i+D - September/October 2021 - 41

Balancing Act - By Diana Mosher
Educators are designing a meaningful and
multi-faceted curriculum for tomorrow's
design professionals
Design educators are entrusted with a herculean effort-creating the
curriculum that will prepare and nurture the next generation of design
professionals. They must anticipate and develop the core competencies
needed in a continually evolving marketplace while also cultivating students'
individual creativity at every stage from pre-college through advanced
degrees. And while educators are not always able to teach in state-of-the-art
facilities, design institutions do have an opportunity to become the laboratory
for classroom design. Educational programs must also respond to sea
changes in the real world where students will ultimately land.
" The last two years have changed everything, but when COVID hit, we were
ready, " says Ellen Fisher, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs and dean
at New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). NYSID began developing fully
asynchronous online courses 10 years ago, starting with the basic interior
design certificate, then the associates degree, and last year the school was
approved by New York State to teach a fully online BFA. Students are no
longer tied to the physical school, and they can complete their education at
their own pace. " This shift has been a game changer for education in every
discipline, " says Fisher.
" The other thing that has really influenced design education over the last
decade is the maturing of the digital native, " she adds. " Our students are
coming into school comfortable using technology. " Digital connectivity has
changed all aspects of how we live and work, including design practice,
and therefore it has also changed design education.
Digital connectivity
enhances traditional
teaching and learning
at NYSID.
(Image: Courtesy of NYSID)
" Students think they must master digital drawing technology
like AutoCAD, Revit, and Adobe Creative Suite. But it's not the
whole story, " says Fisher. " People enter design because they
want to be designers. They have a desire to make the world
more beautiful and a better place to live. We nurture that too.
We've had a great placement rate for our students, so we
know we're preparing them well in the skills they need to have
to get a job, but we're also preparing them for their whole
life as a designer. "
This will include ongoing conversations about the effects
of climate change and sustainable practices on the future
of the planet and the practice of design. Designing for
cities or environments with mixed cultures, designing for a
much larger aging population, and designing for people with
neurodiversity challenges are other relevant topics NYSID
is bringing to its students.
Ellen Fisher
(Image: Jerry Lacay)
NYSID's demographic is generally 25- to 35-year-old students
with some 18-year-olds and others in their 40s and 50s. Many
are career changers, and some are career finders. If they have
previous work experience, they are sometimes tempted to dive
right in after graduation and start their own design firm. But
Fisher cautions: " I encourage our students to work for someone
else because I think they get a better understanding of how to
run a design business by seeing how it's really done. "
i+D - September/October 2021
41
i+D - September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i+D - September/October 2021
