Pedagogy 2025

Abstract

How is the value of foundational learning shifting with immediate access to digital resources? As the rapid evolution of digital tools, particularly Generative AI, reshapes learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy is experiencing a significant disruption within design education. This disruption is particularly acute in design, which is often introduced for the first time at the college level, unlike core subjects where foundational skills are built over years. The widespread availability of AI-driven tools encourages students to engage with advanced design projects or in public competitions before fully mastering these foundations. This evolving approach can yield visually sophisticated outcomes, yet it reveals gaps in conceptual depth and critical reasoning. This creates a paradox: students appear advanced, yet struggle with fundamental competencies. This paper critically examines the tensions and pedagogical challenges arising from these new digital learning dependencies. Drawing on educator observations and student experiences, the research maps the specific conceptual gaps that emerge when foundational skills are bypassed. The analysis focuses on three critical areas: 1) the articulation of design principles, 2) the justification of creative decisions, and 3) the strategic adaptation of work to novel contexts. These gaps are not trivial, they compromise a student’s ability to innovate beyond the tool, risking a generation of designers who are proficient with tools but lack deep design thinking. The study concludes that an urgent reassessment and reform of curricular priorities is necessary to bridge the gap between digital resourcefulness and the deep critical reasoning required for future design discipline. This paper therefore poses a critical question: In an AI-driven world, must high-order skills of Bloom’s Taxonomy become the new foundational skills?