Exploring Design Tutors’ Use of Critical Conversations

• Published in: International journal of design education 2024-01, Vol.18 (1), p.109
• Main Authors: Venkatesh, Aruna, Ma, Henry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Communication; Constructivism; Design; Distance learning; Online instruction; Pedagogy; Tutoring
• ISSN: 2325-128X; 2325-1298
• DOI: 10.18848/2325-128X/CGP/v18i01/109-132

Studio pedagogy has undergone unprecedented changes in the last few years of the pandemic. The increased use of online has added new interactive spaces for critical conversations that affect the construction of design students’ tacit knowledge. This article documents the research in the interactive environment of the design studio by building on a previous study of critical conversations in the design studio. A mixed method approach was used for data collection based on the prominent epistemological stance of constructivism. Tutors from different geographical locations were questioned on their perceptions and perspectives of critical conversations as a pedagogical tool for design students’ tacit knowledge construction. The findings revealed five interactive spaces in the social environment of the design studio. Guidelines are suggested to tutors to facilitate critical conversations in these spaces. The study also finds applications in non-design disciplines in the use of critical conversations to develop twenty-first-century soft skills.