2024
Boling, Elizabeth; Gray, Colin M
Anthony Cerise Book Section
In: Ertmer, Peggy A; Glazewski, Krista D; Koehler, Adrie A; Stefaniak, Jill E (Ed.): The ID CaseBook: Case Studies in Instructional Design, pp. 127–138, Routledge, New York, 2024, ISBN: 9781003354468.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Instructional Design, Learning Experience (LX) Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education
@incollection{Boling2024-co,
title = {Anthony Cerise},
author = {Elizabeth Boling and Colin M Gray},
editor = {Peggy A Ertmer and Krista D Glazewski and Adrie A Koehler and Jill E Stefaniak},
url = {https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003354468/chapters/10.4324/9781003354468-12},
doi = {10.4324/9781003354468-12},
isbn = {9781003354468},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-04-01},
urldate = {2024-04-01},
booktitle = {The ID CaseBook: Case Studies in Instructional Design},
pages = {127–138},
publisher = {Routledge},
address = {New York},
abstract = {Hustling across campus at Mid-State University, Anthony Cerise,
an associate professor in the College of Education, juggles his
backpack, his morning coffee in a paper cup, and the agenda he
just printed for a meeting to which he hopes he will not be
late. His scarf is flapping across his face thanks to a stiff
fall breeze, blinding him off and on, but in a stroke of luck he
spots the campus bus in time to flag it down, only spilling a
little coffee as he does so. He sprints up the bus steps and
flops down on a worn vinyl seat just behind the driver, who sees
him on this route between the education and engineering
buildings often enough not to require his campus ID when he
boards. Good thing, too; he doesn't have a hand free to fish his
wallet out of his pocket. It was also fortunate that he caught
the bus, he thinks; it's important to arrive on time today
without having to sprint. This meeting is being held to discuss
issues with the IDP (or, as the dean always states in full, the
Integrated Design Program). Showing up disheveled, let alone
late, would not put him on the right foot. Sure, the program is
a big success—that's the problem, in fact; it has grown so
large and so quickly that he and his colleagues desperately need
to confer on where it is coming apart at the seams. But Anthony
is keenly aware of the tensions which have existed in the
program since the beginning, not to mention those between the
program and the administration right now. As the leader of the
faculty team which designs and implements the program, he works
to keep an even keel and to exude confidence on behalf of them
all. He'd like to maintain that presence. More than that, he
doesn't want to give Roger Went, head of the administrative
steering committee, any reason to carry back to the other deans
an impression that their current growing pains are any worse
than they really are. Despite the ballooning enrollments in IDP,
or perhaps because of them, Anthony knows there are those on
campus who wouldn't mind seeing this program shut down. It is
drawing enrollments away from other majors, including those
currently contributing to the multidisciplinary effort as
partners. Others, he suspects, are eyeing the program as a
candidate for moving online with outsourcing for recruitment and
program management, the idea being that if it is growing as a
campus program, it will surely be a moneymaker online. If he and
his fellow colleagues cannot handle their current growing pains,
he worries that the institutional support they need will be
withdrawn or that the program might be effectively taken out of
their hands.},
keywords = {Design Education, Instructional Design, Learning Experience (LX) Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Hustling across campus at Mid-State University, Anthony Cerise,
an associate professor in the College of Education, juggles his
backpack, his morning coffee in a paper cup, and the agenda he
just printed for a meeting to which he hopes he will not be
late. His scarf is flapping across his face thanks to a stiff
fall breeze, blinding him off and on, but in a stroke of luck he
spots the campus bus in time to flag it down, only spilling a
little coffee as he does so. He sprints up the bus steps and
flops down on a worn vinyl seat just behind the driver, who sees
him on this route between the education and engineering
buildings often enough not to require his campus ID when he
boards. Good thing, too; he doesn't have a hand free to fish his
wallet out of his pocket. It was also fortunate that he caught
the bus, he thinks; it's important to arrive on time today
without having to sprint. This meeting is being held to discuss
issues with the IDP (or, as the dean always states in full, the
Integrated Design Program). Showing up disheveled, let alone
late, would not put him on the right foot. Sure, the program is
a big success—that's the problem, in fact; it has grown so
large and so quickly that he and his colleagues desperately need
to confer on where it is coming apart at the seams. But Anthony
is keenly aware of the tensions which have existed in the
program since the beginning, not to mention those between the
program and the administration right now. As the leader of the
faculty team which designs and implements the program, he works
to keep an even keel and to exude confidence on behalf of them
all. He'd like to maintain that presence. More than that, he
doesn't want to give Roger Went, head of the administrative
steering committee, any reason to carry back to the other deans
an impression that their current growing pains are any worse
than they really are. Despite the ballooning enrollments in IDP,
or perhaps because of them, Anthony knows there are those on
campus who wouldn't mind seeing this program shut down. It is
drawing enrollments away from other majors, including those
currently contributing to the multidisciplinary effort as
partners. Others, he suspects, are eyeing the program as a
candidate for moving online with outsourcing for recruitment and
program management, the idea being that if it is growing as a
campus program, it will surely be a moneymaker online. If he and
his fellow colleagues cannot handle their current growing pains,
he worries that the institutional support they need will be
withdrawn or that the program might be effectively taken out of
their hands.
