Abstract:

Tertiary-level design education has traditionally been conceived and delivered from a basis of providing vocational skills necessary for entry into the design professions as well as research-based critical thinking skills expected in a university context. While this model has proven to be effective in delivering graduates with a suite of formal-based skills, application of these attributes to ‘real world’ situations is often neglected until students complete their education and begin their careers. With greater demands for universities to engage with communities and stakeholders in a direct and active way, as well as better preparing graduates for the complexities of professional life the question arises as to how to adapt the design curriculum to maintain the field-specific depth of learning while simultaneously reaching out and applying this to situations outside the confines of the design studio.

This study will analyse the development of the curriculum of Australia’s oldest and largest university-level interior architecture degree over the last decade. It will trace the change from a traditional closed model of design education to one in which stakeholder and community engagement is embedded as key to the learning experience. The methodology of the study commences with a survey of the literature relating to stakeholder engagement and learning, particularly relating to architectural and design education. Following this, a number of case studies will be presented looking at the mode of stakeholder engagement, the learning structure of the particular project, the outcomes and qualitative analysis in relation to the discussed literature. The case studies will range from theoretical projects to ones that eventuated in actual construction. It will be posited that the shift towards stakeholder engagement within design education is better preparing students for their professional lives, engendering greater civic awareness, as well as promoting the relevance of design as an integral part of contemporary society.

Keywords:

Design thinking, design education, stakeholder engagement, architectural education, design education pedagogy.