Project methods as the framework for undergraduate design education: a systems-based study of congruence, commonality and variation

Over recent years there has been much debate regarding the nature of undergraduate design education, but very little in the way of empirical research. The purpose of the research study reported in this thesis was to develop an empirically grounded explanation of undergraduate design education curriculum. Projects, traditionally used as the organising mechanism of the design curriculum, were the focus of the study. Taking into account the complex and situated nature of the curriculum, systems theory was used as the underlying conceptual framework for the study. Based at a faculty of design in an Australian metropolitan university, a qualitative case study approach was taken to the research. This focused on a set of four unit of study cases and six project cases, including curriculum from graphic, digital media, product and interior design programs. Data were collected from a variety of sources within those cases, including program documents, observations of classes, learning and teaching documentation, and interviews with teachers. A series of analyses of the curriculum were carried out, each using a distinct lens. First, the data were analysed for categorisation of components of the curriculum. Findings from this analysis were used to generate a systems-based curriculum model. This model was then used as an organising mechanism for the subsequent analyses. These iterations of analysis were used to identify, respectively: internal logic (congruence) among the components in each project case; common characteristics across the project cases, and; variation across the project cases. Findings demonstrated that there was general congruence within the project cases, indicating an overall alignment of learning objectives, learning activities, resources, and assessment. There were also some areas of dissonance, including striking challenges with the articulation of key concepts and establishing a balance between student and teacher roles in relation to the projects. The analysis of commonalities resulted in a definition of projects in the design education context. In the final analysis, of variation between projects, distinct differences in scale, complexity and roles were found between the project cases. These differences formed the basis of a project methods typology. The findings from this study constitute a significant contribution to the literature on design education practice and project methods. Of demonstrable significance to practitioners, the curriculum model and analysis of congruence provide guidance to teachers in the complexity of alignment issues in the development and enactment of curriculum. The definition of projects in this context substantially extends on the current literature on project methods, while the demonstration of similarities between the broader educational literature and design education provides a ‘bridging’ language, supporting greater cross-disciplinary educational debate and development. Finally, the typology provides a starting point for decision-making with regard to the selection of appropriate levels of projects for different learning purposes.