A six-course meal for technology of design

Abstract

Entry-level technology studies in architecture often baffle first-year university students, and academic staff in turn tend to resist teaching foundational studies in the technology of design (ToD). ToD has often been considered “high risk,” as evidenced by a high proportion of dropouts and retakes, and has been deemed the least preferred subject among both students and academics. Based on activated awareness of design as a mode of pedagogy, the new learning design transformed technology education, enabling students to learn through technology interaction instead of theory recitals and memory testing. The improved undergraduate ToD unit took on the form of a project hub, and the technology that students studied was immersive and hands on. This new learning design utilized real-world occurrences. When students could apply concepts and gain a clear grasp of their principles, learning outcomes became spontaneous. Design activism, which was conceptualized in the six-course meal model, built excitement around learning and assignment tasks. Backed by established learning and teaching concepts such as the controlled guidance procedure-and scenario-based learning, the ToD unit achieved increased student performance by reducing effort, inhabiting learning, and facilitating memory retention. The increased performance and retention rates among students demonstrated that design activism can help students approach learning via cyclic deductive–inductive learning routes with multiple entry points.