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Implementing an exemplar-based approach in an interaction design subject: enhancing students’ awareness of the need to be creative

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Abstract

In higher education effective teaching includes making learning goals and standards clear to students. In architecture and design education in particular, goals and standards around assessment are often not well articulated. There is good evidence that when teachers engage students before an assessment in marking exemplars, and explain why the exemplars received the grades they did, students’ performance in their written assessment is consequently enhanced. However some teachers are concerned that exemplars may discourage students from being creative; this concern is particularly important in design education. In this small-scale mixed methods study we explore interaction design students’ perceptions of the effect of an exemplar-based teaching approach on their work in a design task. Our quantitative and qualitative results show that students developed their understanding of task criteria and standards; far from discouraging their creativity, most students perceived that their experience of the approach enhanced their awareness of the need to produce an original design. The exemplar-based approach used in this study complements the studio-based teaching approach in design education, and helps to make clear the design goals and standards that teachers expect their students to strive for.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Sydney, Level 3 F07 Carslaw Building, Sydney, Australia

    Graham D. Hendry

  2. Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, Level 2 G04 Wilkinson Building, Sydney, Australia

    Martin Tomitsch

Authors
  1. Graham D. Hendry
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  2. Martin Tomitsch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Graham D. Hendry.

Appendix: Perceptions of marking design project exemplars questionnaire

Appendix: Perceptions of marking design project exemplars questionnaire

Marking the example design projects on my own

  1. 1.

    I made an effort to mark the design projects using the assessment criteria

  2. 2.

    The assessment criteria were easy to understand when I was marking the example design projects

  3. 3.

    The assessment criteria became easier to understand when I was marking the example design projects

  4. 4.

    I found marking the example design projects difficult

Please tell us more

Discussing the example design projects in my group in class

  1. 5.

    During our group discussion I learned that my peers’ views about the quality of the example design projects differed

  2. 6.

    I found discussing the example design projects in my group challenging

Listening to the teacher’s explanation

  1. 7.

    The teacher’s explanation of how they graded the example design projects was useful

  2. 8.

    The teacher made it clear what was expected for a well-designed project

  3. 9.

    My judgements about the quality of the example design projects were confirmed by the teacher

  4. 10.

    The assessment criteria were easier to understand after the teacher explained how they graded the example design projects

  5. 11.

    I was able to relate the teacher’s explanation of the way the example design projects were designed to the way I would approach the design process

  6. 12.

    I found the teacher’s explanation of how they graded the example design projects challenging

Please tell us more

Using the example design projects

  1. 13.

    The example design projects showed me how to start my project

  2. 14.

    Seeing the examples of design projects made it hard for me to be creative in my project

Overall

  1. 15.

    Marking the example design projects and the group discussion and teacher explanation was useful for starting my project

  2. 16.

    Marking the example design projects and the group discussion and teacher explanation led me to think about the quality of work I wanted to achieve with my project

  3. 17.

    Marking the example design projects and the group discussion and teacher explanation gave me confidence to be able to do well in my project

  4. 18.

    From marking the example design projects and the group discussion and teacher explanation I learned about the qualities of a good project

  5. 19.

    I modelled the design of my project on the example of a good project

  6. 20.

    I am able to apply what I learned about well-designed projects to the design process in other units of study

  7. 21.

    Please rank from 1 to 3 the usefulness for your learning of the following activities, where 1 is most useful and 3 is least useful:

Marking the example design projects on my own

Discussing the example design projects in class with other students

Listening to the teacher explain how they graded the example design projects

  1. 22.

    Please tell us why the first ranked activity was most useful

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Hendry, G.D., Tomitsch, M. Implementing an exemplar-based approach in an interaction design subject: enhancing students’ awareness of the need to be creative. Int J Technol Des Educ 24, 337–348 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-013-9256-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-013-9256-6

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