CASE INTEGRATED DESIGN SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE
Year: 2019
Editor: Bohemia, Erik; Kovacevic, Ahmed; Buck, Lyndon; Brisco, Ross; Evans, Dorothy; Grierson, Hilary; Ion, William; Whitfield, Robert Ian
Author: Smit, Mark J.; Bekker, Dirk H.M.
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Rotterdam University of Applied Science, Netherlands, The
Section: Innovation 4
DOI number: https://doi.org/10.35199/epde2019.18
ISBN: 978-1-912254-05-7
Abstract
Learning how to create physical products that are either functional, producible, profitable, sustainable and valuable involves both intensive practice and acquiring broad knowledge and skills.
Concerning the latter, most industrial design education programs offer comparable, separate learning tracks or courses in sketching, 3D-CAD, production and materials, engineering & construction, ergonomics, business & economics and design.
Most programs rely on offering design projects into which all mentioned knowledge & skills are supposed to be integrated into well designed products.
In the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) course of Rotterdam University of Applied Science, we have become aware of a noticeable gap between the learning of fragmented subjects and the application into real-life design projects.
In the program we have been experimenting occasionally with integrating adjacent subjects into integrated assignments, students still appeared to have lost a substantial part of the previously learned knowledge and skills when it had to be applied into a real-life project.
As of academic year 2018-19 we have chosen to fully integrate all basic design engineering knowledge and skills into a coherent program of practice-based, yet simplified design cases, in order to increase direct applicability in real life design projects.
Furthermore, integrating several subjects into design cases is expected to deepen higher-level conceptual knowledge, enhance motivation, class attendance and pass rates. Working with integrated design cases might diminish competition between several parallel classes and assignments.
In our paper we will describe the aims, theoretical foundation and practice of the educational and organisational measures taken, with an emphasis on the newly developed assessment structure.
The effects of the measures taken will be assessed, based on analysis of student evaluation, evaluation of learning outcomes and the applicability of knowledge and skills into real-life projects.
Keywords: Integrated Learning, Knowledge & Skills, Formative Strategies, Assessment As Learning