Work in Progress
Creating place: Design education as VET
Summary
- Item:
- 10398
- Title:
- Creating place: Design education as VET
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR6019
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 17 February 2007
- Contact:
- Damon Cartledge
- phone: 03 9479 2842
- email: d.cartledge@latrobe.edu.au
Purpose
The purpose of the research is:
(1) to find ways to assist design educators in the VET sector to encourage creativity by developing best-fit assessment practices, consistent with the needs of industry, and as embodied in national training packages;
(2) to identify innovative and creative approaches within design education with implications for management training.
Approach
Survey
Research questions
The research questions to be addressed are:
1. What are the implications of Competency Based Training and assessment practices for design education and industry practice?
2. How can innovation and creativity be best encouraged in VET programs for design education?
3. Why are task-based standards-references assessments currently used in all levels of VET Design programs?
4. Why is the method of assessment a critical component of design education?
5. How is Competency Based Training and assessment currently applied in the preparation of design and management professionals?
6. Can we transfer contemporary design protocols (eg new product development) to innovation in leadership and management for industry?
Methodology
The study will focus on the perceptions, among educators and industry, of assessment techniques employed in the area of design education and their relationship to emerging expectations of professional competence in the design industry. The methodology is based on the assumption that the perceptions of education practitioners and industry representatives are the best measure of the effectiveness of current assessment methods in achieving the goal of encouraging innovation and developing high level creative skills.
The methodology applied will be mixed-mode. Quantitative data will be gathered through a nationally distributed survey. Qualitative data will be provided through the inclusion of open-ended questions, and follow-up focus groups in each state involving survey participants and other key informants, including representatives of industry and relevant professional bodies.
Purposive sampling techniques will therefore be employed for the survey, to accurately direct the study to those design professionals registered through professional associations and recognized as design educators in the VET context. Professional associations and industry bodies to be accessed in construction of the sample include IBSA, Design Institute of Australia (DIA), MaD and Verve. These associations and industry bodies represent a critical mass of design educators in Australia and, most importantly, in the VET sector.
Stage 1 - Development of Sampling Framework
Development of a sampling framework that ensures that data collected is representative of the exact requirements of the project, in terms of both focus and representation. The key tasks of this stage include:
* Determination of population size (estimate 5000):
* The proportion from each state within the target sample to be determined by the industry size in states and territories.
* Determination of confidence levels of sample size and intervals required for follow up.
Stage 2 - Recruitment preparation
Utilisation of the Peoplearn network to identify potential participants according to a purposive sampling process, with a focus on design educators.
Stage 3 - Research design (survey)
Development of instruments will be conducted by the chief investigator and senior research officer, in collaboration with Peoplearn's survey team and NCVER.
Stage 4 - Data collection & analysis
This stage will involve the distribution and collection of the survey instruments with telephone follow up to reach a minimum sample size, as determined. Non-respondents will also be followed up by telephone (until a balanced industry representation is achieved from the initial sample) to assess any trends attached to participation. Data from the survey instrument will then be merged. A matrix approach will be utilised to organise & interrogate the data. Qualitative data will be collected through follow up focus groups.
Stage 5 - Reporting
Reports will be developed and provided to NCVER as detailed in the project contract
Organisations
The School of Educational Studies is part of La Trobe University's multi-campus Faculty of Education, which offers programs in Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Mildura, and Beechworth, as well as the major metropolitan campus at Bundoora and the Melbourne City campus.
The School has a well developed understanding of current issues in Vocational Education and Training, and in building research relationships and opportunities appropriate to the VET sector. These have been developed through collaboration with institutes of TAFE and RTO's in the development and conduct of in-service and pre-service programs for teachers in VET, and through engaging VET practitioners as researchers in Masters and Doctoral higher-degree programs.
The School is currently a member of the Research Panel of the Victorian Department of Education and Training, and a partner, with Macquarie University, in the national AMEP Research Centre funded by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
