Renewal of design teaching resources by the practice of environmental scanning

Abstract

Teachers' resources renewal is a critical aspect of design education. Design teachers update and renew their resources to keep their lectures and project topics up to date, in line with contemporary issues and societal changes, and to assure their lifelong learning and professional development. Yet, few studies were published on resource renewal process in design education. Researches usually focus on teaching resources and cultural capital qualification. This paper analyses the resource renewal process in design education. Our methodology comprehends the construction of a conceptual framework based on Environmental Scanning, which was studied through a qualitative study involving fifteen design teachers in France. Our results show that design teachers update and renew teaching resources according to their personal areas of interest and students' needs. Their renewal process is different depending on whether they are creating lectures and topics, they are working with other teachers or with external partners. Relationships and networks appear important, teachers rely on their network of colleagues, design practitioners and project partners to access emerging issues.