image by McKenna Sanderson
In the fall of 2008, the Department of Design offered the first Design Foundations courses, separate from the art core.
As chair of the Design Foundations Committee, I researched the role of design foundations courses on a national level, analyzed the skill sets needed by students to enter the professional world, and examined the learning style of design students and the expected learning outcomes.
Larry Hefner, chair of the Department of Design, trusted me to research and write all the curriculum, projects, and rubrics used in all four Design Foundations courses. To maintain consistency, I included rubrics and a day-by-day lesson plan for each instructor in each course. I also conducted weekly meetings to assess students’ progress from class to class to ensure that students received a cohesive learning experience from instructor to instructor.
According to Susan Roth-King, Interim Dean of the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University and NASAD accreditation consultant, “This is an innovative program that benefits from the experience and dedication of the Foundation Coordinator and faculty who teach in the program as well as the collaborative process of developing the program. The value of this initiative was demonstrated by the quality of student work displayed during the visit. Student work indicated conceptual understanding and the willingness to experiment with various materials and approaches. (sic) Due to the extent of technical instruction, skill development, and conceptual content that must be covered in design programs tied to professional practice, a foundation program focusing on design from year one is a good approach. Outcomes following the Design Foundations Program implementation have already required re-calibrating subsequent courses intended to accommodate students with more advanced skill levels.”
So what’s even better than getting to start a thing from zero? Handing the thing off and watching it get even better!
Over the last several years, Amy Jacobson-Peters, Sam Ladwig, Sam Washburn and Adrienne Wright have taken our Design Foundations to the next level! As a result, outcomes are more robust, and retention is up! Then in 2017, the Foundations’ team (Sam Ladwig, Amy Jacobson-Peters, Adrienne Wright, and Sam Washburn) took things a step further and separated Deign Foundations II and IV by discipline (GD/ID), and wow, it’s even better, with stronger retention!
Special thanks to Larry Hefner, the Design Chair, who saw the vision, took it forward, pushed it through, and taught the classes. Larry, you rule!
Check out the results Sam, Amy, Keith, JIme, Brock, Jing, James, and Adrienne have gotten!
