DCGN ASSOCIATED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
The Design Center for Global Needs in the Department of
Design & Industry at SFSU sees a tremendous opportunity
to make a profound impact on the issues of diversity in design
education and its relative environment. An environment that
constitutes, and needs to be more responsive, to the social,
cultural and physical needs of the underrepresented, the
disabled, and the disenfranchised. There is a need to expand
and enhance the representation, awareness and the traditional
focus of design education. A responsive awareness that goes
beyond the esoteric values of the conventional marketplace
to engage the needs of the expanding non-traditional markets
of emerging economies. Economies that must exist and evolve,
on the local, or international level, within the context
of sustainable development.
DAI 300 Design Process
A core requirement in the DAI degree program and a General Education course,
this course follows progressive steps to develop and enhance the student's
knowledge and ability in executing the design skills necessary to analyze
and communicate the design development process. This process includes marketing,
consumer surveys, production, and distribution. Course projects address the
broad spectrum of design applications such as: product design, graphic design,
package design, furniture design, environmental design.
The curriculum instruction focuses on involving the students
in real world problems such as: "User-Environmentally Friendly
Packaging Design Seminar/Workshop"; Design for the Aging;
Design for the Environment. This packaging design workshop,
which was sponsored by the Institute On Disabilities at SFSU,
was conducted in conjunction with Ellen Lieber, president
of AccessAbilities; the design office of Primo Angeli in
San Francisco; as well as faculty from San Jose State University,
Packaging Engineering Department; and California College
of Arts and Crafts.
Assigned Projects:
(1) Institute on Disability, SFSU Visual Identity System:
Logo Design
(2) Mountain Lion Signage Project
(3) User-Friendly Packaging
(4) Recycling Redesign/Re-use
(5) Eco-Packaging - development of an environmentally-responsive package
(6) SFSU Recycling Center sponsored a "Desktop Recycling Container Competition"
(7) Universal Street Furniture - addresses the issue of public domain, accessibility,
flexibility and durability in functional objects
(8) Personal Portable Furniture - addresses the issue of individuality, culture
and identity
in personal material objects
(9) Design Center for Global Needs sponsored a "Logo Design Competition"
(10) Environmental Graphic Signage for the College of Creative Arts, "Building
without
Boundaries," Building Opening/Reception
(11) Design of an "Infant Activity Toy"- addresses the issue of developing
a safe, fun and durable interactive toy for an infant.
DAI 410 Product Design 2
A three unit six hours per week lecture laboratory course. The course is structured
as an intermediary design course that is sequential to DAI 300 and prepares
students for
DAI 505. Students are required to understand and incorporate the methodologies
and procedures of the "Product Line Management System" in the development and
documentation of their projects.
The format of the course has been revised and expanded to
address some of the more prevalent issues in the design,
product development and manufacturing, such as:
"Universal Design," "Design for the Aging/Transgenerational Design" and "Design
for the Environment."
The course has included consultation, visiting lectures
and critiques by internationally recognized designers in
the field of design for the aging and disabled, such as Patricia
Moore, president of Guynes Design; and Ralf Hotchkiss, Whirlwind
Wheelchair International. The resultant projects in this
course have received outstanding praise and recognition from
national and international experts in the field of design
for persons with disabilities.
Student projects generated in this course, along with other
research, undergraduate and graduate student projects, have
been annually submitted to national and international design
competitions. These competitions include: The National Houseware
Manufacturers Association Student Design Competition; the
Handitec International Design Competition for Persons with
Disabilities in Paris, France; The Design for the Aging Society
Competition; The East Meets West Environmental Global Design
Competition.
Assigned Projects:
(1) Hand-Held Kitchen/Bath Utensils, or Appliances
(2) Kitchen/Bath Faucet Design
(3) Eco-Design Household Consumer Products (Lighting; Furniture)
DAI 505: Research & Development
The objectives of this three unit six hours per week lecture/laboratory serve
as the senior level capstone experience for Design and Industry majors. Students
develop and apply design research and development methodology skills.
