Lessons for Living
Teaching Students How to Create Information-based Narratives that Can Effect Societal Change View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Peggy Bloomer
There are so many societal problems to be addressed today. However, polarized thinking has made it harder for people to look at data and understand the questions, and find human-centric solutions. This paper reviews how a design course on data information can allow students to make informed discussions on topics ranging from social injustice to climate change. There is little doubt, that the need to read, evaluate, and digest data is more important than ever. Students explore methods to research, clean, and analyze data using creative methods and media to develop data storytelling. By setting goals, defining audiences, and using qualitative and quantitative data representation, the class helps students develop methods to tell data narratives that reveal human stories in the numbers. Projects include charts, data visualization, data tableau, interactive presentations, and mapping/unmapping. Students learn what effective methods to present data to engage others with the hope that they use these methods to help effect societal change.
Bodies-Thinking: Towards Support of Body-literacy Goals in Design Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ashley Bales, Kim Bobier, Chelsea Limbird
There is an urgent need in design education to consider the ways we are supporting our students to develop body-literacy. Our current technological moment has the potential to increasingly alienate us from the experience of understanding our bodies and the ways our physicality and forms intersect with our understanding of ourselves and others. The implications of this alienation from the body has outsized impacts on design students, their development as designers and the resultant design products that will populate our world in the future. The work presented here developed out of a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) which convened in Fall 2023 at Pratt Institute of Art and Design in order to initiate a transdisciplinary discourse on the body. In this paper, we share the results of a transdisciplinary discourse leading to the proposal that all design disciplines integrate bodies-thinking as an educational methodology meant to question, challenge and reframe pedagogy to teach through and with the body. By drawing connections to the body, students are able to both learn about their own bodies and the bodies of others and build personal, embodied relationships with diverse disciplines, enhancing motivation and information retention, and resulting in the production of informed and empathic designs on, for and of bodies.
Visual Making: Teaching History Through Design Processes View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Stephanie Travis, Catherine Anderson
This paper explores the teaching of the history of art, decorative arts, furniture, interior design and architecture through design work and case study learning. Instead of traditional, humanities-based lecture and exam arrangements, this approach give students a deep understanding of stylistic approaches and methods through the study of a curated list of projects and studio assignments that allow for creation of original work.
Advancing Fashion Design Education With AI: Scaffolding Learning and Enhancing Curriculum Integration View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Brian Taylor
This study explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the undergraduate fashion design curriculum to enhance students' proficiency in digital design. By introducing AI alongside traditional tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, the research aims to elevate students' design capabilities, ensuring they are well-prepared for the evolving fashion industry. A pilot project was conducted using a carefully selected AI tool that aligns with course objectives and complements existing skills. The project's impact on learning outcomes was evaluated through analysis and feedback from student work. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating advanced technologies like AI to enrich fashion design education, providing valuable insights for curriculum development and preparing students for professional success.
