Graphic communications courses are being taught in the province of British Columbia without official recognition from the Ministry of Education. As a result development of graphic communication programs has been sporadic and independent. Although the Ministry of Education does not officially recognize Graphic Communications, they do provide funds for equipment and facilities. Graphic communications or graphic arts is traditionally accepted as a component of industrial education. Without official recognition by the Ministry of Education and the Faculties of Education, there is no teacher training in graphic communications available in this province. Thus educators involved with graphic communication courses have diverse backgrounds and have been trained in either art, industrial education or business education. Curriculum development has reflected this diversity of experience and background. This thesis project was initiated because of the following discrepancies. There are no prescribed courses of study but seventy-five programs exist throughout the province. There are no provincial teacher training programs but teachers are authorized to offer graphic communications courses. There are no provincially prepared resource materials but curriculum guides are available in Canada and the United States. The objective of this thesis is to assemble resource material for graphic communications education and to propose a rationale for the development of a program of studies recognized by the Ministry of Education. Graphic communications is a component of visual communications that integrates concepts from both art education and industrial education. This blend of art and technology can provide a philosophical base for program development. The interface of personal expression with machine manipulation is the basis for preparing graphic materials. The review of graphic communications curriculum materials was initiated to determine the existence and availability of prepared materials. The research was conducted over a twelve month period and consisted of correspondence with every state and provincial education agency in Canada and the United States. The collection represents the present status of curriculum development and provides numerous examples of curriculum strategies. An emphasis on motor skill development was evident in the collected materials. Graphic communications is an inter-disciplinary course of studies and program development should reflect the relationship of imagery and technology. Personal expression and skill development are components needed to prepare and produce graphic material. This philosophical blend of concepts from art and industrial education can provide the impetus to promote the integration of imagery and technology inherent in graphic communications education. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for the Master of Technology Degree: Graphic Design, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / This project has investigated African graphic systems, both writing systems and systems of symbolic graphics. These systems are commonly used in Graphic Design, but those of African origin have been largely ignored in both the applied discipline, and in its History and Theory. The project has attempted to explain this in historical and theoretical terms: its motivation is described in terms of countering the exclusion of African visual culture in the face of historical and ideological factors such as colonialism and globalisation. The project's research aims were to collect as much information as feasible on these systems; and to classify them according to such criteria as their language or cultural group, their location, and the functional nature of the systems. From this body of information a smaller number of representative systems were selected for further description and discussion, in order to highlight the variety of systems existing in Africa, their historical development, and techniques and materials used. These selected systems were then used as inspiration and raw material for a body of applied Graphic Design work, which is intended to provide a visual introduction to the material, and to promote and advocate the revaluation of this cultural material. Information has mainly been gathered by means of library and internet search, in order to establish approximately the extent of the literature in the public sphere. Because of the obscurity of most of this information, it has been gathered from such other disciplines as Linguistics, Anthropology, or History. The project has established the existence of a large number of graphic symbols and systems, and gathered a body of literature and references about them. Many are poorly documented, if at all, and even those for which extensive literature / M

Thesis (M.Tech. - Graphic Design, Dept. of Visual Arts and Design, Faculty of Human Sciences) -- Vaal University of Technology / An exploratory study was undertaken at three campuses of the Vaal University of Technology in response to weak examination results in one of the subjects of the graphic design curriculum. The aim of the study was to investigate visual learning strategies as used in conjunction with co-operative learning approaches in a higher education setting and to asses the appropriateness of these learning approaches in the discipline of graphic design at first-year level. The research questions that guided the study focused on how first-year graphic design learners experience (a) visual learning strategies, (b) a cooperative learning environment, as well as (c) the combination of these. The literature review component of the study covered (1) the fundamentals of visual learning, including the concepts of visual literacy, visual semiotics and visual culture; (2) graphic design education, especially in a South African context; and (3) principles of co~operative learning, including Avenant's requirements for successful group work. In the field work component of the study, multiple-choice questionnaires, open-ended questionnaires and focus group interviews were used as the main data collection methods. The results of the study did not indicate that first-year learners enrolled in the discipline of graphic design are likely to benefit from a combination of visual learning and co-operative learning strategies. Therefore, the implementation of a combination of the above-mentioned teaching strategies is not recommended in this setting.

