<p dir="ltr">This research examines the integration of three academic units—engineering/technology, business management, and liberal arts—through collaborative teaching. Two instructors from different disciplines guide students together in real-time to solve relevant problems and explore opportunities for innovation. To gain insights, a qualitative case study approach was used, incorporating semi-structured interviews with university stakeholders, observations of co-taught classes, and analysis of curriculum materials. The study was framed by the Community of Transformation (CoT) theoretical perspective. This methodology provided an understanding of the dynamics of cross-college co-teaching in higher education to foster innovation. The results highlight both benefits and obstacles related to institutional structure, advising, implementation of co-teaching, and strategies for sustaining cross-college co-teaching for transdisciplinarity in the pursuit of innovation. </p>

The purpose of my dissertation study is to better understand the educational experiences of undergraduate engineering students within non-curricular learning environments, specifically in the form of extracurricular engineering groups or programs. I first conducted a content analysis of engineering education literature to identify where engineering design learning occurs, and to synthesize the implications of studies regarding engineering design learning. Aiming to fill a gap in the literature regarding non-curricular learning contexts, this study investigated what extracurricular groups and programs can educationally provide undergraduate engineering students by observing and interviewing students engaging in these environments. This study also aimed to identify if and how engineering students find navigational flexibility within engineering curricula, and how non-curricular learning environments might provide navigational flexibility. With regard to where engineering design learning occurs, the literature points to various educational contexts that effectively deliver engineering design education. Strategies that involve authentic and longer-term engineering design experiences tend to be the most impactful in terms of student outcomes and perceptions, however those experiences are not always implementable at larger scale. More traditional educational approaches to engineering design learning, though less impactful, are still effective delivery methods for introducing key aspects of engineering design education (e.g. modeling, global/societal/economic/environmental factors, communication skills). However, there was limited literature regarding more non-curricular learning experiences, such as learning in designed settings, outreach learning, learning media, and everyday informal learning. This literature review is one of the first attempts towards synthesizing where and how engineering design learning occurs, and has identified a significant gap in the literature regarding non-curricular educational settings. Addressing the identified gap in engineering education literature regarding non-curricular learning experiences, this dissertation study investigated five non-curricular engineering learning sites for undergraduate engineering students at a large research-driven state institution. Informed by the preliminary findings of a pilot study, I first investigated the salient features of engineering-related non-curricular activities from the students' perspectives using a self-directed learner autonomy framework to guide the study. Students participating in extracurricular engineering environments exhibited strong attributes of self-directed learners, particularly a willingness and ability to be challenged and to learn. The educational environments of the extracurricular opportunities cultivated these self-directed learning attributes by providing students a space to be exposed to an engineering community, authentic engineering work, and accessible resources. Findings from this portion of the dissertation indicated necessary modifications to the self-directed learner autonomy framework used to guide this study. The modified framework contributes a possible approach towards future assessment or research pursuits regarding non-curricular learning experiences in engineering. I also investigated the role non-curricular activities play in providing engineering students navigational flexibility through engineering curricula. Extracurricular engineering environments afford navigational flexibility by offering students opportunities to work on motivating challenges with and among supportive communities. By providing a space for students to express their engineering selves in primarily self-directed ways, extracurricular engineering experiences cultivate students' drive to find and pursue personally meaningful curricular and non-curricular educational experiences. However, institutional barriers, particularly time constraints and institutionally recognized achievements, stifle students' flexibility and willingness to pursue personally meaningful experiences. The findings of this study have helped uncover the various affordances non-curricular learning experiences provide engineering students, but more importantly, have identified the institutional barriers that prevent students from taking full advantage of non-curricular learning experiences. Based on these findings, I recommend that university and program level structures be reevaluated to encourage and provide students with more flexibility to find personalized learning experiences in and out of the classroom. / Ph. D.

