Rethinking Design Skill Formation in Fashion Design Curricula Under Outcome-Based Education: A Document Analysis Approach

Outcome-based education increasingly requires fashion design programs to demonstrate how professional competencies are developed and assessed. This study examines the 2025 Bachelor of Fashion Design curriculum at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Vietnam, to investigate the distribution, integration, and formal documentation of professional competencies. A qualitative document analysis was conducted using the curriculum framework, program learning outcomes, course learning outcomes, course syllabi, outcome mapping matrices, and quality assurance documents from the 2021–2025 review cycle. A deductive framework was used to analyze three domains: Design Thinking, Technical–Technological Competency, and Professional Practice. Technical–Technological Competency represents 48.1% of the 131 curriculum credits, followed by Professional Practice at 27.5% and Design Thinking at 24.4%. Design Thinking is integrated into 42 of 65 courses (57.3%), but is less consistently articulated in written course learning outcomes, particularly in technical courses. The findings identify an Outcome-Based Education Documentation Gap between competencies enacted through learning activities and those explicitly represented in formal outcome mapping and assessment. The study proposes a competency-oriented framework for improving outcome articulation, competency progression, assessment, and curriculum alignment while preserving the iterative and creative nature of fashion design education.