PhD Oral Exam - Salvador Edmundo Valdovinos Rodriguez, Art Education

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

This investigation focuses on research-for-design in two university graphic design programs. Re-search-for-design is defined as a research activity performed by the designer in order to inform the design process. This study aims to better understand the contribution of research-for-design education, not only as a required activity in the design process, but also as a strategy to develop a vision for sustainable design. This comparative study examined two university design programs, the Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. I examined student and teacher accounts of how research is taught in each program. Through a process of comparative analysis, I identified differences in the participating students and educators’ backgrounds and design streams which led to varied perspectives of disciplinary practice. Formal and informal methods of doing research-for-design were identified and linked to accounts of teaching and learning. These practices in the education of research-for-design included intuitive, informal, spontaneous, ludic, innovative, visual, creative, social, and emphatic strategies. Teaching research-for-design demands an effective way to connect students with their entire environment. By doing this, the education of research-for-design will empower students’ understanding of the design process with the potential to promote ethical, sustainable, comprehensive, and integrative design.