Abstract
This paper and presentation will detail the on-going research and development of an innovative, card based system named “Fundamentals in Nature.” This system is used to teach design fundamentals in an outdoor classroom. Through developing appreciation for the natural world, design students develop skills that are more conceptual, sustainable, well rounded and connected. The need for this approach is supported by research revealing the current generation of students are losing touch with their natural environment. While this curriculum was initially aimed at educating college level design students, it is scalable to teach younger students and the general public. By utilizing the outdoors as a classroom, participants are able to experience first-hand relationships between design and the natural world. This unexpected relationship fosters an expansive thought processes. The natural environment combined with the collaborative nature of the exercises, creates a strong foundation for sustainable design concerns in future designers.
Keywords
Design curriculum, design fundamentals, outdoor classroom
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.115
Citation
Quam, A.(2013) The “Nature” of Design Education: teaching design fundamentals in an outdoor classroom, in Reitan, J.B., Lloyd, P., Bohemia, E., Nielsen, L.M., Digranes, I., & Lutnæs, E. (eds.), DRS // Cumulus: Design Learning for Tomorrow, 14-17 May, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.115
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
The “Nature” of Design Education: teaching design fundamentals in an outdoor classroom
This paper and presentation will detail the on-going research and development of an innovative, card based system named “Fundamentals in Nature.” This system is used to teach design fundamentals in an outdoor classroom. Through developing appreciation for the natural world, design students develop skills that are more conceptual, sustainable, well rounded and connected. The need for this approach is supported by research revealing the current generation of students are losing touch with their natural environment. While this curriculum was initially aimed at educating college level design students, it is scalable to teach younger students and the general public. By utilizing the outdoors as a classroom, participants are able to experience first-hand relationships between design and the natural world. This unexpected relationship fosters an expansive thought processes. The natural environment combined with the collaborative nature of the exercises, creates a strong foundation for sustainable design concerns in future designers.