By leaving the classroom and experiencing new ways of looking at the world, students can return to their academic programs energized with new perspectives. It is notoriously difficult to predict the future, so it is folly to limit the range of experiences available to students. Who knows what seemingly crazy idea might be vital to our survival? Indeed, as we move into world that will continually challenge us in new and unexpected ways, the kind of education used to create the problems of the last century is useless for trying to solve them in the next.
This lack of innovation is partially due to the physical and administrative structures of large institutions, which inherently limit interdepartmental collaboration. Who knows what seemingly crazy idea might be vital to our survival? Indeed, as we move into world that will continually challenge us in new and unexpected ways, the kind of education used to create the problems of the last century is useless for trying to solve them in the next.
This results in great deal of discussion about including sustainable design in design school curricula, much of the conversation initiated by students. commentSustainable MetropolisWhat NonTraditional Design Education Can Teach UsBy Antony BrownPosted 20, Institutions of higher learning offer rich opportunities to explore the underlying concepts of design. Just as in natural systems, this approach provides rich environment for experimenting with new ideas. There exists powerful potential for symbiotic relationship between small innovative programs and the larger institutions. The Ecosa Institute, like many other small, nontraditional educational organizations, offers more radical approach to learning.
Programs that are not constrained by the daily pressures of the academic world can provide academia with dispatches from the edge that transform their own programs in positive ways. It is notoriously difficult to predict the future, so it is folly to limit the range of experiences available to students. Rather than limiting the kinds of experiences that students are exposed to, it is my contention that educators should be encouraging students to explore new concepts.
And while more and more electives in this field are being offered, they dont transform traditional design education into something new. By leaving the classroom and experiencing new ways of looking at the world, students can return to their academic programs energized with new perspectives. However, these institutions do not necessarily expose students to ideas outside the mainstream curricula. Who knows what seemingly crazy idea might be vital to our survival?
Tags: Traditional Design