an associate professor in the College of Education, juggles his
backpack, his morning coffee in a paper cup, and the agenda he
just printed for a meeting to which he hopes he will not be
late. His scarf is flapping across his face thanks to a stiff
fall breeze, blinding him off and on, but in a stroke of luck he
spots the campus bus in time to flag it down, only spilling a
little coffee as he does so. He sprints up the bus steps and
flops down on a worn vinyl seat just behind the driver, who sees
him on this route between the education and engineering
buildings often enough not to require his campus ID when he
boards. Good thing, too; he doesn't have a hand free to fish his
wallet out of his pocket. It was also fortunate that he caught
the bus, he thinks; it's important to arrive on time today
without having to sprint. This meeting is being held to discuss
issues with the IDP (or, as the dean always states in full, the
Integrated Design Program). Showing up disheveled, let alone
late, would not put him on the right foot. Sure, the program is
a big success—that's the problem, in fact; it has grown so
large and so quickly that he and his colleagues desperately need
to confer on where it is coming apart at the seams. But Anthony
is keenly aware of the tensions which have existed in the
program since the beginning, not to mention those between the
program and the administration right now. As the leader of the
faculty team which designs and implements the program, he works
to keep an even keel and to exude confidence on behalf of them
all. He'd like to maintain that presence. More than that, he
doesn't want to give Roger Went, head of the administrative
steering committee, any reason to carry back to the other deans
an impression that their current growing pains are any worse
than they really are. Despite the ballooning enrollments in IDP,
or perhaps because of them, Anthony knows there are those on
campus who wouldn't mind seeing this program shut down. It is
drawing enrollments away from other majors, including those
currently contributing to the multidisciplinary effort as
partners. Others, he suspects, are eyeing the program as a
candidate for moving online with outsourcing for recruitment and
program management, the idea being that if it is growing as a
campus program, it will surely be a moneymaker online. If he and
his fellow colleagues cannot handle their current growing pains,
he worries that the institutional support they need will be
withdrawn or that the program might be effectively taken out of
their hands.
2021
Liu, Wei; Lee, Kun-Pyo; Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; Chen, Kuo-Hsiang; Leifer, Larry
Transdisciplinary Teaching and Learning in UX Design: A Program Review and AR Case Studies Journal Article
In: Applied Sciences, vol. 11, no. 22, pp. 10648, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, HCI Education, Transdisciplinary Education
@article{Liu2021-sz,
title = {Transdisciplinary Teaching and Learning in UX Design: A Program Review and AR Case Studies},
author = {Wei Liu and Kun-Pyo Lee and Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Kuo-Hsiang Chen and Larry Leifer},
doi = {10.3390/app112210648},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-01},
urldate = {2021-11-01},
journal = {Applied Sciences},
volume = {11},
number = {22},
pages = {10648},
abstract = {Today's user experience (UX) educators and designers can no
longer just focus on creat- ing more usable systems, but must
also rise to the level of strategists, using design thinking and
human--computer interaction (HCI) solutions to improve academic
and business outcomes. Both psychological, designer, and
engineering approaches are adopted in this study. An invited
program review committee met to review progress of the UX program
at the Beijing Normal University (BNUX). They considered issues
and challenges facing the program today, and the steps that it
could make to develop further. During a recent augmented reality
(AR) project on designing future life experience on smart home
and wearables, several experiential concepts and prototypes were
generated to demonstrate HCI and UX research directions. The
committee was impressed by BNUX with its energy, enthusiasm, and
a sense of purpose on practicing transdisciplinary teaching and
learning activities. Recommendations on the current organization
of education, the relation between project-based learning and
research, and opportunities for exposure and visibility are
provided.},
keywords = {Design Education, HCI Education, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Today's user experience (UX) educators and designers can no
longer just focus on creat- ing more usable systems, but must
also rise to the level of strategists, using design thinking and
human--computer interaction (HCI) solutions to improve academic
and business outcomes. Both psychological, designer, and
engineering approaches are adopted in this study. An invited
program review committee met to review progress of the UX program
at the Beijing Normal University (BNUX). They considered issues
and challenges facing the program today, and the steps that it
could make to develop further. During a recent augmented reality
(AR) project on designing future life experience on smart home
and wearables, several experiential concepts and prototypes were
generated to demonstrate HCI and UX research directions. The
committee was impressed by BNUX with its energy, enthusiasm, and
a sense of purpose on practicing transdisciplinary teaching and
learning activities. Recommendations on the current organization
of education, the relation between project-based learning and
research, and opportunities for exposure and visibility are
provided.
longer just focus on creat- ing more usable systems, but must
also rise to the level of strategists, using design thinking and
human--computer interaction (HCI) solutions to improve academic
and business outcomes. Both psychological, designer, and
engineering approaches are adopted in this study. An invited
program review committee met to review progress of the UX program
at the Beijing Normal University (BNUX). They considered issues
and challenges facing the program today, and the steps that it
could make to develop further. During a recent augmented reality
(AR) project on designing future life experience on smart home
and wearables, several experiential concepts and prototypes were
generated to demonstrate HCI and UX research directions. The
committee was impressed by BNUX with its energy, enthusiasm, and
a sense of purpose on practicing transdisciplinary teaching and
learning activities. Recommendations on the current organization
of education, the relation between project-based learning and
research, and opportunities for exposure and visibility are
provided.
