Abstract:

Knowledge integration is the process of merging new information into a body of existing knowledge. This is done because no discipline exists on its own, but as a subset of several disciplines that exists across various knowledge domains. This argument holds if an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum programming is considered in the conceptualisation of a curriculum. Evaluating and integrating new knowledge with existing knowledge are fundamental aspects in the professional training and development of Arts and Design students at universities. This is needed to produce graduates that will meet the ever-evolving market needs, as well as developing graduates that meet requirements of their respective industries. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Art and Design lecturers on knowledge integration in the subjects offered in their curricula and to explore how Art and Design lecturers perceive the application of the knowledge integration principle across institutional faculties' curricula. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with lecturers from the Arts and Design discipline. That data was analysed using thematic analysis. According to the findings, there is very little knowledge integration at the University Swelandawo, even within departments, and they are still used to the system of subject specialization, which produces graduates who are mostly geared to think in one specific direction, which does not meet the current changing market and technological development. The findings also suggested that there is a strong need for the notion of knowledge integration to be adopted in all institutions of higher learning, and that lecturers must be properly trained to apply it effectively. To answer both questions, interviews were conducted on a face-face basis with the lecturers who are in the Art and Design department at the University of Swelidawo. The lecturers perceive knowledge integration as a useful instrument that can equip students with adequate skills that can make them competitive in the market world. These skills allow the students to be flexible and be able to meet the demands of many jobs or positions without struggling too much which is the case of based discipline-based studies. They produce people who are harnessed to think and act in a specific way and anything outside of that proves to be a problem, which becomes a problem in terms of production.

Keywords:

Art and design, Curriculum, disciplinary knowledge, knowledge integration, Lecturers, university, South Africa.