Abstract
In conjunction with an emerging view of instructional as a design field versus its traditional identification as a science, the authors have designed, established and studied from 2005— 2009 a masters level course using studio-based pedagogy. This paper examines the design tensions involved in that effort from the perspective of the designer/instructors and the design activities and thinking of the students in the most recent iteration of the course. The research is based on analysis of field notes, student work, and syllabi across these five years, as well as on reflections of the designer/instructors. Design tensions center on the difficulties of adapting a pervasive pedagogy into an environment not conceived to support it and on the evolution of the course as it became more studio-oriented. Examination of the student’s activities and design thinking was made through the lens of Lawson and Dorst’s (2009) models of design, and include analysis of design activities as represented in our field notes together with discussion of sample work from students that illustrate their design thinking. The design models offered a useful vocabulary for discussing student’s design behaviors, both with respect to their unique approaches to design and to the observations of the instructors regarding the effect of revisions in the course. We also discuss two categories of design activity used as extensions to the model (using external input and using tools) to describe activities in this class.
Keywords
Design Pedagogy, Studio, Instructional Design, Case Study
Citation
Boling, E., and Smith, K. (2010) Intensive Studio Experience in a Non-studio Masters Program: Student Activities and Thinking Across Levels of Design, in Durling, D., Bousbaci, R., Chen, L, Gauthier, P., Poldma, T., Roworth-Stokes, S. and Stolterman, E (eds.), Design and Complexity - DRS International Conference 2010, 7-9 July, Montreal, Canada. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2010/researchpapers/15
Intensive Studio Experience in a Non-studio Masters Program: Student Activities and Thinking Across Levels of Design
In conjunction with an emerging view of instructional as a design field versus its traditional identification as a science, the authors have designed, established and studied from 2005— 2009 a masters level course using studio-based pedagogy. This paper examines the design tensions involved in that effort from the perspective of the designer/instructors and the design activities and thinking of the students in the most recent iteration of the course. The research is based on analysis of field notes, student work, and syllabi across these five years, as well as on reflections of the designer/instructors. Design tensions center on the difficulties of adapting a pervasive pedagogy into an environment not conceived to support it and on the evolution of the course as it became more studio-oriented. Examination of the student’s activities and design thinking was made through the lens of Lawson and Dorst’s (2009) models of design, and include analysis of design activities as represented in our field notes together with discussion of sample work from students that illustrate their design thinking. The design models offered a useful vocabulary for discussing student’s design behaviors, both with respect to their unique approaches to design and to the observations of the instructors regarding the effect of revisions in the course. We also discuss two categories of design activity used as extensions to the model (using external input and using tools) to describe activities in this class.