Perspective
My research focus is on design pedagogy and issues relating to the experience of design students in this pedagogically-mediated transformation. The practical outcomes of this line of research include: better alignment of curricular goals in design education, recognition of differences (and potential conflict) between pedagogical goals and the perception of those goals by students, and a better understanding of the changes in thinking that design students go through as they proceed through a design education environment. Within the context of instructional design, there are many connections between the role of pedagogy in the broader design community and the implementation of design pedagogy in the training of practitioners. My research focuses on two potential issues from the broader design community that apply directly to the teaching of instructional design and the relationship of theory to practice: 1) the role of design thinking and judgment (including opportunistic use of tools and precedent based on design judgment) in the instructional design process; and 2) the role of the design studio pedagogy as a primary method of educating designers in higher education. As design thinking as a way of knowing (Cross, 2001) becomes more accepted in the training of instructional designers, and the studio model of education becomes more mainstream as a pedagogical construct in graduate instructional design programs, investigation into the particulars of the student experience of these pedagogical and epistemological features is vitally important.
My research approach is influenced by the design research and methodology of Cross (2001) and the design pedagogy exemplified by Schön (1983; 1985). In addition to the goals of Cross and Schön, I also find the issue of social responsibility (Carspecken, 1996) and critical pedagogy to greatly affect my research approach, including my ultimate goals of improving the quality of design education outcomes and identifying artifacts of design pedagogy that have the potential to harm students or create situations of unequal power and/or unnecessary bias. While many of the research questions I am currently asking and intend to ask in the future are most powerfully and completely answered through qualitative methods, I recognize the value of quantitative research and seek to select methods that are appropriate to the specific study and related research questions. In addition to more traditional research designs, I also recognize the high value of public design precedent (Boling, 2010) as a separate, but equally important tradition of knowledge (Nelson & Stolterman, 2012), and have worked to publish design cases that expand the shared knowledge of our profession and the artifacts we produce. My first design case was published in 2012 (Gray, Jung, Watson, Jia, & Frick), and discussed the development of an online course using van Merriënboer’s 4C/ID model.
As a designer myself (in several disciplines), I see the value of additional research in an area where I have spent the last ten years of my educational experience. Design education is one of my passions, and over time, I have grown to appreciate the unique perspectives afforded by both a faculty and student perspective. To facilitate this goal through the lens of the second perspective, I first produced a literature review to discover factors that influence design students as they go through their graduate education. This review of the literature informed a research proposal that resulted in a qualitative interview study, in which I sought to collect data reflecting the unique perspective of the student as they experience a specific design pedagogy and make significant changes in the ways they think about design and design practice. Data collection for this study was completed in Fall 2011, and resulting analysis has led to two manuscripts. The first manuscript, Personal and Pedagogical Factors That Shape Design Thinking, deals directly with the factors that influence design students, identifying several areas for future research. This manuscript was submitted to Educational Technology Research and Development in January, 2013 [pdf]. The second manuscript focuses on the specific changes in the ways students thought about design during their first semester of graduate design education, including an overlay of applicable sociocultural and cognitive theories of learning. This manuscript is being finalized, and is targeted to be submitted for publication in Spring 2013. Additionally, I completed a study looking at the structures of peer critique in the context of design education. This study resulted in two publications, one of which was accepted to the 2013 Design Research Society Cumulus conference (Gray) and another which is currently under review.
I am currently working on data analysis for a new study with Dr. Marty Siegel. This study addresses the role of student reflection—in both sketch and text/blog form—in externalizing the development of design thinking. An initial paper from this analysis was accepted to the 2013 Design Research Society Cumulus conference, entitled “Sketching Design Thinking: Representations of Design in Education and Practice.”
