Dear Harold,
you wrote:
"so it is impossible to train the pilots and the rest of the crew in
formal decision making processes that would assure they stayed out of
trouble or that could get them out of trouble"
If it's possible, could you let us know what the ph.d student decided
to do. How did he resolve this issue - did he create some kind of
simulator or series of scenarios etc?
I fully understand if there are maybe confidentiality issues involved,
and you are unable to tell us.
I think there are parallels here to educating design students. One
can't tell them exactly what situations there going to find themselves
in, only possibly what kind. Design students will probably never have
to cope with the sudden input of information and have to make such
quick judgements and decisions as the pilots you mentioned, but they
have to learn to draw on knowledge, experience and ways of thinking
from other situations to resolve a given design task.
I'm very opposed to giving design students some kind of prescriptive
method to approach the design process with, so I found it very helpful
when I came across a phrase from literature on metacognition - "
strategy acquisition and strategy transfer" (Hacker, et al. 1998). I
have used this in various ways to guide my approach to design education.
Is this maybe akin to what was necessary to train the pilots you
mentioned?
I'm very interested in finding ways that can help equip design students
with the necessary thinking and, whilst we're on the subject, decision
making skills, without them having to necessarily do a traditional
design project. For example, I've seen industrial design students carry
out an anthropological study and description of people in a
supermarket. This helps them sharpen their sense of awareness and focus
and the visual presentation of their data helps them become more aware
of their communication skills. Throughout, they are confronted with
having to make qualified decisions, judgements and choices.
There are other techniques I've used, as it seems productive to
sometimes get students away from getting fixed on product or
interaction design. Their design learning expectations can stifle their
will to experiment. Once they get hold of the sense of sharpened focus
combined with experiment and risk-taking, they tackle their design
tasks in remarkably innovative ways. They seem to be able to "acquire"
renewed strategies and then "transfer" these to their design practice.
I believe the term is "collateral learning". Learning something whilst
doing something else.
I'd be very interested in hearing anyone else's ideas and thoughts on
this.
Best regards,
Chris.
References:
Dunlosky J, Graesser AC, Hacker D. J. (eds.) (1998) Metacognition in
Educational Theory and Practice.
Erlbaum, Lawrence Associates, Inc
-------------
from:
Chris Heape
Senior Researcher - Design Didactics / Design Practice
Mads Clausen Institute
University of Southern Denmark
Sønderborg
Denmark
http://www.mci.sdu.dk
Work @ MCI:
tel: +45 6550 1671
e.mail: chris @mci.sdu.dk
Work @ Home:
tel +45 7630 0380
e.mail: [log in to unmask]
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