Industrial design education in nigeria today: Challenges for the 21st century learners

Abstract

In an era of a rapid technological advancement amidst unprecedented societal transformation, there is an increasing need for an appropriate response in higher education to equip learners with the right knowledge, skills and attitude. A critical look on the role of design education for the 21st Century has raised the need to question the current state of industrial design education in Nigeria towards identifying gaps that must be filled to effectively prepare students for the 21st Century skills demand. This study examines the existing structure of industrial design education in Nigeria in the lights of its curricular content and explores the skills gap for the 21st Century learners through graduates self-Assessment feedbacks. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed for data collection and analysis. Primary data was collected through an e-questionnaire administered to graduating students of industrial design programmes from selected higher institutions in Nigeria. Secondary data was obtained through a thematic review of curricular content of the industrial design programme as approved by the Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC). The study outcome revealed the core components of the curriculum and graduates self-rating of their competence using twelve classifications of evolving skill sets for job readiness in the 21st Century.