Research Group Activities
Since beginning my doctoral coursework, I have been heavily involved in research group activities, both in the IST department, and in the School of Informatics. These groups have been beneficial, not only in providing me hands-on experience with the practical realities of collecting data and writing up manuscripts, but also in informing the methods and research questions in my own independent research. I am currently associated with two research groups, although I have been involved with four groups over the past three years. A brief overview of my participation and perceived benefit from each group is included below:
Design Research (September 2010-present)
I have been associated with this group, led by Professor Elizabeth Boling, since Fall 2010. This group has informed my understanding of design theory and design research, and has strongly influenced my specific research agenda within the area of design pedagogy. During my tenure, I have been involved with the creation of a research design, requesting IRB approval, data collection, analysis, conference presentations, and write-up of research results for a research project on strategies learners use to make sense of images in instructional context. Currently, the group is in the research design phase for a study that looks at what acts of judgment instructional designers use in the process of designing.
Instructional Design for Complex Learning (IDCL) (September 2010-May 2012)
I was associated with this group, led by Dr. Ted Frick, until May 2012. This group shaped my understanding of curriculum design and the importance of evaluating the mental models of students when addressing a learning intervention. I was involved with the creation of a research design, requesting IRB approval, data collection, analysis, conference presentations, and write-up and subsequent publication of a design case related to the creation of materials for a doctoral readings course.
glerb (September 2010-May 2012)
I was associated with this development effort for an instructionally-based startup, led by Dr. Marty Siegel, until May 2012. While the efforts of this group have centered on mastery learning and relating evaluation techniques, I was involved in strategically aligning technology development of a web site to introduce known instructional goals in the creation of community-driven knowledge gathering and dissemination. At various points in the development process, I was involved with (or led) evaluation, needs analyses, prototypes, and strategic direction.
NSF Grant on Methods Use (September 2011-present)
I have been associated with this group, led by Dr. Erik Stolterman and Dr. Marty Siegel, since Fall 2011. The NSF grant (#1115532) focuses on the use of design methods by practitioners in the act of designing. This group has directly affected my research as it connects pedagogy to practice, especially in the creation of methods from ready-at-hand components or methods they have learned in the past. In the first year of this grant, I was involved in the creation of an interview protocol, data collection, analysis, and the initial write-up of data into a conference proposal. One paper from this work has been submitted to a design research conference (Gray, Stolterman, & Siegel), and additional data analysis is ongoing.
Through all of these guided research activities, I have increased my competencies as an independent researcher, drawing from the experience of others synthesized with the knowledge of inquiry methods I have gained from my coursework. I continue to engage in an active way with the research community within instructional design (through venues such as AECT), while also bridging to other communities of practice in design research (SIGCHI, Nordes, and Design Research Society).
Research Competencies
- Synthesize related literature and locate gaps for potential research
- Utilize research methods in appropriate contexts
- Understand appropriate methods of inquiry in studying design
- Write research proposals; design and execute research studies
- Develop scholarly writing and presentation skills
Evidence of Research Competencies
- Synthesize related literature and locate gaps for potential research
- The literature review Design Pedagogy in Practice: Barriers to Learning and Evaluation in the Design Studio, attempts to synthesize the current state of the literature including barriers that are found to exist in the educational development of a design student. Gaps for potential research are identified.
Design Pedagogy in Practice: Barriers to Learning and Evaluation in the Design Studio
completed
- The literature review Aesthetic Considerations in Learning: Implications for the Design and Development of Learning Experience synthesizes approaches to the design and development of learning experience, including characteristics of aesthetic experiences in the context of learning. Implications for research and practice are identified.
completed
- The literature review Design Pedagogy in Practice: Barriers to Learning and Evaluation in the Design Studio, attempts to synthesize the current state of the literature including barriers that are found to exist in the educational development of a design student. Gaps for potential research are identified.
- Utilize research methods in appropriate contexts
- I assisted in the collection of qualitative and quantitative data for the study Searching for Personal Territory in an Human-Computer Interaction Design Studio. Data collection strategies included production of thick field notes and the completion of a data instrument tracking the position of people and objects in the studio space under observation.
Searching for Personal Territory in an Human-Computer Interaction Design Studio (Journal for Education in the Built Environment, 2011)
completed
- I collected data during the Fall 2011 semester for my first-authored empirical study, interviewing first year graduate design students to document the development of their design thinking.
