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A FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Shravya Thandlam Sudhindra  and
Lucienne T.M. Blessing
Shravya Thandlam Sudhindra*
Affiliation:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Lucienne T.M. Blessing
Affiliation:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
*
Thandlam Sudhindra, Shravya, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Engineering Product Development, Singapore, shravya_thandlam@mymail.sutd.edu.sg

Abstract

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The recognition of the value of design has resulted in an increased number of programs and courses that include design and evaluate design competencies. However, there is no common reference system to (1) identify and assess the design competency of learners and the level of design competency aimed for by a course or curriculum; (2) universally recognize design competencies and competency levels.

Our research goal is to identify and define distinct levels of design competency and develop a framework to help instructors, design learners, institutes as well as employers assess and/or recognize competency. This paper introduces our DesCA (Design Competency Assessment) framework and places it in the context of other frameworks. We describe how DesCA helps: (1) identify and assess design competencies associated with different design activities planned for a course or curriculum; (2) formulate learning outcomes and select appropriate competency levels, methods and tools; (3) plan and develop the design content of courses and curricula; (4) ensure curricular consistency across courses.

The vision is to make DesCA a digital platform that can serve as an international standard for design teaching, learning and curriculum development.

Keywords

Design educationDesign learningEvaluationCompetenciesSkills
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 91 - 100
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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