USING THE STEAM X D FRAMEWORK FOR TRANSDISCIPLINARY DESIGN TRAINING OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS THROUGH THE FRESHMORE ASIAN CO-CURRICULUM TRIP (FACT) PROGRAMME

In this work, we extended the STEAM x D (STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, and D = Design Thinking) framework to international student transdisciplinary product design training (e.g., outside conventional classroom context). The student training was carried out through an international institutional collaboration between universities in Vietnam and Singapore, termed the Freshmore Asean Co-curriculum Trip (FACT) developed for first-year students at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). In the collaboration with Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV), 30 first-year SUTD students and 18 second-, and third-year FUV students participated in a 5-day product design programme with emphasis on sustainability of the textile industry (e.g., clothing re-use and shoe design and fabrication). In the programme, the double diamond design thinking framework (Discovery, Define, Develop, Deliver) was applied while students received “just-in-time” training in various disciplines, such as the socio-cultural-historical context, Micro-design innovation, sight visits, sustainable design, idea generation, prototyping, and communication. At the end of the 5-day programme, student teams of 4-5 students showcased their prototypes/ideas to a panel of expert judges from academia and industry to receive prompt feedback. In general, some prototypes raised the interest of involved and third parties due to their creative solutions, while the programme student survey feedback showed high levels of student engagement, enhanced awareness of Design Thinking, Sustainable Design, Transdisciplinary Design, and the Socio-historical-cultural context when addressing real-life problems. Overall, the participating students found the 5-day international product design programme a useful, enriching, and unique design experience.