Personal and Pedagogical Factors That Shape Design Thinking (submitted to International Journal of Art & Design Education July, 2012)
completed
- I collected data during the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters in partial fulfillment of Y612 and Y613. Methods of data collection included observation and interviewing. Data collected during the Spring 2012 semester on peer critique in a design studio was covered by IRB.
Interview Protocol and Initial Coding Scheme
completed
- I assisted in the collection of qualitative and quantitative data for the study Searching for Personal Territory in an Human-Computer Interaction Design Studio. Data collection strategies included production of thick field notes and the completion of a data instrument tracking the position of people and objects in the studio space under observation.
- Understand appropriate methods of inquiry in studying design
- I took in Dr. Phil Carspecken’s Y612 and Y613 Qualitative Inquiry in Education course sequence during the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters. These courses provided an excellent foundation in the fundamentals of qualitative inquiry and the application of critical theory. I structured my course observations and interviews as pilot data collection for future studies involving design students and their experiences as they work toward becoming design practitioners.
completed
- I am currently working with Dr. Erik Stolterman and Dr. Marty Siegel on a multi-year NSF grant (#1115532). This research opportunity is giving me practical experience studying the role of design methods both within traditional academic research and through the practice of professional designers under the guidance of two experienced design researchers.
ongoing
- I took in Dr. Phil Carspecken’s Y612 and Y613 Qualitative Inquiry in Education course sequence during the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters. These courses provided an excellent foundation in the fundamentals of qualitative inquiry and the application of critical theory. I structured my course observations and interviews as pilot data collection for future studies involving design students and their experiences as they work toward becoming design practitioners.
- Write research proposals; design and execute research studies
- I wrote a research proposal based on my Design Pedagogy in Practice literature review, which was presented in colloquium during the Fall 2011 semester. Data collection was completed in the Fall 2011 semester.
The Development of Design Thinking: The Role of Personal and Pedagogical Barriers
completed
- I wrote a draft manuscript based on the research proposal and collected data during the Fall 2011 semester. This manuscript was presented in colloquium during the Spring 2012 semester. The draft manuscript has since resulted in one manuscript submitted for publication (see CV entry) and another is in progress.
The Development of Design Thinking: The Role of Personal and Pedagogical Factors
completed
- I conducted a research study in partial fulfillment of requirements for Y613 in Spring 2012. Two manuscripts are currently in progress based on data collected from this study.
completed
- I wrote a research proposal based on my Design Pedagogy in Practice literature review, which was presented in colloquium during the Fall 2011 semester. Data collection was completed in the Fall 2011 semester.
- Develop scholarly writing and presentation skills
- I wrote an article critique on a publication entitled The Effects of Diagrams and Time-Compressed Instruction on Learning and Learners’ Perceptions of Cognitive Load as part of the course requirements for R690.
completed
- I served as the primary presenter for the Visuals for Learning roundtable discussion at the 2011 IST Conference.
completed
- I was a primary presenter at a concurrent session (see CV entry) and participant at a roundtable session (see CV entry) at the 2011 AECT Convention.
A Case Study in Designing Online Instruction Using van Merriënboer’s Ten Steps to Complex Learning [presentation]; Preparation of Visual Materials to Study How EFL Learners Use Images in the Learning Process [handout]
completed
- I led a research paper session (see CV Entry) and contributed to another research paper on behalf of the Design Research group (see CV entry) at the 2012 IST Conference.
The Role of Personal and Pedagogical Factors in Graduate Design Education [Adobe Connect]; Strategies for Interpreting Instructional Images Used to Support Language Learning [Adobe Connect]
completed
- I presented two single-authored concurrent presentations at the 2012 AECT International Convention.
Design Thinking in a Graduate Design Studio: Personal and Pedagogical Factors [presentation]; Verbalization of Design Thinking through Informal Peer Critique [presentation]
completed
- I wrote an article critique on a publication entitled The Effects of Diagrams and Time-Compressed Instruction on Learning and Learners’ Perceptions of Cognitive Load as part of the course requirements for R690.