‘PARTICIPATION’ AS A STRATEGIC AND CONSTRUCTIVIST PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH IN DESIGN EDUCATION

This study discusses that enhanced participation have the potential to enhance learning by establishing a more grounded dialogue between instructors and students in the design studio. It draws upon the constructivist view of project-based design learning and the concept of participation, defined as a mutual and continuous learning process. First, a workshop was conducted with instructors and students to set a foundation for the main discussion through participants’ views. Then, the outcomes were implemented in a second-year undergraduate industrial design course. A semi-structured interview was conducted with a focus group in addition to an interview with the course coordinator. The results show that participation helps students make sense of both design and learning processes, despite diverse motivations and preferences in learning and participation.