Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development: How Research-led Pedagogy Enhances Design Students' Holistic Learning Experience
Abstract
This study explores strategies for sustainable product development through an interdisciplinary research-led pedagogy. Students enrolled in this Sustainable Design for Healthy Communities (SDHC) study were tasked with participating in a collaborative learning project that explored various modes of critical making, public engagement, and sustainable development utilizing design research processes. The overarching goal for this project was transformational learning, transforming participants' existing understandings of the world and critically considering the implications of their personal habits and consumer choices in the context of health and well-being. By integrating insights from diverse disciplines, the study participants initiated a series of sustainability workshops to achieve their goals. The faculty researchers used a mixed-method approach to track student outcomes, triangulating data from student reflections, classroom exercises, and participant observation. The findings from this study indicate that an interdisciplinary research-led curriculum may improve student understanding of how to connect sustainability to their personal practice and communities.
Keywords: Sustainable pedagogy, interdisciplinary strategy, design teaching, Sustainable design, Design education, Interdisciplinary, Sustainability, Research, Transformational Learning
How to Cite:
Trippeer, B. C., Stark, J., Gam, H. & Park, J. P., (2024) “Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development: How Research-led Pedagogy Enhances Design Students' Holistic Learning Experience”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17424
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