Enhancing knowledge acquisition
Year: 2013
Editor: John Lawlor, Ger Reilly, Robert Simpson, Michael Ring, Ahmed Kovacevic, Mark McGrath, William Ion, David Tormey, Erik Bohemia, Chris McMahon, Brian Parkinson
Author: Crisp, Alan Roy; Dale, James; Marsh, Phillipa
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
Section: Knowledge
Page(s): 396-401
ISBN: 978-1-904670-42-1
Abstract
This paper describes the results of the analysis undertaken against a novel curriculum delivery method designed by the authors to enhance the learning acumen of second year product design students. The data and results are derived from three criteria: academic results, attendance and student satisfaction. The authors practise design, through their parallel profession of lecturing, to a diverse range of students partaking of three courses of Product Design, namely BA Furniture and Product Design, BA Product Design and BSc Product Design all three at honours level. The courses aim to produce creative, practical and professional designers with exemplary communication skills and real world experience ready to further explore design through commerce, industry or commissioned work, sensitive to aesthetic values, ethical issues, socio-economic issues, and environmental considerations. The curriculum is continually developed to ensure that knowledge is gleaned by and through practise i.e. âKnowing (by) Designingâ. Over the last two academic years a new model of teaching has been developed integrating other design, art, media and musical disciplines to enable the teaching of design studies, this facilitates the transmitting and receiving of knowledge relative to design through eclectic media disciplines; in effect: âinwards and outwards communication in designing, music and the artsâ. This has led to the authors âinvestigating ways in which the creative processes and activities develop the acquisition of knowledgeâ; which has led to a growing awareness of their own practise and continual growth of their own knowledge.
Keywords: Enhancement, novel, knowledge, satisfaction, attendance.