Teaching Beyond the Curriculum

Abstract

As the landscape of higher education evolves due to the disruption of a pandemic, the emergence of virtual learning, and the rapid advancement of technology, haptic learning introduces an opportunity to equip design students with skills and unique approaches to face future challenges. Haptic learning promotes creativity and innovation through making and doing. It is knowledge that can only be obtained through a hand and mind connection—a relationship that has been lost due to our reliance on computer aided design. Doing manual tasks builds confidence, it relieves stress, and it creates new neural pathways that sharpens the minds of students. While new technologies have expanded our capabilities in design education, a reintroduction and integration of craft to our current ways of teaching will provide students with a material knowledge that cannot be obtained otherwise. This case study examines a ten-week shoemaking class in the Department of Design at UC Davis. This experimental class was designed to foster an atmosphere of creative exploration. The immersive experience of shoemaking engages students’ curiosity while the slowness of craft serves as a diversion from the rigors of a fast pace and digitally focussed design program. This hands-on education provides students with fundamental design skills along with an alternative approach to production and research. To optimize student learning and engagement, I developed the curriculum by critically investigating craft, prioritizing learning fundamentals, and centering students’ interests and feedback. It resulted in a class of engaged students who were eager to make functional and usable products—a new accomplishment for many of them. In the end, each of their shoes exhibited a fundamental understanding of shoemaking while displaying their individual creative expression. Engaging in craft practice cultivates creativity and versatility in students, empowering them to make a meaningful impact across many disciplines.