Traditionally, design -- and by extension design education -- has focused on the creation of distinct outputs (forms, artefacts, and objects) that satisfy a specific purpose and need. Historically these needs -- and often the designed outputs themselves -- have been dictated not by the designer but by clients and also through established…

Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming higher education. It has already challenged the validity of traditional assessment methods and revealed concerns about the authenticity and reliability of conventional approaches. This opinion piece proposes an expanded theoretical framework for contextual learning, incorporating practical, situational,…

In the field of design, empathy, which is often addressed in design research and practice, has also become an essential aspect of design education. It is both one of the core components of learning processes and a foundation for teaching activities. This paper aims to explore and discuss the impacts of empathy on learning and teaching in the…

The curriculum work of teachers is understood and conceptualised in different ways. A prevalent view is that teachers are an integral part of a system of transmission and their work with curriculum essentially a technical exercise. Some form of this view seems to be assumed by policymakers, parents and at least some teachers. However, when this…

This design case is about Emotional Design Theory in application to the design of pandemic face masks. As we know designers rely strongly on theoretical knowledge in making design moves. To understand how students may learn to apply theory, research was conducted to test the effectiveness of an assessment called Design CUE (Conceptual…

If the challenges of teaching and learning do not amount to simple empirical questions about effective pedagogical strategies but are instead complex "wicked problems" that may be impossible to solve, where does that leave the practice of backward design? Drawing on the intellectual history of instructional design, I argue that the use…

This article explores the epistemological trade-offs that practical and technology design fields make by exploring past philosophical discussions of design, practitioner research, and pragmatism. It argues that as technologists apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to more domains, the technology brings this same set of…

This essay posits that an institution's program design mandates the curriculum for the classes we teach and that curriculum affects the concept of "canonical" literature, teacher preparation, textbook content, and comfort with discussing difference in the second language classroom for undergraduates. For that reason, this essay argues…

Since 1983, the Instructional Theory Framework (ITF) (and its subsequent improvements) has guided instructional designers and researchers in designing and developing useful learner experiences (LX). For the past 40 years, the ITF was laser-focused on the selection of instructional methods, downplaying delivery methods (media) and management…

Real-world design settings can be complex, ill-structured, open and typically uncertain and/or ambiguous about their goals and solution paths. This study contributes to understanding how to work with these types of problems in a course project setting. The main objective of the study is to identify, propose and validate a set of practical…

Background: Nonlinear Pedagogy, underpinned by concepts in ecological dynamics, is a pedagogical framework that advocates an exploratory approach to acquisition of movement skills with an emphasis on individualised movement solutions. Its key principles have been successfully implemented in sports teaching and coaching and are currently being…

New pedagogic approaches combining Transdisciplinary, Experiential, and Adaptive perspectives are emerging to respond to increasingly complex urban conditions. By addressing the gap in current urban design studio education, the study defined a framework to assist teachers in designing novel teaching formats based on TEA learning approaches. The…

As the popularity of ethnographic research methods grows across and beyond the social sciences, it is of paramount importance that practitioners reflect on how to best teach participant observation to increasingly diverse and interdisciplinary audiences. While available literature stresses the importance of learning-by-doing to develop students'…

The research phase preluding a design capstone project is challenging for both students and instructors. In a situation where students are free to work on a topic of their choosing, a preset, generic research design is not suitable. Imposing a rigid framework would endanger the possibility of students truly examining and capturing the complexity…

This article explores the teaching of atmosphere for undergraduate geography students. Though many scholars have observed an "atmospheric turn" in the discipline, teaching atmosphere in human geography has received less attention. To this end, the article examines the design and delivery of a "floating workshop" that engaged…