Document Type

Working Paper

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

*pedagogy

Publication Details

DIT Technology enhanced learning, Teaching and assessment, June 2014.

Abstract

The Design Studio Environment

The subject of Interior design is a problem-solving methodology, whether it is enhancing the way a building’s space is used, or designing a piece of furniture based on the anthropometrics of the human form. The Technological University Dublin’s BA Interior Design studio class is where these types of problems are generally worked through and solved, with the support of lecturers and peers. The studio class is also where major long-term design projects are designed, created, visualized, and critiqued.

In addition to equipping students with the appropriate skills and ability to develop a creative approach to solving design problems, the DIT program document stipulates that upon completion, graduates will have a comprehensive understanding of the integration and evaluation of the work of other professionals in a design team. Therefore, the open and engaging environment of the design studio, and it’s dynamics between learners, becomes an integral place of learning for students while they work on their major projects.

This paper will establish the rationale behind the integration of an ePortfolio into design studio projects, by looking at the challenges many design lecturers currently face with various practical teaching methods. It will discuss how ePortfolios can be used to enhance these practical teaching methods, by documenting student learning and progression, encouraging collaboration and facilitating reflection – key stages of interior design project work, thereby allowing for the adoption of a key trend that is accelerating higher education technology today.


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