Work in progress: using project documentation to teach creative design

Abstract

Project documentation can play an integral role in design by helping the students plan, theorize, analyze, and interpret their work; the need to communicate about their work pushes students to fully formulate project plans, understand the theories behind their work, and analyze their results more completely than they might otherwise. This project evaluates strategies for more fully integrating communication and design through studies in two senior-level design courses. Preliminary results show that while students can effectively use of writing and speaking assignments to further their projects, they need appropriate scaffolding to facilitate that process.