Beginning in the Fall semester of 1997, DAI 505, in conjunction
with the SFSU Office of Community Service Learning sponsored "Design
For The Community Program." Students were asked to research
and develop projects that addressed the needs of Bay Area
community organizations and development agencies. Students
benefited by learning how to develop creative, practical
solutions that satisfy the needs of real world clients. Through
this direct experience students discovered how design can
make a positive contribution to community and social development.
DAI 800 Graduate Design Seminar in Industrial Practices:
"Global Design & Cultural Identity"/"Design for Society"
This seminar is integral to the efforts of the DAI department to address and
enhance the implementation of multi-cultural curricula issues into the framework
of the department's philosophy and practicum. The seminar explores the design
process to determine its potential as a catalyst or determinant to positive
social change in the global community.
The objective of the seminar is to familiarize the student
with the cultural identity, association and influence of
design in our global marketplace and social community. The
seminar's focus is to establish a "global design consciousness" that
is environmentally responsive and user-friendly in its attempt
to improve our general livelihood. The seminar assesses the
prospect of both nationalism and globalism in design. It
examines the question of how cultural influences can, or
should, contribute to product form, function and social development
in the product marketplace and built environment.
The seminar is facilitated by the participation of visiting
lectures from local, as well as international guest speakers.
The diverse backgrounds of the speakers include: architecture,
universal design, environmental responsibility, community
development, urban planning and design, rural health care
delivery, gender-issues, economics, small-scale manufacturing,
product, graphic design and information technology.
DAI 576 Practical Experience: Internships/Research Assistantships
The independent study course with the Design Center for Global Needs is structured
to provide students academic recognition and credit for internships and supervised
experience relative to their practical experience in the profession of their
discipline.
Community-Outreach Design Services
Urban Institute/Visitacion Valley Community Revitalization Project
University community liaison and design consultant in the Visitation Valley
Community Revitalization Project in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of
Youth and Community Development, as well as various Community-Based Organizations.
Mentoring/Skills Development Program
Development of Skills Development Program for African-American & Latino
Youth -
the establishment of a curriculum and skill development program for African-American,
Latino and other underrepresented into the field of design.
Global Design Project Application:
Design Center for Global Needs/Mobile Disaster Relief Unit Project
Final development of the interior layout and specifications for the Mobile
Disaster Relief Project.
DAI 576: Practical Experiences: Internship - Examples of DCGN Research Projects
* indicates Graduate Student
Student Title of Project
1. Heidi Tsai* Universal Design Bathtub for Asia Market (Thesis Development)
2. Judith Lichtman* Comparative Analysis of Three Diverse Global Designers
(Thesis Development)
3. Alicia An* Visual Identity System for "The Village" (Thesis)
4. John Kennedy* Sustainable Product Development (M.S. EngineeringThesis)
5. Marcie Nishioka* Virtual Museum Web Site (M.A. Musuem Studies Thesis)
6. Jennifer Mason Universal Design Symposium
7. Alicia An Design for Community Projects Brochure Development
8. Humberto Tam SFUI Quarterly Publication & Urban Institute Logo design
9. Jonas Furberg* Universal Design Symposium & UCLA/Harper's Exhibit
10. Chris Stern * Design of Bike Storage System for BART (Thesis)
11. Maria Moscato * Sustainable Development of Southern Italian Village (Thesis)
12. Patricia Necklas* International Expo Design for the Dominican Republic
(Thesis Development)
13. Amy Valentine * Analysis of Portable Storage for Museum Displays (M.A.
Museum Studies Thesis)
14. Alan Quiros Research Assistant on Mobile Disaster Relief Unit
15. Brigado Grove Research Assistant on Universal Design Education Project
16. Paul O'Neil Assessment of Design Applications for Community Service Organizations
17. Chris Twilling Development of Environmental Signage for A&I Building
Universal Design in the DAI department at SFSU:
The integrated approach of universal design principles into
the curriculum development in DAI has been consistent with
the mission of the department. This mission has been to promote
an interdisciplinary educational program. An inclusive program
that provides, to an ethnically diverse and multicultural
student population, an opportunity to develop an individualized
course of study in the areas of product design, graphic design
/visual communications, manufacturing, and technology education.