Li, Ziqing; Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; McDonald, Kevin; Marinovic, Lukas; Liu, Wei
Cross-Cultural UX Pedagogy: A China–US Case Study Proceedings Article
In: LearnxDesign: The 6th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, Jinan, China, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Cross-Cultural Education, Design Education, Instructional Design, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Li2021-pm,
title = {Cross-Cultural UX Pedagogy: A China–US Case Study},
author = {Ziqing Li and Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Kevin McDonald and Lukas Marinovic and Wei Liu},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021_Lietal_LxD_CrossCulturalUXPedagogy.pdf},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-09-01},
urldate = {2021-09-01},
booktitle = {LearnxDesign: The 6th International Conference for Design
Education Researchers},
address = {Jinan, China},
institution = {Shandong University of Art and Design},
abstract = {The recent emergence of new undergraduate and graduate design
programs with a focus specific to User Experience (UX) offers
new opportunities to engage with the complexity of these
educational practices. In this paper, we report on a series of
ten interviews with students and faculty to describe
cross-cultural connections between two UX-focused programs,
one in China and one in the United States. Our study includes
the perspectives of students who engaged in intercultural UX
experiences, as well as the perspectives of the faculty who
designed those student experiences through an intercultural
partnership. We report on how each program was created,
developed, and iterated upon, describing program goals and
student experiences across both pro-grams from student and
instructor perspectives. We demonstrate the complexity of UX
educational experiences on an international scale, concluding
with opportunities for intercultural engagement and the
potential for links among education, profession, culture, and
pedagogy.},
keywords = {Cross-Cultural Education, Design Education, Instructional Design, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The recent emergence of new undergraduate and graduate design
programs with a focus specific to User Experience (UX) offers
new opportunities to engage with the complexity of these
educational practices. In this paper, we report on a series of
ten interviews with students and faculty to describe
cross-cultural connections between two UX-focused programs,
one in China and one in the United States. Our study includes
the perspectives of students who engaged in intercultural UX
experiences, as well as the perspectives of the faculty who
designed those student experiences through an intercultural
partnership. We report on how each program was created,
developed, and iterated upon, describing program goals and
student experiences across both pro-grams from student and
instructor perspectives. We demonstrate the complexity of UX
educational experiences on an international scale, concluding
with opportunities for intercultural engagement and the
potential for links among education, profession, culture, and
pedagogy.
programs with a focus specific to User Experience (UX) offers
new opportunities to engage with the complexity of these
educational practices. In this paper, we report on a series of
ten interviews with students and faculty to describe
cross-cultural connections between two UX-focused programs,
one in China and one in the United States. Our study includes
the perspectives of students who engaged in intercultural UX
experiences, as well as the perspectives of the faculty who
designed those student experiences through an intercultural
partnership. We report on how each program was created,
developed, and iterated upon, describing program goals and
student experiences across both pro-grams from student and
instructor perspectives. We demonstrate the complexity of UX
educational experiences on an international scale, concluding
with opportunities for intercultural engagement and the
potential for links among education, profession, culture, and
pedagogy.
2020
Gray, Colin M; Parsons, Paul; Toombs, Austin L
Building a Holistic Design Identity Through Integrated Studio Education Book Chapter
In: Hokanson, Brad; Clinton, Gregory; Tawfik, Andrew; Grincewicz, Amy; Schmidt, Matthew (Ed.): Educational Technology Beyond Content - A New Focus for Learning, pp. 43-55, Springer, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, HCI Education, Instructional Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education
@inbook{Gray2020e,
title = {Building a Holistic Design Identity Through Integrated Studio Education},
author = {Colin M Gray and Paul Parsons and Austin L Toombs},
editor = {Brad Hokanson and Gregory Clinton and Andrew Tawfik and Amy Grincewicz and Matthew Schmidt},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_4},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_4},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-04-01},
urldate = {2020-04-01},
booktitle = {Educational Technology Beyond Content - A New Focus for Learning},
pages = {43-55},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {Design education has quickly evolved from product- to interaction-focused outcomes. As the technical skills needed for success become increasingly unstable, a holistic means of instruction is needed to prepare students for the realities of practice. In this chapter, we describe the creation of a novel undergraduate user experience (UX) design program that focuses on learning strands that weave throughout a studio-based program. Instead of relying upon content-delineated coursework, where strands of competence necessary for practice are often siloed, the integrated studio encourages students to build a flexible design identity, relating multiple strands of content to one another in a systematic way throughout their program.},
keywords = {Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, HCI Education, Instructional Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
Design education has quickly evolved from product- to interaction-focused outcomes. As the technical skills needed for success become increasingly unstable, a holistic means of instruction is needed to prepare students for the realities of practice. In this chapter, we describe the creation of a novel undergraduate user experience (UX) design program that focuses on learning strands that weave throughout a studio-based program. Instead of relying upon content-delineated coursework, where strands of competence necessary for practice are often siloed, the integrated studio encourages students to build a flexible design identity, relating multiple strands of content to one another in a systematic way throughout their program.
Gray, Colin M; Parsons, Paul; Toombs, Austin L; Rasche, Nancy; Vorvoreanu, Mihaela
Designing an Aesthetic Learner Experience: UX, Instructional Design, and Design Pedagogy Journal Article
In: International Journal of Designs for Learning, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 41-58, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Case, Design Education, HCI Education, Instructional Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education
@article{Gray2020-sk,
title = {Designing an Aesthetic Learner Experience: UX, Instructional Design, and Design Pedagogy},
author = {Colin M Gray and Paul Parsons and Austin L Toombs and Nancy Rasche and Mihaela Vorvoreanu},
doi = {10.14434/ijdl.v11i1.26065},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
urldate = {2020-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Designs for Learning},
volume = {11},
number = {1},
pages = {41-58},
abstract = {In this design case, we describe a multi-year process during which a team of faculty designed a four-year undergraduate major in user experience (UX) design at a large research-intensive institution. We document the program- and course-level design experiences of five faculty members. This multi-year process has culminated in a dual-strand, integrated studio learning environment. Two types of studios—“learning” and “experience” studios—form the core of the program, with learning studios allowing cohort-specific skills development and practice, and experience studios providing cross-cohort opportunities to work on industry projects. We detail our process of developing this course sequence and the program-level connecting points among the courses, identifying institutional supports and barriers, the unique and varied skillsets of the involved faculty, and the growing agency and competence of our students in the program.
