Abstract:

This paper uses reflective autoethnography to examine the distinctive ethos of professional learning within design education. As a Teaching and Learning specialist, I have found that supporting design educators requires attention to three interwoven dimensions: reflection, risk and relationship. Reflection is central to design practice and professional learning, where educators value dialogue over prescriptive solutions. Risk shapes the identity work of both students and lecturers, particularly in the context of critique and feedback. Relationship sustains the collaborative and affective dynamics of studio culture, positioning lecturers as complex, emotional and social beings who partner with students developing their craft. Supporting them requires approaches that legitimise uncertainty, create space for reflection and sustain the affective and relational dimensions of teaching. In other fields such as law, commerce and the humanities, professional learning is shaped by different disciplinary orientations, often emphasising knowledge-building and its application. While not all aspects of design education are transferable, elements such as reflective dialogue, attention to identity and the centrality of feedback offer insights for professional learning across higher education. The paper concludes by offering a flexible and descriptive framework that emerges from my own living practice as a Teaching & Learning specialist resonating with Living Educational Theory’s emphasis on values-based, evolving practice and honouring the ethos of design education while keeping student learning at the centre.

Keywords:

Design education, Living practice, teaching and learning, professional learning.