Curriculum and Instruction
Complicating the Connections Between Design Curriculum and Sustainable Development
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Emma Mills,
Katherine Moline
Reforming tertiary design education that is committed to empowering students to develop agency, knowledge, and skills for timely and impactful design responses to sustainability crises demands a substantial rethinking of the curriculum. This is no easy task. Our paper describes a reconstructivist and pluriversal approach to curriculum reform we are testing in the School of Art and Design, UNSW, Sydney. The paper reports on how our school is focusing on and problematizing the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) in response to the contradictory findings of a curriculum audit of the Bachelor of Design. We compared the frequency of references to the SDGs in course outlines to the SDGs underpinning Design Honours project descriptions over a five-year period. To our surprise despite the marked absence of references to the SDGs in course outlines, student descriptions of their Honours projects demonstrated sound understandings of the SDGs. To contextualize our curriculum revisions we provide an overview of current shifts in Australian design education and outline plans for initiatives that we anticipate will contribute to turning the rhetoric of SDGs into meaningful actions that respond to the call for changes that contribute to just and equitable societies for all people and the planet.
Plurality and Interdisciplinarity in Visual Design Education: Case Studies from Spain and the United States View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Amir Attia,
Grazielle Bruscato Portella
This paper builds on collaborative discussions initiated at last year's conference. The study examines and compares teaching pedagogies in Bachelor of Design programs in the United States and Spain. Focusing on the integration of technology, fine arts, and social or cultural issues, highlighting how diverse perspectives foster creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration among culturally varied students. The United States case involves an 8-week augmented reality (AR) integration project where students used AI to draft problem statements and help with the development of initial concepts addressing a variety of problems and accessibility issues. Collaborative teams developed interactive prototypes such as menus and sign language tools. In Spain, a 3-week project encouraged students to explore the work of underrepresented contemporary female artists, translating their sculptures into two-dimensional patterns and creating museum branding using AI and digital fabrication, addressing gender inequality in the art world. Both case studies emphasize critical thinking, creativity, and technical proficiency while differing in methodology. The US approach focuses on utilizing contemporary technologies in problem-solving, while Spain emphasizes contextualized design addressing social issues. Shared elements include AI-assisted ideation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and tackling real-world challenges. Key insights underscore the value of cross-disciplinary skills, cultural diversity, and balancing AI with traditional methods like sketching. Fine arts enhance critical thinking and social empathy, preparing students for dynamic, inclusive, and innovation-driven design roles. Embracing plurality in methodologies equips future designers to navigate the evolving intersections of art, design, and technology in a global context.
Sense of Place: A Pedagogical Framework to Align Personal Narrative for Collective Impact View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Emily Tsiang
How might we reimagine sensemaking, traditionally applied to organizational systems, as a transformative tool for personal insight and growth in design education? This presentation introduces Sense of Place, a pedagogical framework that enables educators to design learning experiences that help students uncover connections between their formative environments and their evolving sense of self. A central element of this approach is the educator’s role in facilitating powerful feedback sessions which allows students to make the leap from experience to insight. By expanding on Kolb's experiential learning theory, Sense of Place helps to align the student's personal "why" with their professional goals. Grounded in humanistic geography, reflective practice, and narrative inquiry, this framework equips educators with tools such as visual mapping, storytelling workshops, and place-based analysis, supported by structured reflective feedback methods. These practices guide students through a process of self-discovery, helping them integrate personal experiences into their creative work with intentionality and emphasizes the interplay between place, identity, and practice.
