Emerging Methods
Integrating Industry Standards into Classrooms: Help Students Adapt Their Future Career by Bringing It in Early View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jingtian Li
Many new students graduated with four years of learning, but lack industry experience. It is also common to see entry level jobs with a required 3-5 years of experience, something most students would not be possible to have. To help the students adapt, industry-oriented content was integrated in many classes to help student gain experience, and have projects aimed towards real world products. Professional development weeks are added to help improve their exposure to the industry, and many industry veterans were brought in to give presentations and teach classes. A studio like system is applied to the senior thesis projects where students follow proper protocol, workflow, and take responsibility of their assigned roles. A controlled hierarchy is implemented to ensure accountability and the quality of the project, industry management tools are also used to track tasks and assigned personals. The approaches not only improve students’ skill, preparez them with much polished projects, but also greatly increases their understanding of a studio environments, and the behavioral know-hows, which is one of the deciding factors in a job interview on top of skills and experiences.
New Design Methodologies "Through" Architecture: Operational Strategies View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniel Huertas Nadal
Contemporary design methodologies require mechanisms capable of producing system integration based on transdisciplinary approaches, as opposed to static systems. A project is no longer just about focused design but also about transversal operational strategies. The design laboratory for the master’s degree in architecture at the Universidad de Los Andes has experimented with tools and instruments that diversify research processes through architectural projects. The course integrates design thinking approaches with transversal readings on theories and strategies for project thinking in architecture to develop these methodologies. Four transversal modules have been tested in relation to the architectural project: Images, Diagrams, Analogies, and Tactics. Each of these modules implies a transdisciplinary approach to architectural design. The image serves as a research instrument and a creation methodology, the diagram as a codification strategy and definition of operational structures, analogy as a method of approaching non-architectural references, and tactics as a proposal for a systemic approach. These interconnected systems are a project in themselves. The result is a methodology of dynamic processes synthesized through compression, abstraction, and simulation. Transforming project strategies means transforming how we look at things. Secondly, it means seeing architecture as an assembly of extensible capacities and energies, not as an inert, moldable object. Today, the figure of the designer and the architect can no longer be formulated solely as a producer of objects but as a strategist of design processes.
Construction of a Design Process: The Use of a Parametric Tool for Digital Fabrication View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Wladimir Tejo, Carlos Alejandro Nome
With the advancement of digital technologies, higher education institutions face the need to update their curricula to incorporate tools that effectively integrate theory and practice. Digital manufacturing offers significant advantages, such as greater precision in production, improved quality, reduced errors, optimization of costs and time, in addition to enabling customization to meet the specific needs of users. Incorporating these concepts into the academic environment is essential to prepare students for a constantly changing market. Therefore, a design tool aimed at digital manufacturing was developed, which combines concepts of user-centered design, Parametric Design Thinking and Technology Readiness Level (TRLs). In addiction, a pedagogical plan was developed for its application in academic disciplines and workshops. The validation of this approach is being carried out in a pilot course in the Architecture and Urbanism course at the Federal University of Paraíba, in Brazil, with the aim of evaluating its effectiveness in promoting teaching aligned with contemporary demands.
Featured Bridging the Gap: Exploring Mental Health Awareness, Stigma, and Campaign Strategies Among Young Adults in Jordan View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Muhammad Al-Hmoud, Anna Merry
Young adults globally are contending with profound stressors, encompassing economic adversities, occupational pressures, displacement, forced migration, food insecurity, and numerous other challenges. This paper examines individuals aged 18-24 in Jordan, specifically those enrolled in prominent private and public universities within the kingdom, delving into the nexus between design and mental health. This study explores how design methodologies and frameworks can address mental health challenges within this demographic in Jordan, with a particular focus on reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, which acts as a significant intercultural barrier to the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders. The researcher collected data through implementing a mixed method approach that includes (Questionnaire, Interviews, and Focus Group). The findings of the study were categorised across various dimensions, including mental health issues, the impact on help-seeking behavior, the need for mental health awareness campaigns, preferences for visual and interactive media, the integration of cultural relevance, the importance of sustained engagement, and the promotion of early intervention. In conclusion, the study demonstrates a high level of mental health awareness among young adults aged 18 to 24. It serves as an invaluable reference for addressing the prevention and management of mental health disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as well as upper-middle-income countries. Furthermore, the research emphasizes the potential of multimedia and digital media as essential tools for designing and implementing effective mental health campaigns.
