Educational Shifts
Integrating 3D Modeling Applications into Interior Design Education: A Curriculum Enhancement Approach View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kristin Maki
This paper explores the potential for integrating advanced digital tools into the interior design curriculum of an undergraduate program, with a particular focus on building design process skills through the addition of a 3D modeling applications. The study investigates how the curriculum structure supports the development of students' proficiency in these essential design technologies. By analyzing course materials, assignments, and instructional strategies, the research evaluates how foundational skills in design can be expanded with the introduction of more sophisticated 3D modeling software. The selection of the 3D modeling application was guided by its compatibility with the existing curriculum and its ability to enhance students' design capabilities. Key factors in the selection process included the software's user-friendliness, its alignment with course objectives, and its potential to bridge the gap between introductory and advanced design concepts. A pilot project was conducted to implement the chosen application, with its effectiveness monitored through an analysis of student work and feedback. This project highlights the importance of a well-structured curriculum that effectively scaffolds learning and integrates technological tools. The findings provide valuable insights into curriculum development and the integration of digital tools in design education, aiming to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the evolving demands of the interior design industry. This work contributes to the ongoing discourse on best practices for preparing design students for professional success.
Looking Back and Forward, a Future for Design Pedagogy: Does Everything Have to Be about AI Now? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Michael Salmond
Every technological innovation has been a threat to creativity from letterpress to digital typography, from hand-crafted graphics to digitally produced compositions, and now AI. This paper covers twenty years of my evolution of teaching design. It examines the issues of integrating emerging technologies within design education pedagogies. To cultivate innovation and creativity among students, we have always adopted an experiential learning model, we incorporate hands-on projects to actively engage students in problem-solving and iterative design processes. We encourage experimentation and the exploration of diverse perspectives. How does that map to our pedagogy with new media spaces such as social media and now AI? AI (in whichever form it takes) has been framed as a creative threat and an indispensable creative tool. What has my students the most concerned is that whilst they want to use AI and incorporate it into their processes, their real fear is that it will ultimately replace them. How is a budding new designer not viewing this new design landscape with trepidation? I have approached this disruption to the design education method and adopted new ways of thinking about design in my classes and in the student mindset. What are the new principles of design in the era of AI? My paper offers hard won insights into effective pedagogies which equip students with the skills they need to excel in a fractured design landscape by bridging theoretical concepts with actionable teaching strategies.
Designing Across Cultures: Building Cross-Cultural Competencies Through Studio Learning View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marianne Holbert
In an interconnected world, equipping designers with the skills to navigate cultural complexities is vital. This paper explores strategies to foster cross-cultural competencies in design education through a global seminar conducted in Rome and Syracuse, Sicily. The course integrates experiential learning with the "emic-etic" framework and the Cultural Inventory for Studio (CITS), a self-developed pedagogical tool. CITS examines ten cultural parameters to identify and address the cultural dynamics shaping studio-based education. The "emic-etic" framework, inspired by Kenneth L. Pike, contrasts insider (emic) and outsider (etic) perspectives, encouraging students to approach culture, space, and design from multiple viewpoints. Course activities included guided reflections, intensive sketching, and immersive fieldwork to examine the interplay between culture, history, and urban form. Structured reflections on identity, ethics, and context enabled students to critically assess their experiences and refine their design processes. Engagements with local professionals—architects, artisans, and historians—offered insights into regional practices and cultural nuances, while workshops with Italian students fostered a rich exchange of perspectives, further enhancing cross-cultural understanding. The studio culminated in student design proposals for a historic site in Syracuse, presented to local experts, illustrating how culturally responsive methodologies inform meaningful design solutions. This research emphasizes the role of experiential learning and culturally informed pedagogies in cultivating the competencies necessary for creating contextually sensitive designs. It underscores the importance of integrating pluralistic approaches in advancing inclusive, globally relevant design education.
