Rejected…

Below is the abstract for a paper that I was working on for a recent UCDA design education conference. Unfortunately, it got dismissed… As I complete my thoughts on the subject, I thought I would share this in the mean time. When I tighten up the writing, I will post it here. Be sure to come back soon!

Passion, Curiosity (and not Technology) in Design Education

Technology is a necessary evil to becoming a designer today; students feel the need to learn it, their parents want to know about it, our institutions sell it, and design firms are dependent on the technical knowledge base of these young designers. But what if I told you that you did not have to teach technology to teach design? Surprised? Outraged? 

Passion, curiosity, and communication are the skill sets that make for successful design learning, in the long-term. These are the attributes that are inherent in all top-tier design students, and, if we bring this to the classroom on a regular basis, it is something that can eventually rub off on these young creative minds.

This paper will discuss the origins of passion, curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge, and how we, as the educators of the next design generation, can help our students achieve their professional goals by instilling these values.

“Our passions are the winds that propel our vessel. Our reason is the pilot that steers her.”—Proverb