Design education does not have specific textbooks and standardized curriculum, but design education is based on conscious and holistic consideration of daily life experiences, surrounding social, cultural, political conditions and their changes. In this, students are encouraged to do many kinds of activities and it is through this that life-oriented learning of design takes place.
Before pursuing a career in the field of “design”, it is necessary to understand how and what subjects are taught in design institutes. Because design education is relatively different from traditional education. In this more emphasis is placed on “Project Based Learning”. This type of learning is also called “experiential learning”. A broad definition of experiential learning is learning through deep reflection and experimentation through hands-on experience.
First let us briefly explain the difference between “traditional learning” and “experiential learning” methods. In the traditional method, teachers impart their own and cultivated knowledge, information and experience to their students through conversations, notes and textbooks, in which emphasis is placed on asking questions and answers based on the syllabus in textbooks, taking various written and oral examinations. To a large extent, classrooms are designated for textbooks or reference books.
In this, rather than learning through actual experiments, students are guided to understand the theory and its philosophical side. To understand how “experiential learning” differs, let’s take a look at its history. In the 1970s, David Kolb, an American psychologist and educationalist, proposed the theory of “experiential learning” and presented a model of it to the world. There are four major aspects presented in this (Fig. 1) Let us see them with examples.
1. Experience through action (Concrete Experience):
In this, students or groups of students come together and do some concrete actions by themselves and get real experience of it. While doing this, mind, intellect and body are actively involved. For example, if we want to study elderly people and the problems they face, just reading articles, reference books or textbooks will not solve them completely.
For this, talking to many elderly people, visiting old age homes, spending time with them – getting first-hand experience, as well as understanding their feelings, becomes an aspect of “experiential learning”.
2. Doing reflective introspection (Reflective Observation):
In these aspects, a more holistic reflection is made on the experience itself. For example, how could the problems of older people have been explained more differently? What should older people do to express their feelings more appropriately? Why wouldn’t their relatives have come to meet them? In this process, more emphasis is placed on introspection as well as focusing on what has been learned by reflecting on one’s own experiences.
3. To organize diverse concepts (Abstract Conceptualization):
This aspect includes drawing conclusions from the observations of the experiences taken by the students, analyzing the experiences from different parts and coordinating them. Similarly, a comparative study of the collected information and accumulated knowledge is done. E.g. What problems do most elderly people face? What is the difference between it?
Is it possible to separate those causes into social, psychological, physical, cultural? How have these types of problems been addressed elsewhere? What new concepts should we introduce that will allow us to draw alternatives to these problems?
4. Active experimentation (Active Experimentation):
This is the last aspect, in which the student works on how to transform the experience, observation, reflection and knowledge acquired in the first three stages into practical experience and use, as well as planning how to make new improvements and corrections. Experiential learning emphasizes learning through the repetition of step-by-step improvements (Iterative Approach).
Experiments in this aspect first examine how they are effective and inclusive in different contextualizations and situations. E.g. Can a tool be developed using simple technology to virtually meet like-minded elderly people living in different cities?
Can an organization or system be established to harness the knowledge and experience of older people in education and society? Or can they make innovative wheelchairs for flat mobility and increased independence?
A proper combination of these four aspects is the core of “experiential learning” in design. This approach is followed with slight variations in many design education institutions around the world. Design education does not have specific textbooks and standardized curriculum, but design education is based on conscious and holistic consideration of daily life experiences, surrounding social, cultural, political conditions and their changes.
In this, students are encouraged to do many activities and it is through this that life-oriented learning of design takes place.
While pursuing design education, students often have the freedom to choose their own projects according to their hobbies, inclinations, available time and user needs. Their curriculum may include the following: E.g.
- Taking up new technical and industrial projects and presenting creative options and solutions through brainstorming together.
- Students with diverse views, different educational and cultural backgrounds (interdisciplinary teams) come together for group discussions, study trips.
- To undertake research projects to solve life-oriented problems facing the worl
- Participating in social impact projects to develop broad, multidimensional and multidimensional thinking skills
- Internship with social or industrial organizations during vacations
- Participation in various national and international design competitions
This “experiential learning” approach benefits design students for their holistic development, cultivating a holistic thought process, enhancing critical thinking and enhancing an interactive approach, which is the foundation of becoming a true designer.
In the next section, we will explain the branches and sub-branches in the design
Kiran Sabnis
Post Graduate in Design from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay,
Over 25 years of experience in corporate and education sector