},
keywords = {Design Case, Design Education, HCI Education, Instructional Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In this design case, we describe a multi-year process during which a team of faculty designed a four-year undergraduate major in user experience (UX) design at a large research-intensive institution. We document the program- and course-level design experiences of five faculty members. This multi-year process has culminated in a dual-strand, integrated studio learning environment. Two types of studios—“learning” and “experience” studios—form the core of the program, with learning studios allowing cohort-specific skills development and practice, and experience studios providing cross-cohort opportunities to work on industry projects. We detail our process of developing this course sequence and the program-level connecting points among the courses, identifying institutional supports and barriers, the unique and varied skillsets of the involved faculty, and the growing agency and competence of our students in the program.
Varner, Deena; Gray, Colin M; Exter, Marisa E
A Content-Agnostic Praxis for Transdisciplinary Education Book Chapter
In: Hokanson, Brad; Clinton, Gregory; Tawfik, Andrew A; Grincewicz, Amy; Schmidt, Matthew (Ed.): Educational Technology Beyond Content: A New Focus for Learning, pp. 141-151, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2020, ISBN: 9783030372545.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Instructional Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inbook{Varner2020b,
title = {A Content-Agnostic Praxis for Transdisciplinary Education},
author = {Deena Varner and Colin M Gray and Marisa E Exter},
editor = {Brad Hokanson and Gregory Clinton and Andrew A Tawfik and Amy Grincewicz and Matthew Schmidt},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_12},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_12},
isbn = {9783030372545},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
booktitle = {Educational Technology Beyond Content: A New Focus for Learning},
pages = {141-151},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {In this chapter, we describe a novel transdisciplinary undergraduate program that is focused on developing students’ praxis to address problems across disciplinary boundaries and provide a means to interrogate discipline-specific content, epistemologies, and research methodologies they might encounter across those spaces. We argue that undergraduate educators have the potential to inculcate students’ praxis to effect social innovation across disciplinary boundaries by facilitating engagement with three interrelated processes: habits of mind, ways of knowing, and the adoption of a transdisciplinary, content-agnostic skillset. We describe each set of processes, along with core transdisciplinary skills and ways of knowing, building towards a content-agnostic instructional design approach.},
keywords = {Design Education, Instructional Design, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
In this chapter, we describe a novel transdisciplinary undergraduate program that is focused on developing students’ praxis to address problems across disciplinary boundaries and provide a means to interrogate discipline-specific content, epistemologies, and research methodologies they might encounter across those spaces. We argue that undergraduate educators have the potential to inculcate students’ praxis to effect social innovation across disciplinary boundaries by facilitating engagement with three interrelated processes: habits of mind, ways of knowing, and the adoption of a transdisciplinary, content-agnostic skillset. We describe each set of processes, along with core transdisciplinary skills and ways of knowing, building towards a content-agnostic instructional design approach.
2019
Exter, Marisa E; Gray, Colin M; Fernandez, Todd M
Conceptions of design by transdisciplinary educators: Disciplinary background and pedagogical engagement Journal Article
In: International Journal of Technology and Design Education, vol. 30, pp. 777-798, 2019, ISSN: 1573-1804.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Theory, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@article{Exter2019-uc,
title = {Conceptions of design by transdisciplinary educators: Disciplinary background and pedagogical engagement},
author = {Marisa E Exter and Colin M Gray and Todd M Fernandez},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/inpress_ExterGrayFernandez_IJTDE_ConceptionsOfDesign.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-019-09520-w},
doi = {10.1007/s10798-019-09520-w},
issn = {1573-1804},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Technology and Design Education},
volume = {30},
pages = {777-798},
abstract = {In this study, we describe similarities and differences in how
faculty members from across disciplinary backgrounds
conceptualize design. The study is situated in an innovative
transdisciplinary undergraduate degree program centered on a
studio-based learning experience co-taught by multi-disciplinary
faculty. While faculty celebrated the opportunity to integrate
multiple disciplinary perspectives, they showed a lack of
awareness about differences in how they conceptualized design and
design pedagogy, especially early on. In-depth interviews and
sketches of eight faculty members provided insights on alignment
around core concepts of design, design process, and design
instruction. Common themes in design definitions included
creation of something new, human-centered design, and focus on
problem framing over solution development. There was disagreement
on the relationship between design and other ways of knowing,
such as problem solving and scientific reasoning. Most used
process models incorporating non-linearity, iteration,
prototyping, and balance between research and design ideation.
While there were many similarities in teaching approach, the
rationale given for decisions varied, highlighting underlying
differences in how participants thought about teaching design.
Instructional alignment is an important consideration in
designing a transdisciplinary learning experience, but may be
hard to achieve due to cultural and institutional disciplinary
boundaries. Collaborative teaching efforts benefit when faculty
engage in self-reflection, discussion, and engagement in
meaningful synthesis work related to understanding what design is
and how it can be taught. Such work will enable a team to create
purposeful learning experiences which leverages the benefits of
exposure to a range of design problems, contexts, users, and
design ``flavors.''},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Theory, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In this study, we describe similarities and differences in how
faculty members from across disciplinary backgrounds
conceptualize design. The study is situated in an innovative
transdisciplinary undergraduate degree program centered on a
studio-based learning experience co-taught by multi-disciplinary
faculty. While faculty celebrated the opportunity to integrate
multiple disciplinary perspectives, they showed a lack of
awareness about differences in how they conceptualized design and
design pedagogy, especially early on. In-depth interviews and
sketches of eight faculty members provided insights on alignment
around core concepts of design, design process, and design
instruction. Common themes in design definitions included
creation of something new, human-centered design, and focus on
problem framing over solution development. There was disagreement
on the relationship between design and other ways of knowing,
such as problem solving and scientific reasoning. Most used
process models incorporating non-linearity, iteration,
prototyping, and balance between research and design ideation.
While there were many similarities in teaching approach, the
rationale given for decisions varied, highlighting underlying
differences in how participants thought about teaching design.
