Using Design Competencies to Define Curricula and Support Learners

This paper presents findings from design research related to a Design Competency Framework (DCF). The DCF is a visually-oriented system for developing curricula in design and is an example of the application of design research to design education. The DCF is divided into a set of sixteen categories including core skills, such as visualisation, and meta competencies such as synthesis. These are presented in the form of a matrix. We see three distinct advantages of using such a system. Firstly the DCF is personalisable at various scales such as individuals, units, courses, and programs. Secondly it is student centred - while we do not assume that design students are passive consumers of their own curricula in non-competency based design education we make the case here for student access to curriculum design processes. The DCF allows students to participate in the design of their own education. Finally, the DCF is resistant to imposition from above and as such questions the modes and institutional dynamics through which design courses come into being.