Dear Pernille,
Australia has a well established school program in Design and Technology
starting in primary school. The Curriculum Council here in Western
Australia is making wonderful advances in developing this as a program that
articulates with university study in Design. Alun Price is on this list and
deeply involved with this program.
An interesting outcome of this work of the Curriculum Council and the
extensive amount of new developments in Australian schools is they indicate
that university programs in Design will have to change - and change
radically.
The secondary school Design and Technology curriculum overlaps almost 100%
with typical university Design programs all the way to final year. This
overlap is in computer skills in terms of learning common design software
packages such as Photoshop, illustrator, Indesign, AutoCAD, ARC-ESRI etc, ;
in conceptual terms - communication theory, semiotics, aesthetics, modeling,
ergonomics etc; and also in practical design process skills such as
functional analysis, usability analyses, user-centred design etc.
In other words, school students arriving in in classic Art and Design
degree programs will have covered more or less all of the 3 years of
curriculum before they start plus some of the curriculum for engineering
design, business systems design and information systems design. Of course
there are some differences, but less so than might be imagined as schools
are increasingly having access to excellent quality software and equipment.
It is not uncommon for there to be an overlap between school and university.
What is radically significant in relation to Art and Design degree programs
is the combination between an almost complete overlap of curricula and a
similar level of skill expectation at a much earlier age. For example, my
daughter's school expects some professional competence in Photoshop,
Illustrator and Typography by age 13.
This points to the need for a serious and urgent discussion about how degree
programs will need to change.
What will be the new curricula that gives the additional 3 years of value
adding of a degree in Design? What will be worth teaching in a Design
degree. How will lecturers need to upskill?
It will also obviously have a knock on effect in Honours, Masters and
Doctoral programs.
Best wishes,
Terry
____________________
Dr. Terence Love
Curtin Research Fellow
Design-focused Research Group, Design Out Crime Research Group
Associate Researcher at Digital Ecosystems and Business Intelligence
Institute
Research Associate, Planning and Transport Research Centre
Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845
Mob: 0434 975 848, Fax +61(0)8 9305 7629, [log in to unmask]
Visiting Professor, Member of Scientific Council
UNIDCOM/ IADE, Lisbon, Portugal
Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise
Development
Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
____________________
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related
research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pernille
G. Palsbro
Sent: Wednesday, 27 February 2008 5:54 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: design and children
Hi all,
The Ministry of Culture in Denmark is asking for best-practice in teaching
children design! I know some amazing projects working with architecture+
children in the Nordic countries, but have little knowledge on good practice
around the world in design + children.
Do any of you have any links or own experiences?
Regards
- Pernille
Pernille Grønbech Palsbro
Interior Designer mdd
President Danish Designers
Ass. Professor DIS
Phone: (+45) 2732 0760
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