Instructional alignment is an important consideration in
designing a transdisciplinary learning experience, but may be
hard to achieve due to cultural and institutional disciplinary
boundaries. Collaborative teaching efforts benefit when faculty
engage in self-reflection, discussion, and engagement in
meaningful synthesis work related to understanding what design is
and how it can be taught. Such work will enable a team to create
purposeful learning experiences which leverages the benefits of
exposure to a range of design problems, contexts, users, and
design ``flavors.''
faculty members from across disciplinary backgrounds
conceptualize design. The study is situated in an innovative
transdisciplinary undergraduate degree program centered on a
studio-based learning experience co-taught by multi-disciplinary
faculty. While faculty celebrated the opportunity to integrate
multiple disciplinary perspectives, they showed a lack of
awareness about differences in how they conceptualized design and
design pedagogy, especially early on. In-depth interviews and
sketches of eight faculty members provided insights on alignment
around core concepts of design, design process, and design
instruction. Common themes in design definitions included
creation of something new, human-centered design, and focus on
problem framing over solution development. There was disagreement
on the relationship between design and other ways of knowing,
such as problem solving and scientific reasoning. Most used
process models incorporating non-linearity, iteration,
prototyping, and balance between research and design ideation.
While there were many similarities in teaching approach, the
rationale given for decisions varied, highlighting underlying
differences in how participants thought about teaching design.
Instructional alignment is an important consideration in
designing a transdisciplinary learning experience, but may be
hard to achieve due to cultural and institutional disciplinary
boundaries. Collaborative teaching efforts benefit when faculty
engage in self-reflection, discussion, and engagement in
meaningful synthesis work related to understanding what design is
and how it can be taught. Such work will enable a team to create
purposeful learning experiences which leverages the benefits of
exposure to a range of design problems, contexts, users, and
design ``flavors.''
Gray, Colin M; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai
Engaging Design Students in Value Discovery as "Everyday Ethicists" Proceedings Article
In: Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences, pp. 187–189, AIGA Design Educators Community, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Design Education, Ethics and Values, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Gray2019-ez,
title = {Engaging Design Students in Value Discovery as "Everyday Ethicists"},
author = {Colin M Gray and Shruthi Sai Chivukula},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11688977},
doi = {10.3998/mpub.11688977},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
booktitle = {Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences},
volume = {(Decipher, Vol. 1)},
pages = {187--189},
publisher = {AIGA Design Educators Community},
abstract = {In creating the not-yet-existing, the designer takes on a
substantial weight of responsibility not only for the present
use of a designed artifact or experience but also the
potential futures that these artifacts or experiences may
potentially embody. In this way, design activity can be viewed
as always already being linked to social change, mediated
through the character of the designer. In this conversation,
we seek to explore how design activity—in particular, the
education of designers—might celebrate this ethical
responsibility as a form of activism that inherently
celebrates and embodies a certain set of social values while
simultaneously excluding other possible social values. We
advocate for a repositioning of the role of values and ethics
in relation to design activity, seeing ethical concerns not as
a constraint or barrier to action but rather as a generative
driver of design concepts through the process of value
discovery.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Design Education, Ethics and Values, Studio Pedagogy, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In creating the not-yet-existing, the designer takes on a
substantial weight of responsibility not only for the present
use of a designed artifact or experience but also the
potential futures that these artifacts or experiences may
potentially embody. In this way, design activity can be viewed
as always already being linked to social change, mediated
through the character of the designer. In this conversation,
we seek to explore how design activity—in particular, the
education of designers—might celebrate this ethical
responsibility as a form of activism that inherently
celebrates and embodies a certain set of social values while
simultaneously excluding other possible social values. We
advocate for a repositioning of the role of values and ethics
in relation to design activity, seeing ethical concerns not as
a constraint or barrier to action but rather as a generative
driver of design concepts through the process of value
discovery.
substantial weight of responsibility not only for the present
use of a designed artifact or experience but also the
potential futures that these artifacts or experiences may
potentially embody. In this way, design activity can be viewed
as always already being linked to social change, mediated
through the character of the designer. In this conversation,
we seek to explore how design activity—in particular, the
education of designers—might celebrate this ethical
responsibility as a form of activism that inherently
celebrates and embodies a certain set of social values while
simultaneously excluding other possible social values. We
advocate for a repositioning of the role of values and ethics
in relation to design activity, seeing ethical concerns not as
a constraint or barrier to action but rather as a generative
driver of design concepts through the process of value
discovery.
Murdoch-Kitt, Kelly; Gray, Colin M; Parsons, Paul; Toombs, Austin L; Louw, Marti; Gent, Elona Van
Developing Students' Instrumental Judgment Capacity for Design Research Methods Proceedings Article
In: Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences, pp. 108–115, AIGA Design Educators Community, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Methods, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Murdoch-Kitt2019-sw,
title = {Developing Students' Instrumental Judgment Capacity for Design Research Methods},
author = {Kelly Murdoch-Kitt and Colin M Gray and Paul Parsons and Austin L Toombs and Marti Louw and Elona Van Gent},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11688977},
doi = {10.3998/mpub.11688977},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
booktitle = {Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences},
volume = {(Decipher, Vol. 1)},
pages = {108--115},
publisher = {AIGA Design Educators Community},
institution = {Üniver},
abstract = {How are we currently teaching design research? How can we do
it better? How are educators fostering students' development
of "instrumental judgment"? This activity group encourages
participants to explore the ways that educators teach
research-through-making and research-informed making at
multiple curricular levels. For example, students seeking
advanced degrees in design are grappling with "rigor" and
"distinction," learning how these characteristics of
research are defined and understood in other disciplines as
well as in relation to creative practice. Meanwhile, educators
at K-12 and undergraduate levels struggle to incorporate
creative inquiry processes in meaningful ways, grasping for
resources and leaning on others' "design thinking"
approaches.},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Methods, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
How are we currently teaching design research? How can we do
it better? How are educators fostering students' development
of "instrumental judgment"? This activity group encourages
participants to explore the ways that educators teach
research-through-making and research-informed making at
multiple curricular levels. For example, students seeking
advanced degrees in design are grappling with "rigor" and
"distinction," learning how these characteristics of
research are defined and understood in other disciplines as
well as in relation to creative practice. Meanwhile, educators
at K-12 and undergraduate levels struggle to incorporate
creative inquiry processes in meaningful ways, grasping for
resources and leaning on others' "design thinking"
approaches.
