Uncovering problematics in design education - learning and the design entity

This paper attempts to articulate some of the challenges for the curriculum, teaching
methods and assessment in design education arising from research currently
underway in London and Australia. Taking a phenomenographical approach, the
research asks whether the experience of learning and teaching in design education,
both for students and teachers, is consistent with conceptions shared, within the
educational community, about the professional world of designers. We believe that
there is substantial variation in the conceptions held by both students and teachers
about what design is and how it should be learned. These variations in conceptions
have a significant impact on how students learn and how teachers teach.