A key advantage of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the opportunity to design and fabricate complex structures that cannot be made via traditional means. However, this potential is significantly constrained by the use of a facet-based geometry representation (e.g., the STL and the AMF file formats); which do not contain any volumetric information and often, designing/slicing/printing complex geometries exceeds the computational power available to the designer and the AM system itself. To enable efficient design and fabrication of complex/multi-material complex structures, several algorithms are presented that represent and process solid models as a set of voxels (three-dimensional pixels). Through this, one is able to efficiently realize parts featuring complex geometries and functionally graded materials. This thesis specifically aims to explore applications in three distinct fields namely, (i) Design for AM, (ii) Design for Manufacturing (DFM) education, and (iii) Reverse engineering from imaging data wherein voxel-based representations have proven to be superior to the traditional AM digital workflow. The advantages demonstrated in this study cannot be easily achieved using traditional AM workflows, and hence this work emphasizes the need for development of new voxel based frameworks and systems to fully utilize the capabilities of AM. / MS / Additive Manufacturing(AM) (also referred to as 3D Printing) is a process by which 3D objects are constructed by successively forming one-part cross-section at a time. Typically, the input file format for most AM systems is in the form of surface representation format (most commonly. STL file format). A STL file is a triangular representation of a 3-dimensional surface geometry where the part surface is broken down logically into a series of small triangles (facets). A key advantage of Additive Manufacturing is the opportunity to design and fabricate complex structures that cannot be made easily via traditional manufacturing techniques. However, this potential is significantly constrained by the use of a facet-based (triangular) geometry representation (e.g., the STL file format described above); which does not contain any volumetric (for e.g. material, texture, color etc.) information. Also, often, designing/slicing/printing complex geometries using these file formats can be computationally expensive. To enable more efficient design and fabrication of complex/multi-material structures, several algorithms are presented that represent and process solid models as a set of voxels (three-dimensional pixels). A voxel represents the smallest representable element of volume. For binary voxel model, a value of ‘1’ means that voxel is ‘on’ and value of 0 means voxel is ‘off’. Through this, one is able to efficiently realize parts featuring complex geometries with multiple materials. This thesis specifically aims to explore applications in three distinct fields namely, (i) Design for AM, (ii) Design for Manufacturing (DFM) education, and (iii) Fabricating models (Reverse engineering) directly from imaging data. In the first part of the thesis, a software tool is developed for automated manufacturability analysis of a part that is to be produced by AM. Through a series of simple computations, the tool provides feedback on infeasible features, amount of support material, optimum orientation and manufacturing time for fabricating the part. The results from this tool were successfully validated using a simple case study and comparison with an existing pre-processing AM software. Next, the above developed software tool is implemented for teaching instruction in a sophomore undergraduate classroom to improve students’ understanding of design constraints in Additive Manufacturing. Assessments are conducted to measure students’ understanding of a variety of topics in manufacturability both before and after the study to measure the effectiveness of this approach. The third and final part of this thesis aims to explore fabrication of models directly from medical imaging data (like CT Scan and MRI). A novel framework is proposed which is validated by fabricating three distinct medical models: a mouse skull, a partial human skull and a horse leg directly from corresponding CT Scan data. The advantages demonstrated in this thesis cannot be easily achieved using traditional AM workflows, and hence this work emphasizes the need for development of new voxel based frameworks and systems to fully utilize the capabilities of AM.

<p dir="ltr">In contemporary engineering education landscapes, integrating the arts and engineering often adopts a utilitarian lens, emphasizing the enhancement of engineers' creativity or the aesthetic embellishment of final solutions. However, this narrow perspective overlooks the profound potential of the arts in co-creating meaningful solutions, perpetuating epistemic injustices by relegating the arts and other ways of knowing to mere complements of technical knowledge. In this seminar, I present the findings of an autoethnographic inquiry aimed at disrupting traditional disciplinary boundaries within engineering design education. I explore novel educational paradigms by integrating arts and engineering to challenge the notion of engineering as the exclusive owner of problem-solving knowledge.