it better? How are educators fostering students' development
of "instrumental judgment"? This activity group encourages
participants to explore the ways that educators teach
research-through-making and research-informed making at
multiple curricular levels. For example, students seeking
advanced degrees in design are grappling with "rigor" and
"distinction," learning how these characteristics of
research are defined and understood in other disciplines as
well as in relation to creative practice. Meanwhile, educators
at K-12 and undergraduate levels struggle to incorporate
creative inquiry processes in meaningful ways, grasping for
resources and leaning on others' "design thinking"
approaches.
2018
Gray, Colin M; Fernandez, Todd M
When World(view)s Collide: Contested Epistemologies and Ontologies in Transdisciplinary Education Journal Article
In: International Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 574–589, 2018, ISSN: 0949-149X.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@article{Gray2018-wz,
title = {When World(view)s Collide: Contested Epistemologies and Ontologies in Transdisciplinary Education},
author = {Colin M Gray and Todd M Fernandez},
issn = {0949-149X},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Engineering Education},
volume = {34},
number = {2},
pages = {574--589},
abstract = {In conjunction with the drive towards human-centered design in
engineering education, questions arise regarding how students
build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity, and how
this identity points towards beliefs about the nature of reality.
In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary
undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and
epistemological perspectives that draw on this social turn,
particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches
and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative
meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the
meaning-making assumptions of the students. Our findings reveal
characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities,
and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in
these subjectivities. Specifically, we show that students'
observable behaviors often mask misalignments between their
epistemic beliefs and the designerly practices they
employ---failing to account for the multiple subjective realities
that the tools are designed to uncover. For these students, that
misalignment makes the learning or practice of designerly
behaviors less formative of a designerly identity. We conclude
with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity
formation in engineering education.},
keywords = {Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In conjunction with the drive towards human-centered design in
engineering education, questions arise regarding how students
build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity, and how
this identity points towards beliefs about the nature of reality.
In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary
undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and
epistemological perspectives that draw on this social turn,
particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches
and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative
meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the
meaning-making assumptions of the students. Our findings reveal
characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities,
and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in
these subjectivities. Specifically, we show that students'
observable behaviors often mask misalignments between their
epistemic beliefs and the designerly practices they
employ---failing to account for the multiple subjective realities
that the tools are designed to uncover. For these students, that
misalignment makes the learning or practice of designerly
behaviors less formative of a designerly identity. We conclude
with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity
formation in engineering education.
engineering education, questions arise regarding how students
build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity, and how
this identity points towards beliefs about the nature of reality.
In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary
undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and
epistemological perspectives that draw on this social turn,
particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches
and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative
meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the
meaning-making assumptions of the students. Our findings reveal
characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities,
and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in
these subjectivities. Specifically, we show that students'
observable behaviors often mask misalignments between their
epistemic beliefs and the designerly practices they
employ---failing to account for the multiple subjective realities
that the tools are designed to uncover. For these students, that
misalignment makes the learning or practice of designerly
behaviors less formative of a designerly identity. We conclude
with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity
formation in engineering education.
2017
Gray, Colin M; Exter, Marisa; Krause, Terri S
Moving Towards Individual Competence From Group Work in Transdisciplinary Education Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition , 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Gray2017d,
title = {Moving Towards Individual Competence From Group Work in Transdisciplinary Education},
author = {Colin M Gray and Marisa Exter and Terri S Krause},
url = {https://peer.asee.org/28691},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-06-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition },
abstract = {Collaboration has been identified as a key 21st century skill, vital for success in multidisciplinary environments that are increasingly common in engineering and technology contexts. While researchers have frequently discussed how students develop competencies that facilitate success in groups, little is known about how individual students build their own sense of competence and autonomy after working primarily in groups. In this paper, we present results from an undergraduate transdisciplinary degree program in which students spent the first two years of their core degree experience working almost exclusively in groups, while also developing an individual set of disciplinary interests and competencies. Researchers built an understanding of students’ individual and group development through extended ethnographic engagement, focus groups, and interviews as students worked concurrently on group and individual projects for the first time during the first semester of their junior year. Based on analysis of this transitional semester, we identified strategies that students used to build an individual sense of competence, in both technical and “soft” skills. These strategies allow for a fuller conversation regarding how students adapt competence gained in their group experiences and identify new areas of competence that must be confronted and mastered. These findings indicate the need to further understand the differences in the ways that the sequencing of group and individual work might impact the development of competencies in individual students, and the ways in which a project-based environment can encourage this development in a systematic and sustainable way.},
keywords = {Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Collaboration has been identified as a key 21st century skill, vital for success in multidisciplinary environments that are increasingly common in engineering and technology contexts. While researchers have frequently discussed how students develop competencies that facilitate success in groups, little is known about how individual students build their own sense of competence and autonomy after working primarily in groups. In this paper, we present results from an undergraduate transdisciplinary degree program in which students spent the first two years of their core degree experience working almost exclusively in groups, while also developing an individual set of disciplinary interests and competencies. Researchers built an understanding of students’ individual and group development through extended ethnographic engagement, focus groups, and interviews as students worked concurrently on group and individual projects for the first time during the first semester of their junior year. Based on analysis of this transitional semester, we identified strategies that students used to build an individual sense of competence, in both technical and “soft” skills. These strategies allow for a fuller conversation regarding how students adapt competence gained in their group experiences and identify new areas of competence that must be confronted and mastered. These findings indicate the need to further understand the differences in the ways that the sequencing of group and individual work might impact the development of competencies in individual students, and the ways in which a project-based environment can encourage this development in a systematic and sustainable way.
