VIRTUAL: Applying Education

Abstract

With the increasing demand for interdisciplinarity in design fields, design education is in urgent need to explore novel methods and practices. In addition, the conventional practices in design education were challenged during the time of COVID-19 quarantine and distant learning, critically affecting a generation that was- for a few years- depending entirely on digital educational platforms rather than hands-on experiences gained from physical interactions in the studios. In a post-pandemic world, the education experience, like everything else, needs to be reassessed and adopt a hybrid mode while introducing methods that increase social interactions. This paper summarises the experience of teaching a Furniture Design course for third-year Interior Design students at the University of Bahrain. The course aims to learn how to design and communicate creative furniture solutions that fulfil their purposes by considering their aesthetics, function, and user needs. It also seeks to foster the ability to select adequate materials and fabrication methods for furniture needs. Based on the local creative context and the manufacturing market in Bahrain, the course offered three projects in which students needed to respond to specific design challenges. Current issues, such as sustainability, modularity, open making and user-centred design were introduced. The paper also demonstrates the various approaches in teaching both in-studio practice and digital visualisation, as well as using the exhibition as an educational platform for students to connect with a broader audience. The paper concludes with pedagogical recommendations that are based on instructors’ reflections and students’ survey.