</p><p dir="ltr">Through the lens of autoethnography, I engage in reflective analysis of my role as a curriculum and instructional designer endeavoring to integrate the arts and engineering in pursuit of epistemic justice for the arts. Four distinct curricular initiatives are studied: the Compassionate Engineering course for undergraduate engineering students, the Shadow Puppetry Box activity for middle-school students within a summer camp setting, the Elegance in Engineering module for graduate-level engineering education, and the Social Justice and Civil Engineering module designed for undergraduate civil engineering students. By crafting autoethnographic artifacts such as video reflections and video art, I embrace reflexivity and introspection, elucidating the critical considerations and obstacles encountered in designing for epistemic justice through arts-engineering integration. Additionally, I explore how the learning design process facilitated the development of comprehensive and impactful curricula. I also examine the outcomes and implications of implementing these emergent curricula on pedagogical approaches and student learning experiences.</p><p dir="ltr">This study provides a space for reflection, inquiry, and inspiration, inviting participants to challenge conventional disciplinary boundaries, interrogate prevailing engineering paradigms, and envision transformative approaches to interdisciplinary education. By embracing the complexities of arts-engineering integration, I endeavor to forge new pathways toward inclusive and equitable educational practices, reshaping the education landscape for the better.</p>

[pt] Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo propor recomendações para o ensino do design no Amazonas a partir do conceito de identidade cultural. Utilizando-se de uma abordagem qualitativa, através da pesquisa bibliográfica e da técnica do grupo focal, a investigação teve como fios condutores duas vertentes discursivas: uma teórica e outra empírica. Na vertente teórica estão as discussões sobre as categorias da racionalidade moderna e da modernização e suas implicações para a compreensão da identidade cultural, no âmbito do ensino do design no Amazonas. No que respeita à empiria e a partir da realização dos grupos focais, encontram-se os registros dos conceitos sobre identidade cultural, lidos sob uma perspectiva crítica que advém da ideia de emancipação social. Os dados obtidos forneceram subsídios para a indicação de princípios pedagógicos, metodológicos e epistemológicos, a serem observados, no contexto do ensino do design no Amazonas, com vistas à consecução de processos de ensino contextualizados e assentes nas especificidades socioculturais desta porção do Brasil. / [en] This research has as objective to propose recommendations for design education in Amazonas, parting from the concept of cultural identity. By using a qualitative approach, through bibliographic research and the focal group technique, the investigation had for guidelines two discursive strands: one theoretical an the other empiric. In the theoretical strand there are discussions about categories of modern rationality as well as modernization and their implications for comprehending cultural identity, in the scope of design education in Amazonas. About the empirical aspect and parting from the focal groups accomplished, registries of concepts about cultural identity are found, and then read under a critical perspective which comes from the idea of social emancipation. The data obtained provided subsidies for indicating educational, methodological and epistemological principles to be observed in the context of design education in Amazonas, aiming at the attainment of contextualized educational processes, such processes also being based in the sociocultural specificities of this portion of Brazil.

This research addresses the effect of pedagogical ways-of-knowing in higher education design programmes such as Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion, and Industrial Design. One problematic aspect of design studio pedagogy is communication between teachers and students about the aesthetic visual meaning of the students’ designed objects. This problematic issue involves ambiguous and divergent ways-of-knowing the design meaning of these objects. The research focus is on the design teacher role in design studio interactions, and regards pedagogical ways-of-knowing as the ways in which teachers expect students to know visual design meaning. This pedagogical issue is complicated by the fact that there is no agreed-upon corpus of domain knowledge in design, so visual meaning depends greatly on the social knowledge retained by students and teachers. The thesis pursues an explanation of pedagogical ways-of-knowing that is approached through the philosophy of critical realism. How it is that particular events and experiences come to occur in a particular way is the general focus of critical realist philosophy. A critical realist approach to explanation is the use of abductive inference, or inference as to how it is that puzzling empirical circumstances emerge. An abductive strategy aims to explain how such circumstances emerge by considering them in a new light. This is done in this study by applying Luhmann’s theory of the emergence of cognition in communication to teacher ways-of-knowing in the design studio. Through the substantive use of Luhmann’s theory, an abductive conjecture of pedagogical ways-of-knowing is mounted. This conjecture is brought to bear on an examination of research data, in order to explain how pedagogical ways of-knowing constrain or enable the emergence of shared visual design meaning in the design studio. The abductive analysis explains three design pedagogical ways-of-knowing: design inquiry, design representation and design intent. These operate as macro