career opportunities. It also underscores the importance of fostering a comprehensive design approach that includes societal and environmental considerations
Learning to teach and teaching to learn about Robotics at primary level: Professionalization for inclusive technology education integrating Theory and Practice
Full text linkThe professional development of teachers is considered a central task of teacher training and therefore also for teaching technology education in an era of digitalization. The anchoring of technology and digital technologies is becoming a mandatory task in teaching especially due to curriculum requirements and an increasing importance of learning with and learning about digital technologies for dealing with everyday problems (Ministry for Schools and Education of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MSB NRW), 2021). The lack of emphasis on technology education in teacher training for primary school teachers in Germany presents a significant obstacle to the integration of technology education into the curriculum. Moreover, the individual decision on the extent to which technology education is addressed in the multi-perspective school subject ‘Sachunterricht’ leads to insufficient consideration. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that the self-efficacy and subjectively assessed competencies of teachers have an impact on the inclusion of technology in ‘Sachunterricht’ (Möller, Tenberge & Ziemann, 1996). It is unclear how (prospective) teachers can acquire and test the necessary competencies to be able to carry out digital-technology and inclusive lessons in an educationally effective manner. To address this question, the present article employs a design-based research approach (Euler, 2014) to test and evaluate theoretical constructs in practice by prospective teachers
Engaging ethnography in the human-centered design technology classroom
Full text linkIn design technology education, educators value student outcomes centered on concrete design ideas and a comprehensive understanding of prototyping. However, technology education must consider not only the general technology design process and quality but also human-technology interactions. Inevitably, designs for people are enmeshed in complex sociocultural contexts, inseparable from human needs, values, and desires. Given this need to comprehensively understand the user experience in design technology, ethnographic techniques are increasingly being used to holistically understand people, with the goal of improving their lives through human-centered design. To train design technology students in ethnography, this paper considers one model for teaching human-centered design, using ethnographic methods. Designing Technology for People, an undergraduate-level course offered at Purdue University, is co-taught by faculty from the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Technology Leadership & Innovation. Throughout the course, students gain experience conducting basic ethnographic research and analysis, in addition to developing a virtual engineer’s notebook and a design mock-up, shaped by their ethnographic findings. This paper turns to one case study, “The Squirrel Squad,” to ethnographically review how the course is taught and the value of co-teaching courses with specialists in both ethnography and design technology
Data sources:
LJMU Research Online (Liverpool John Moo...PATT40 (LJMU)Biomolecular Research Reports (BRR) (LJM...
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)
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
Do you manage Design and Technology Education (LJMU)? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!