Gray, Colin M; Fernandez, Todd M
Developing a Socially-Aware Engineering Identity Through Transdisciplinary Learning Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Mudd Design Workshop X: Design and the Future of the Engineer of 2020, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Gray2017-mi,
title = {Developing a Socially-Aware Engineering Identity Through Transdisciplinary Learning},
author = {Colin M Gray and Todd M Fernandez},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2017_GrayFernandez_MUDD_SociallyAwareEngineeringIdentity.pdf},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Mudd Design Workshop X: Design and the Future of the Engineer of 2020},
publisher = {Harvey Mudd College},
address = {Claremont, CA},
abstract = {In conjunction with the drive towards human-centered design in engineering education, questions arise regarding how students build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity. In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and epistemological perspectives that draw on that social turn, particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the meaning-making assumptions of these students to reveal characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities, and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in these subjectivities. We conclude with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity formation in engineering education.},
keywords = {Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In conjunction with the drive towards human-centered design in engineering education, questions arise regarding how students build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity. In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and epistemological perspectives that draw on that social turn, particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the meaning-making assumptions of these students to reveal characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities, and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in these subjectivities. We conclude with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity formation in engineering education.
Exter, Marisa; Ashby, Iryna; Gray, Colin M; Wilder, Denise Mcallister; Krause, Terri S
Systematically Integrating Liberal Education in a Transdisciplinary Design Studio Environment Proceedings Article
In: ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings, ASEE, Columbus, Ohio, 2017, ISSN: 2153-5965.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Exter2017-dv,
title = {Systematically Integrating Liberal Education in a Transdisciplinary Design Studio Environment},
author = {Marisa Exter and Iryna Ashby and Colin M Gray and Denise Mcallister Wilder and Terri S Krause},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2017_Exteretal_ASEE_HumanitiesIntegration.pdf
https://peer.asee.org/28901},
issn = {2153-5965},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
booktitle = {ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings},
volume = {2017-June},
publisher = {ASEE},
address = {Columbus, Ohio},
abstract = {Many scholars have cited the importance of integrating humanities and social science content into engineering and technology education, noting the value in building students’ deep competence in communication and interpersonal skills, including an understanding of how technology is intertwined with societal and human needs. However, there is relatively little guidance as to how viewpoints and content from liberal education perspectives might be integrated systematically into a single, transdisciplinary learning experience that allows students to view the world through different lenses from a variety of disciplinary perspectives while locating and synthesizing information crucial to solving interesting and worthwhile problems that may not be obvious from a solely technical or solely humanities perspective. In this paper, we present a case study including multiple iterations of a learning experience that integrates liberal education, design, and technology content and forms the core of an undergraduate transdisciplinary degree program. Using an ethnographic approach, we trace the evolution of students’ and instructors’ perceptions and intentions in relation to integrating liberal education, and document these perspectives through interviews, focus groups, and course observations.},
keywords = {Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Many scholars have cited the importance of integrating humanities and social science content into engineering and technology education, noting the value in building students’ deep competence in communication and interpersonal skills, including an understanding of how technology is intertwined with societal and human needs. However, there is relatively little guidance as to how viewpoints and content from liberal education perspectives might be integrated systematically into a single, transdisciplinary learning experience that allows students to view the world through different lenses from a variety of disciplinary perspectives while locating and synthesizing information crucial to solving interesting and worthwhile problems that may not be obvious from a solely technical or solely humanities perspective. In this paper, we present a case study including multiple iterations of a learning experience that integrates liberal education, design, and technology content and forms the core of an undergraduate transdisciplinary degree program. Using an ethnographic approach, we trace the evolution of students’ and instructors’ perceptions and intentions in relation to integrating liberal education, and document these perspectives through interviews, focus groups, and course observations.
Exter, Marisa; Gray, Colin M; Fernandez, Todd M
Transdisciplinary design education: Do differing disciplinary backgrounds divide or unify? Proceedings Article
In: Mudd Design Workshop X: Design and the Future of the Engineer of 2020, Claremont, CA, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Theory, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Exter2017-rr,
title = {Transdisciplinary design education: Do differing disciplinary backgrounds divide or unify?},
author = {Marisa Exter and Colin M Gray and Todd M Fernandez},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2017_ExterGrayFernandez_MUDD_ConceptionsofDesign.pdf},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
booktitle = {Mudd Design Workshop X: Design and the Future of the Engineer of 2020},
address = {Claremont, CA},
abstract = {The purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and differences in understandings of design among faculty with differing backgrounds. By understanding how faculty conceptualize design, we can assess the impact of potential misalignment on a design-dependent educational environment. Faculty interviewed for this paper are involved in an innovative transdisciplinary program, in which students are encouraged to understand and activate both technical and humanistic skills and knowledge to address “wicked” design problems. The program relies on design philosophies (e.g., human-centered design) and pedagogical emphasis (i.e., studio). The faculty have spent significant time co-designing the program-level experience, and generally assumed that the group has a common understanding of concepts related to design and how those concepts may be operationalized in the classroom. This assumption was challenged as teaching practices evolved based on student responses and changing membership of the faculty group. An apparent lack of alignment among faculty inspired us to study the range of beliefs across the faculty group about design, conceptions and operationalization of design terminology, and processes. The following research questions are addressed in this study: 1) How do faculty members characterize design and the design process?; and 2) How consistent are the faculty in the way that they characterize design and the design process?},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Theory, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and differences in understandings of design among faculty with differing backgrounds. By understanding how faculty conceptualize design, we can assess the impact of potential misalignment on a design-dependent educational environment. Faculty interviewed for this paper are involved in an innovative transdisciplinary program, in which students are encouraged to understand and activate both technical and humanistic skills and knowledge to address “wicked” design problems. The program relies on design philosophies (e.g., human-centered design) and pedagogical emphasis (i.e., studio). The faculty have spent significant time co-designing the program-level experience, and generally assumed that the group has a common understanding of concepts related to design and how those concepts may be operationalized in the classroom. This assumption was challenged as teaching practices evolved based on student responses and changing membership of the faculty group. An apparent lack of alignment among faculty inspired us to study the range of beliefs across the faculty group about design, conceptions and operationalization of design terminology, and processes. The following research questions are addressed in this study: 1) How do faculty members characterize design and the design process?; and 2) How consistent are the faculty in the way that they characterize design and the design process?