relational mechanisms that either enable or constrain the emergence of shared visual design meaning in the design studio. The mechanism of relation is between design inquiry, design representation and design intent as historical knowing structures, and ways-of-knowing in respect of each of these knowing structures. For example, design inquiry as an historical knowing structure has over time moved from ways-of-knowing such as rationalistic problem solving to direct social observation and later to interpretive cultural analysis. The antecedence of these ways-of-knowing is important because communication about visual meaning depends upon prior knowledge, and teachers may then reproduce past ways-of-knowing. The many ways-of-knowing that respectively relate to design inquiry, design representation and design intent are shown to be communicatively formed and recursive over time. From a Luhmannian perspective, these ways-of-knowing operate as variational distinctions that indicate or relate to the knowing structures of design inquiry, design representation and design intent. This is the micro-level operation of pedagogical ways-of-knowing as relational mechanisms in design studio communication. Design teachers’ own ways-of-knowing may then embrace implicit way-of-knowing distinctions that indicate the knowledge structures of design inquiry, design representation and design intent. This implicit indication by distinction is the relational mechanism that may bring design teachers’ expectation that this and not that visual design meaning should apply in communication about any student’s designed object. Such an expectation influences communication between teachers and students about the potential future meaning of students’ designs. Consequently, shared visual design meaning may or may not emerge. The research explanation brings the opportunity for design teachers to make explicit the often implicit way-of-knowing distinctions they use, and to relate these distinctions to the knowing structures thus indicated. The study then offers a new perspective on the old design pedagogical problem of design studio conflict over the meaning of students’ designs. Options for applying this research explanation in design studio interactions between students and teachers are therefore suggested.

This project explores innovative methodologies for design education. It is an investigation of teaching design fundamentals in an outdoor classroom.

[pt] Considerando a prática de ensino na disciplina DSG1002 – Projeto Planejamento, pertencente ao curso de graduação em Design da PUC-Rio, a presente tese faz uma teorização da prática de ensino tendo como campo da pesquisa a disciplina supracitada no período de 2011 a 2013 e apresenta a proposta de uma matriz instrumental pedagógica para o ensino de projeto. Este trabalho toma como base a matriz homóloga de Mamede-Neves e articula as pesquisas de Vergnaud, Bleger, Pichón-Riviève, Wertheimer, Polya, Cross e Schön. / [en] Considering the teaching methods in discipline DSG1002 -- Planning Project, belonging to the Design graduation course at PUC_Rio, this thesis intends to theorize teaching methods, having as its research field the above mentioned discipline in the 2011-2013 period, and presenting the proposal of a pedagogical instrumental pattern for teaching projects. This work is based on the Mamede-Neves homologous pattern and it articulates the researches made by Vergnaud, Bleger, Pichón-Riviève, Wertheimer, Cross and Schön.

[pt] O trabalho trata das possibilidades de atuação do designer no campo da telemedicina e apresenta uma proposta pedagógica para um curso de especialização em Design para Projetos de Telemedicina. O modelo de processo de aprendizagem, desenvolvido e aplicado ao curso, é baseado na interação entre ensino, pesquisa e desenvolvimento, e se propõe a promover a reflexão sobre o campo ao qual for aplicado, através da produção de experiências práticas. Uma primeira etapa do estudo consta de revisão de literatura sobre telemedicina. Conceitos, definições, formação, questões éticas, recursos tecnológicos, políticas de saúde e vantagens de sua aplicação em países periféricos. Um panorama da telemedicina no Brasil é apresentado, tomando como referência experiências desenvolvidas na Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz e na Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP. Em seguida, questões de interatividade são enfocadas, trazendo a discussão sobre convergência de mídias e a abordagem de Media Ecology - estudo do ambiente midiático como estrutura, conteúdo e impacto nas pessoas - , à luz do design. A proposta de um curso de especialização em Design para Projetos de Telemedicina surge como desenho de uma parceria entre o design e a telemedicina. O modelo pedagógico proposto integra os dois campos, e pretende ser responsável pelo surgimento de um espaço de destaque, constituindo-se como local de produção, construção e inovação em telemedicina. Na conclusão do estudo são feitas considerações sobre design colaborativo, design participativo, e acima de tudo, design centrado no homem. São apresentadas oportunidades para os designers no campo da telemedicina e possíveis desdobramentos para a pesquisa. / [en] The possibilities for designers` performance in the field of telemedicine are the focus of this thesis. A pedagogic proposal for a Design Specialist Program in Telemedicine Projects is presented. The academic structure suggested for the program is based on a learning process model conceived for integrating education, research and development; stimulating, through a