The Power of Effective Design Teachers in Imparting Effective Design Education

What design is and its role in the world is something that professional design organisations struggle to express to the very consumers of design. I also see design education as struggling to impart to the future practitioners the understanding of the role and power of design on the world. This isn’t something to be addressed by running discrete units in a curriculum, but rather through investing the teaching staff with the enthusiasm for design as well as the historical, cultural and theoretical aspects of the discipline that encompasses a wide variety of mini-disciplines. There are a variety of techniques and lessons that can be learnt from short term teaching courses. The ability to deliver current and contemporary knowledge along with a historical insight, as well as an accomplished skill set is something that needs to be nurtured and encouraged. This paper explores how these skills can be imparted effectively to students through effective teaching techniques of delivery and assessment as well as interpersonal skills training.