The department advocates a design program that is both inclusive
and responsive in its representation of community-based needs,
and services, as well as, the mainstream professional business
and manufacturing sector needs.
The integrated approach to universal design in the DAI department
is very holistic. It addresses the physical, as well as the
social parameters of universal design. Its approach is both
quantitative and qualitative. It is as interdisciplinary
as it is inclusive. It is an approach that is socially and
ethnically diverse, in its attempt addresses barriers of
economic disparity, gender bias, or racial and cultural difference
in mainstream society.
Since 1992, in conjunction with the Design Center for Global
Needs, universal design has steadily become an integral and
pervasive element within the undergraduate and graduate degree
programs in the Department of Design and Industry. Professors
teaching in the area of product design and development received
a seed grant from the Universal Design Education Project
to develop strategies for teaching lifespan issues to future
designers - the students in DAI department and the university
community at large.
Universal Design Symposium and Workshop
In October of 1996, the department conducted a "Universal Design Symposium
and Workshop" at San Francisco State University. This public interdisciplinary
seminar and workshop consisted of DAI students, as well as design students
from other Bay Area design programs, faculty, designers and disability advocates
from across the U.S. and abroad. This event featured some of the leading universal
designers, disability-user advocates and policy makers such as: John Saleman,
Universal Designers & Consultants; Molly Story, from the Center for Universal
Design at North Carolina State University; Abir Mullick from the IDEA at State
University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo; Susan Goltsman, principle, Moore, Iacafano & Goltsman;
Barry Atwood, president of Accessible Environments; Ralf Hotchkiss, Director
of the Whirlwind Wheelchair International (WWI); Dr. Paul Longmore, SFSU, Disability
Rights Historian and Policy Maker; and Dr. Mario Marino from the Center for
Industrial Design Research at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Applications of Universal Design in Curricular Development:
In the DAI 300: Design 1 course, the curriculum instruction
focuses on involving the students in real world problems
such as: "User-Environmentally Friendly Packaging Design
Seminar/Workshop"; Design for the Aging; Design for the Environment.
This packaging design workshop, which was sponsored by the
Institute On Disabilities at SFSU, was conducted in conjunction
with Ellen Lieber, president of AccessAbilities; the design
office of Primo Angeli in San Francisco; as well as faculty
from San Jose State University, Packaging Engineering Department;
and California College of Arts and Crafts.
In the DAI 410: Design 2 course has focused on the applications
of products and environments that address the principles
of Universal Design. In addition, the course has included
consultation, visiting lectures and critiques by internationally
recognized designers in the field of design for the aging
and disabled, such as Patricia Moore, president of Guynes
Design; and Ralf Hotchkiss, Whirlwind Wheelchair International.
The resultant projects in this course have received outstanding
praise and recognition from national and international experts
in the field of design for persons with disabilities.
Student projects generated in this course, along with other
research, undergraduate and graduate student projects, have
been annually submitted to national and international design
competitions. These competitions include: The National Houseware
Manufacturers Association Student Design Competition; the
Handitec International Design Competition for Persons with
Disabilities in Paris, France; The Design for the Aging Society
Competition; The East Meets West Environmental Global Design
Competition.
In 1997, one of our students, Roberto Antonio, received
national recognition from the National Housewares Manufacturers
Association (NHMA) Student Design Competition. Roberto was
recognized for his award winning universal design concept, "Scnife," that
was developed in the DAI 400: Design2 course.
DAI 800: Graduate Design Seminar in Industrial Practices
- "Design for Society"
The objective of the seminar is to familiarize the student with the cultural
identity, association and influence of design in our global marketplace and
social community. The seminar's focus is to establish a "global design consciousness" that
is environmentally responsive and user-friendly in its attempt to improve our
general livelihood. The seminar assesses the prospect of both nationalism and
globalism in design. It examines the question of how cultural influences can,
or should, contribute to product form, function and social development in the
product marketplace and built environment.
The seminar is facilitated by the participation of visiting
lectures from local, as well as international guest speakers.
The diverse backgrounds of the speakers include: architecture,
universal design, environmental responsibility, community
development, urban planning and design, rural health care
delivery, gender-issues, economics, small-scale manufacturing,
product, graphic design and information technology. |