trainee program based on practical experiences, a reflexive attitude towards the field to which the model is applied. The first part of the research contains a review of literature relating to telemedicine. Concepts, definitions, educational issues, ethic concerns, technological resources, political health strategies and the advantages of using telemedicine in peripheral countries are addressed. An overview of Brazilian telemedicine state of the art is presented, based on initiatives conducted by Fiocruz - Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and by the University of Sao Paulo Medical School - FMUSP. Interactivity issues are discussed next, from the perspective of design, covering the convergence of media and the Media Ecology approach - the study of media environments as structure, content and its impact on people. The proposal of a Design Specialist Program in Telemedicine Projects emerges from a partnership between design and telemedicine. The pedagogic model proposed integrates two fields, intending to favor the birth of a distinct space, which aims excellence in the production, as well as construction and innovation in telemedicine. To conclude the study, considerations concerning collaborative design, participatory design and human- centered design are presented. Design opportunities in the field of telemedicine are suggested and possible directions for further research are raised.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-06-27T16:33:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiza Leal Fontanella_.pdf: 15738578 bytes, checksum: 45fea0b476c58e5b707ace3683ece480 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-27T16:33:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiza Leal Fontanella_.pdf: 15738578 bytes, checksum: 45fea0b476c58e5b707ace3683ece480 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-24 / Nenhuma / As heurísticas são regras gerais de influência que atuam nas decisões das pessoas. Estudos recentes mostram que elas interferem nas decisões de projeto dos designers, tanto através do uso da memoria ou da imaginação (heurística da disponibilidade), quanto de julgamentos por similaridade (heurística da representatividade). Devido ao fato de designers lidarem com problemas incertos, percebe-se a importância desses profissionais estarem cientes do processo que envolve tais julgamentos intuitivos. Acredita-se que o ensino do autoconhecimento intuitivo, durante os anos de formação dos designers, tem o potencial de prepará-los para projetar com maior consciência dos processos cognitivos envolvidos em suas práticas. Nesse sentido, o presente estudo propôs, como objetivo geral, compreender o funcionamento das heurísticas em estudantes de design nas decisões de projeto, durante o seu primeiro e último ano de formação. Para tanto, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa exploratória com entrevistas em profundidade, buscando entender o problema através das percepções dos próprios estudantes de design. Como principais resultados, percebeu-se que as heurísticas atuam nos designers em formação, durante todo o processo de projeto. Além disso, elas demostraram estar mais presentes do que o raciocínio, ao tomar decisões projetuais. Quanto a diferença sobre o a influência das heurísticas entre os estudantes do início e do final do curso, observou-se que os alunos cursando o último ano da graduação tinham percepção sobre algumas influências heurísticas. Porém por não terem conhecimento sobre o processo intuitivo, e nem da atuação das heurísticas, os estudantes não sabiam como gerenciar tais influências. Sendo assim, compreendeu-se a importância das instituições de ensino de design incentivarem o desenvolvimento da intuição, buscando integra-lo as habilidades trabalhadas nos seus programas de educação. / Heuristics are general rules of influence that act on people's decisions. Recent studies show that they interfere in designers' project decisions, either through the use of memory or imagination (heuristics of availability), or through judgments by similarity (heuristics of representativeness). Because designers deal with uncertain problems, its possible to realize the importance of these professionals being aware of the process involving such intuitive judgments. It is believed that the teaching of intuitive self-knowledge during the formative years of designers has the potential to prepare them to project with greater awareness of the cognitive processes involved in their practices. In this sense, the present study proposed, as a general objective, to understand the operation of heuristics in design students in design decisions during their first and last year of formation. For that, an exploratory research with in-depth interviews was developed, trying to understand the problem through the perceptions of the students of design itself. As main results, it was noticed that heuristics act in the designers in formation, throughout the entire design process. In addition, they proved to be more present than reasoning in making project decisions. As for the difference about the influence of the heuristics between the students at the beginning and end of the course, it was observed that the last year students of had perceptions about some heuristic influences. But, because they had no knowledge of the intuitive process, or of the heuristics, they did not know how to manage such influences. Thus, it was understood the importance of design education institutions to encourage the development of intuition, seeking to integrate it to the skills worked in their education programs.