Masters Degrees in Interactive & Electronic Design, Ireland

Interdisciplinary project-based design classes are increasingly common in undergraduate design, engineering, gaming, marketing and business programs. However, there is a paucity of guidelines to support the development, implementation and efficacy evaluation of such new courses. Design projects serve as experiential learning activities for students to appropriately apply a methodical design process to specific design contexts.

Considering this, the objectives of this project are:

• The development and refinement of a framework for undergraduate interdisciplinary design projects.
• Understand the desired learning objectives of different fields with regards to an undergraduate team-based design project.
• Understand student learning of design processes in interdisciplinary design projects.
• Understand the challenges in implementing and evaluation of interdisciplinary design projects for educators

Methodology proposed

• Secondary desk research to establish the key elements of professional interdisciplinary design teams, team formation, and experiential learning of design.
• Interviews of key stakeholders to review their learning objectives for such a design course.
• Interviews with leaders of professional interdisciplinary design groups for review of the structure and expectations of interdisciplinary design teams.
• Iterative development of a proposed framework for an interdisciplinary design module. (For the purpose of this research focus, the proposed class cohorts would be third year students from Product Design and Mechanical Engineering students as part of their existing modules in their respective courses).
• Quantitative data collection on student teams’ design processes will be done using the Design Evaluation and Feedback Tool (DEFT) (attached draft paper submitted to IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies).
• Qualitative observation of student participation and learning in class activities will be collected.
• Triangulation interviews with participants and academic stakeholders as part of the iterative development of the framework

Expected outcomes: (e.g.deliverables & strategic impacts)

• A framework for developing and implementing an interdisciplinary design project in undergraduate programmes
• Evidence of improved student experiential learning in both product and mechanical engineering design skills.
• Demonstration of collaborative integration of the Departments of Humanities and Aerospace, Mechanical and Electronic Engineering using designCORE, engCORE and Learning and Teaching methodologies.