Thesis (MTech (Graphic Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / This research is an investigation into how Graphic Design, a visual communication subject is taught and learnt at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in light of the dynamics that cultural semiotics present. There is a need to equip students with the cultural awareness to design communication that is sensitive to the varying needs of their consuming audiences. By its very nature, visual communication is vulnerable to an unintended array of misinterpretations because of the audiences’ differing semiotic backgrounds. The pedagogic duty of academy is to equip communication students in this case Graphic Design students with adequate tools to facilitate the understanding of their audiences, the communicative purpose of their designs is compromised. Vygotsky’s (1978) learning theory is therefore applied to examine the role of culture in the teaching and learning of culturally diverse students. Concepts from JoAnn Phillion’s (2002) Narrative Multiculturalism are also used to understand how the narratives collected from the respondent students, lecturers and an industry expert in this study offered guidelines for the effective teaching of Graphic Design. To investigate the teaching and learning of Graphic Design holistically the research employed a mini-ethnographic case study method. Data for this research were obtained through participant observations, semi-structured informal interviews of participants narratives and document analysis. The findings point to a lack of a cohesive and coordinated approach to teaching and learning, which in turn reflects a lack of sensitivity to cultural diversity in the Graphic Design department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This is evidenced in the unreformed curriculum and a culturally unbalanced staff complement. Industry’s lethargic participation also seems to have done nothing to ensure the standardisation of the curriculum to align with industry demands nor guide the career paths of students. As a result, the gap in these areas may leave some historically vulnerable students feeling excluded and despondent about both their academic and career prospects.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Technology: Design in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Design education has been fundamentally changed by computers and new digital technologies. New ideas and new frontiers have emerged. Available literature shows ICT has revolutionalised design education through the online studio and blended learning. In response to the growing needs of ICT in design education, new courses are being designed, while collaborations on design projects are emerging owing to virtual design studios (VDS). Researchers in design, especially in professional architecture and engineering, believe that ICTs enhance the teaching and learning of design. The adoption of ICT at the various stages of problem solving has not yet been reflected in the teaching of graphic design, especially in idea development. In developing economies, in the recent past, more attention has been paid to graphic design pedagogy, as it particularly relates to using ICT in ideation. Using the ‘multi-method’ approach, the research captured both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a pragmatic paradigm. It explored how ICT has affected the teaching and learning of ideation in graphic design in a university in a developing country. This included investigating pedagogical models and paradigms that had informed graphic design education since the incorporation of ICT. It surveyed ICT methods and the players involved in graphic design education, and documented the everyday experiences of students and educators in the lecture rooms to obtain a more holistic impression of teaching and learning. Empirical evidence suggests considerable access to computer and ICT methods by students especially. Various perceptions on the use of ICT by students in ideation activities as far as graphic design education is concerned, and how ICT is informing ideation, were also captured through the data. The study revealed activity systems of ICT integration as something that created contradictions. The contradictions were characterised by activities of collaborations and uses of ICT by students on one hand, and lecturers on the other hand. There were significant revelations of the development of the graphic design processes of using ICT in ideation. Ultimately, they were revelations of complexity of the design process for which there were no precise and fixed formulas that bring together form, function, and context conditions, and which gave credence to the orientation of pragmatism in terms of epistemology to which the study ascribed from the beginning. The study therefore elicits a review of the pedagogy of graphic design, with constructivism becoming relevant in the teaching of ideation in graphic design education.

Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / Student workload is measured by the time it takes to complete the learning activities. This study determines the workload of Design students by determining the time spent on in- and out-of-class learning activities of a Design course at a higher education institution in Cape Town. The Design learning process typically engages students in several of the following learning activities: problem solving; research and development of ideas; and the mastering of various skills relating to visual communication. These afore-mentioned activities span the duration of a design project crossing the boundaries between subjects. The teaching of Design occurs in various locations such as the design studio and site visits. It therefore becomes difficult to unpack the time spent on in- and out-of-class learning activities for the purposes of workload calculations as prescribed and defined by higher education institutions and educational policies worldwide. Workload is a significant variable in the curriculum and is of importance in the quality of the teaching and learning process in higher education. An analysis of the literature determined that student workload could be viewed as objective workload (notional hours), the perceived/estimated hours worked (as highlighted in student course experience surveys) or the actual hours reported over a period of time. The resulting discussions focused on the comparability of students‟ workload to the expected notional hours and grades. Thus far none of the previous studies considered time allocation or the workload of the Design student or Design education. Can it be assumed that notional hours apply to all subject fields and therefore, the time allocated to in- and out-of-class learning activities should be equal as well? A timesheet diary was used to determine the time spent on learning activities. The population consisted of Interior Design students. Participants indicated what they were doing in the class as well as the amount of time spent on learning activities outside of timetabled hours. This study determined that the time reported for text-based subjects aligned with the notional hours and timetabled hours. On the other hand, a drawing-related subject – because of project-based learning and individual crits – is allocated more timetable hours, which does not align with the notional hours. The contact time thus appears to be high in comparison to the notional hours and results in an overloaded timetable (28hrs). However, it was found that the individual average for in-class time (14hrs 54min) reported by the participants aligns with the notional hours. Further analysis of the reported time revealed that class duration should be considered in the light of the teaching methods. In addition the average workload in this study of 53hrs 7 min per week exceeds the notional 40 hours per week. The average workload was compared to the participant‟s term results, the notional 40-hours, and the 50% required for passing a subject. This revealed that participants whose workload exceeded 40 hours were likely to pass. This supports the notion that provision should be made in the curriculum to afford students the time to meet the learning outcomes. However, due to the small sample available the impact of workload on student retention and student success could not be determined.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Applied Arts in Graphic Design, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The context of this research is blended learning, a pedagogical approach that is effectively used in higher education. This pedagogical approach integrates face-to-face and online learning activities. The research inquiry focused on the researcher’s teaching of second-year students studying a three-year degree in graphic design at a private college in Durban, South Africa. Two interconnected teaching and learning challenges were addressed: the effects of the time-constrained, face-to-face studio style approach to design education; and students’ limited capacity for critical reflection. The research opportunity was therefore to evaluate the effectiveness of a graphic design blended learning intervention for supplementing contact time and fostering critical reflection. In the tradition of action research, the study took a developmental approach. Drawing on research on critical reflection in design and approaches to blended learning, parameters for a blended learning intervention were established. The resulting blended learning framework was applied in three interconnected cycles of action research, as follows. First, cycle one served as a baseline analysis of students’ critical reflection before the intervention. The researcher recorded and analysed a group review, and a series of individual reviews with her students. These were analysed with two questions in mind: ‘what’: “What types of reflection do students engage in?”; ‘why’: “Why are the students reflecting in a particular way?”.Second, cycle two developed, implemented and analysed a blended learning strategy for critical reflection (BLSCR). This was guided by the blended learning framework parameters, and the findings from cycle one. Third, cycle three evaluated students’ perception of the BLSCR through a focus group discussion with the participants. The focus group findings were compared with those of cycle two. The main finding is that the study’s blended learning strategy for critical reflection (BLSCR) works to foster critical reflection, but refinement is needed to address the matter of supplementing contact time. The two main points of refinement are: Students need to be ready to learn (feel psychologically responsible for their own learning);Students need to know that they have learned, and what they have learned.The findings and conclusion then motivate for implementing these refinements in further interventions beyond the study. / M

The purpose of this study is, first, to determine the justification for a graphic arts program in the institutions of higher learning, and, second,--if such a program is justified--to formulate a curriculum designed to fulfill the needs of the student and the printing industry.

The uses of computer technology in the fields of art and graphic design in Thailand were investigated for the purpose of identifying levels of current computer use from 280 responses to a specifically designed questionnaire among: 1) full-time graphic design educators, 2) art and design students, and 3) graphic design directors in professional business positions. The study instrument consisted of a questionnaire developed by the researcher, reviewed by a panel of seven experts selected by the Department of Creative Arts, Chula-longkorn University. The panel verified content-related evidence to ensure the validity of the instrument. Appropriate statistical procedures were implemented to develop responses to questions of interest. Analysis of the data showed that a majority of educators, students, and design professionals supported the use of computer in their professions and/or coursework, and that majorities of the same groups made regular use of computers. Subject to differences in rank ordering of computer usage among population groups, majorities from each group agreed that publications and graphics constituted the area of greatest use. A majority of the population agreed that computers helped to improve efficiency within the studio environment, and there were only slight differences among the three groups in generalized support of the use of computers within art and design curricula. All groups agreed that educational emphasis should be placed at the level of the baccalaureate degree, subject to the possible integration of computer training at all educational levels. Students reflected the highest percentage of use frequency, followed in order by professionals and educators. Each group reflected its own specific concerns in perceptions of major barriers to the use of computers in graphic design fields: Educators noted the lack of budgetary resources to install and maintain computers; students noted the lack of computer availability for hands-on experience; and design professionals perceived a lack of opportunity to attend training courses. Overall, the results of this study indicated that significant differences existed between groups representing academic fields (i.e., educators and students) and graphic design professionals for all criteria measured. / Graduation date: 1994