Knowledge Building and Collaborative Learning in Design Studies

Contemporary university students exhibit a preference for adopting an autonomous approach to their studies in order to achieve concrete learning objectives. Regarding the future role of designers, they will be required to possess advanced problem-solving skills for the benefit of society and business. There exists a disparity between the preferences of students and the requirements of the industry in the field of design education. It is worth investigating if the process of knowledge development might help bridge this gap. It is necessary to reassess the training provided to students in order to prepare them for the evolving nature of design and enhance the education of emerging designers. Education researchers have suggested that incorporating the notion of knowledge building into design education will enable students to effectively share their thoughts and ideas during debates, hence enhancing their learning experience and practical application of information. To assess the efficacy of the technique, a mixed-methods study design was used, including both qualitative and quantitative research procedures. The research used classroom observations, student questionnaires, and in-depth interviews as data gathering and analysis tools to comprehend and summarize information about the application of the knowledge-building strategy in the design course. Therefore, this research seeks to investigate how the process of knowledge creation might empower students to enhance their interest in improving the study’s subject matter and content by identifying and addressing problems. The potential for implementing knowledge building in a university design course was thus examined.