Decoding sustainable competencies and didactics in design education

Abstract

Designers face a world needing help to create sustainable solutions for complex systems. Some researchers stress that many European design graduates still finish their studies with a narrow concentration in design skills and lacks competencies to cope with the complex reality [20]. As such it becomes central how the designers are prepared to meet complex problems. In this way, the what and how they are taught becomes essential. But it also becomes central if the educators have the right competencies and didactic understanding to teach the students sustainability competencies [12] [13] [20]. Finally, as competencies are descriptive for a persons capability of acting, competencies do not ensure action of the intended competency. The use of entrepreneurial didactics in Education for Sustainable Development is therefore essential [6]. The article uses data from two RD projects, asking what competencies students need, which they miss and how they can improve their competencies working with sustainable challenges; the Design for Change Course (DFC) at VIA Design and research performed during the Decoding European Creative Skills (DECS) [1] project, adapted to the DFC course in 2019. It also asks how the educators could improve their Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies. The findings from this study shows a need for change in both the educational didactical approach to ESD education as well in terms of interacting and developing the students competencies. It also shows that very few educators in the immediate vicinity felt capable of or competent to teach in Educations for Sustainable Development.