2016
Epps, Amy Van; Ashby, Iryna; Gray, Colin M; Exter, Marisa
Supporting Student Attainment and Management of Competencies in a Transdisciplinary Degree Program Proceedings Article
In: 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings, ASEE Conferences, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Van_Epps_undated-zv,
title = {Supporting Student Attainment and Management of Competencies in a Transdisciplinary Degree Program},
author = {Amy Van Epps and Iryna Ashby and Colin M Gray and Marisa Exter},
url = {http://peer.asee.org/25977},
doi = {10.18260/p.25977},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-06-01},
booktitle = {2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings},
publisher = {ASEE Conferences},
address = {New Orleans, Louisiana},
keywords = {Design Education, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Gray, Colin M; de Debs, Luciana Cresce El; Exter, Marisa; Krause, Terri S
Instructional Strategies for Incorporating Empathy in Transdisciplinary Technology Education Proceedings Article
In: 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings, ASEE Conferences, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Empathy, Ethics and Values, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Gray2016-rd,
title = {Instructional Strategies for Incorporating Empathy in Transdisciplinary Technology Education},
author = {Colin M Gray and Luciana Cresce El de Debs and Marisa Exter and Terri S Krause},
url = {http://peer.asee.org/25746
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2016_Grayetal_ASEE_EmpathyinTransdisciplinary.pdf},
doi = {10.18260/p.25746},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
booktitle = {2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings},
volume = {2016-June},
publisher = {ASEE Conferences},
address = {New Orleans, Louisiana},
abstract = {In the past decade, there has been an increasing focus on the ethical content of designed artifacts, including the ways in which engineers and technologists are responsible for considering ethical issues relating to the end user or context for which they are designing. Creating sustainable post- secondary ethics education has been an increasing focus in engineering and technology education scholarship, with the goal of developing students’ ability to understand and make ethically-sound design decisions through evidence-based instructional strategies.
In this study, we focus on the ways in which a transdisciplinary educational experience might encourage the development of empathic ability by documenting the activities of undergraduate technology students as they sought to develop an off-the-grid toilet for the “developing” world. Students were exposed to multiple instructional strategies that encouraged them to reconsider their notion of “difference” as it might apply to their semester-long design project. We present several themes of instructional strategies that emerged from instructors and students, and contextualize these strategies in relation to the students’ development of empathic ability. The students in this course struggled to develop empathy that had practical implications for their design activity, suggesting the need for a larger shift in the ability of students to create empathically-driven action. We found that a substantial change in empathic ability also requires a certain amount of vulnerability and ability to position-take (i.e., taking the position of another), indicating the need for “safe spaces” that challenge student perspectives while also encouraging trust and honesty.},
keywords = {Design Education, Empathy, Ethics and Values, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In the past decade, there has been an increasing focus on the ethical content of designed artifacts, including the ways in which engineers and technologists are responsible for considering ethical issues relating to the end user or context for which they are designing. Creating sustainable post- secondary ethics education has been an increasing focus in engineering and technology education scholarship, with the goal of developing students’ ability to understand and make ethically-sound design decisions through evidence-based instructional strategies.
In this study, we focus on the ways in which a transdisciplinary educational experience might encourage the development of empathic ability by documenting the activities of undergraduate technology students as they sought to develop an off-the-grid toilet for the “developing” world. Students were exposed to multiple instructional strategies that encouraged them to reconsider their notion of “difference” as it might apply to their semester-long design project. We present several themes of instructional strategies that emerged from instructors and students, and contextualize these strategies in relation to the students’ development of empathic ability. The students in this course struggled to develop empathy that had practical implications for their design activity, suggesting the need for a larger shift in the ability of students to create empathically-driven action. We found that a substantial change in empathic ability also requires a certain amount of vulnerability and ability to position-take (i.e., taking the position of another), indicating the need for “safe spaces” that challenge student perspectives while also encouraging trust and honesty.
In this study, we focus on the ways in which a transdisciplinary educational experience might encourage the development of empathic ability by documenting the activities of undergraduate technology students as they sought to develop an off-the-grid toilet for the “developing” world. Students were exposed to multiple instructional strategies that encouraged them to reconsider their notion of “difference” as it might apply to their semester-long design project. We present several themes of instructional strategies that emerged from instructors and students, and contextualize these strategies in relation to the students’ development of empathic ability. The students in this course struggled to develop empathy that had practical implications for their design activity, suggesting the need for a larger shift in the ability of students to create empathically-driven action. We found that a substantial change in empathic ability also requires a certain amount of vulnerability and ability to position-take (i.e., taking the position of another), indicating the need for “safe spaces” that challenge student perspectives while also encouraging trust and honesty.