Abstract
Examining the impacts of traditional modes of critique within creative spaces help us to reconsider our roles and needs through the exchange of feedback and ideas. Many of the methods applied in the design classroom/studio that assess concept de- velopment, design progress, and outcomes are an inheritance of Western European and historically dominant ideas about visual art (i.e., what is good or bad art, canonical art theory, universality, etc.). These canons continue to perpetuate knowledge hierar- chies and vertical interactions between instructor/subject-expert and student/appren- tice. Methods of critique rooted in these historical traditions are not formulated for participants to easily exchange roles or decide on dynamics better aligned with their cognitive needs, identity, personality, ways of learning, and communicating. In re- sponse, our cross-institutional team of design faculty and students (University of Ar- kansas, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) aim to question these traditional methods of criticism rooted in canonical design knowledge to provide space for more decolonial, inclusive, and con- text-based design education. By critiquing critiques and including students in the in- quiry process, we “shift away from the traditional convention where they are subjects” (Thompson, 2020), empowering them to become active participants in their own learning experience. Through this, we aim to facilitate a horizontal space of criticality with session participants focusing on the development and application of new forma- tive and summative assessment methods based on unique experiences in the class- room.
Keywords
design criticism, collaborative design, design assessment, neurodiverse design pedagogy
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.970
Citation
Nedić, D., Schuerman, P., Hernández, G., McMahon, B., and Canchola, A. (2022) Critiquing the design critique: Examining traditional assessment methods and shifting to new ways of co-sharing feedback, in Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 27 June - 3 July, Bilbao, Spain. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.970
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Critiquing the design critique: Examining traditional assessment methods and shifting to new ways of co-sharing feedback
Examining the impacts of traditional modes of critique within creative spaces help us to reconsider our roles and needs through the exchange of feedback and ideas. Many of the methods applied in the design classroom/studio that assess concept de- velopment, design progress, and outcomes are an inheritance of Western European and historically dominant ideas about visual art (i.e., what is good or bad art, canonical art theory, universality, etc.). These canons continue to perpetuate knowledge hierar- chies and vertical interactions between instructor/subject-expert and student/appren- tice. Methods of critique rooted in these historical traditions are not formulated for participants to easily exchange roles or decide on dynamics better aligned with their cognitive needs, identity, personality, ways of learning, and communicating. In re- sponse, our cross-institutional team of design faculty and students (University of Ar- kansas, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) aim to question these traditional methods of criticism rooted in canonical design knowledge to provide space for more decolonial, inclusive, and con- text-based design education. By critiquing critiques and including students in the in- quiry process, we “shift away from the traditional convention where they are subjects” (Thompson, 2020), empowering them to become active participants in their own learning experience. Through this, we aim to facilitate a horizontal space of criticality with session participants focusing on the development and application of new forma- tive and summative assessment methods based on unique experiences in the class- room.