SECAC-MACAA Richmond, VA
October 21-24, 2010
This year SECAC was held in Richmond, VA in partnership with Mid-America College Art Association hosted by the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. I had proposed a panel titled Research and Design: A match made in Heaven or Hell and it got accepted. I had very interesting paper proposals from which I chose 5 plus mine. Ambitious no? I had thought of not presenting my paper in favor of the applicants. However, one of the panelists had to decline participation thus, giving me a chance to present my paper. I had thought about this panel and paper since I started teaching the Capstone class at Harrington College in 2009.
Our panel had very interesting topics ranging from methodologies on how to teach and embed research in the design process, simple methodical analogies and parallels between the client-designer relationship and others. One paper in particular, Experience Design Models— a Compass for Integrating Methodology, Research and Criteria by Troy Abel from Virginia Tech and Andrea Quam from Iowa State University provided historical background for research methodologies in the practice of design education. It was very informative and it ended with a proposal for a rubric or project evaluation. Another paper presented by Adream Blair from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee titled Participatory Design Research and Ethnographic Research in the Classroom: Incorporating Research into the Design Curriculum presented an example of a comprehensive process book students put together documenting their process and results after a semester of intense research. This research involved developing and making products that would be sold to the consumers. Diane Gibbs from University of South Alabama titled Wait: We Were Supposed to Research? talked about students’ perceptions of research methodologies and the analogies she develops throughout the semester to help them understand how relevant research is to the design process. It was without a doubt a very funny and upbeat presentation. Diane has great sense of humor and the most remarkable statement she stated:
Design is like a good bra. It supports everything.
My own paper had to do with my experience teaching a research-based class informally called the Capstone at Harrington College and few examples from the class. The Capstone class at Harrington is an undergrad thesis class where students propose a relevant topic to the design community, faculty, and/or peers to research and develop throughout the semester. They develop a thesis statement or a statement of intent and in doing so they need to present at least 7 sources in favor and against their position. The argument is presented and once the objections are understood and answered, they move to the design of an artifact in response to the research. My teaching the class during this last year has offered me with the opportunity to learn as much as the students about teaching and understanding the design process. I believe a designer should always be learning and teaching is the best way to learn something.
The common thread in the papers presented at my panel: Research and Design: A match made in Heaven or Hell, was the idea of providing students with projects that instill in them the need to research before creating a solution. The main goal being that a designer, as a problem solver needs to engage in self-initiated inquiries and look for ways to actively take responsibility for all stages of the design process. In a manner of speaking, it is instilling in the student the idea that making a client happy is not all there is to the practice of design nor is the ultimate goal. Responding to a client’s paradigm or problem involves much more than his happiness. It also needs to involve issues pertaining sustainability, audience reception of intended and unintended messages and others. Many people in the conference warmly complimented our panel. My panel members and I were very happy about that.
making a client happy is not all there is to the practice of design nor is the ultimate goal.
While at the conference, I attended other panels and listened to several papers on a diverse range of topics. Teaching History of Graphic Design: A Bore or A Blast? was one such panel I thought offered concrete and practical methods to teach what many consider a dry topic. There was the 3Rs and Visual Mapping by Adrienne R. Schwarte from Maryville College. I found these tools not just helpful but also very easy to integrate in any other class topic. My only question when I attended this panel was: If everybody here agrees that lecturing is the most unlikely method for students to retain information, why is this panel being done in lecture mode? Some panelists had very interesting ideas of how to teach graphic design history and I wondered why not use or implement some of those methods in this panel and deliver a paper in an unorthodox manner? But perhaps that is just me since I have actually danced Tango while 5 months pregnant so that audience would appreciate the creative pursuit I was presenting in my paper. Another very interesting panel titled Beyond Ka-Blam! Teaching Comics in College to Design students. I found this panel to be extremely interesting because personally I had never considered the symbolic and metaphoric qualities of the narrative. I learned that there is a wealth of meaning in comic books story telling.
My only question when I attended this panel was: If everybody here agrees that lecturing is the most unlikely method for students to retain information, why is this panel being done in lecture mode?
I also had signed up for a free Architectural Tour of Richmond. How could I not? It offered three of my favorite things: free, architecture, and walking around town. I only regretted not having my Canon EOS with me. My pictures were taken with my Hipstamatic App for my iPhone. The vintage look of the photos somehow consoles me of not having been able to take detailed pictures. Interesting detail in Richmond is that almost every older house would have decorated columns in it. These of course, made an ordinary porch look royal and more glamorous. The architecture tour was a real treat in my trip. Beautiful details, houses, buildings, textures, tile works, and others.
The architecture tour was a real treat in my trip. It offered three of my favorite things: free, architecture, and walking around town.
Here are some photos for your enjoyment. If you want to see more, please visit http://almahoffmann.blogspot.com/search/label/architecture. Enjoy!
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