COMPETENT DESIGNERS: INCULCATING DESIGN COMPETENCIES THROUGH COURSES

This paper presents the use of the Design Competency Assessment (DesCA) framework to enhance collaboration between courses in an interdisciplinary design-based curriculum at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). The paper illustrates the use of this framework in SUTD's second term Design Thinking Project (DTP). The DTP explicitly brings together the learnings of the courses taking place in that term, in particular the introductory Design Thinking and Innovation (DTI) course. DTP as a joint project is facilitated by faculty from different disciplines. Students have to demonstrate how different disciplines have influenced their design project. DesCA was introduced in the planning of the project to identify competencies needed for DTP and overlay these onto the existing course schedule. The results of this case study suggests that DesCA, as a competency-based approach, provides a common language between faculty of different disciplines and is an effective means: to gain a common understanding of the required competencies; to obtain coherence between courses in an interdisciplinary curriculum; and to form the basis for assessment. This should allow for a more coherent and integrated approach to design education, which is essential for producing graduates with a broad range of knowledge and skills and attitudes to tackle complex global challenges.