VIRTUAL Prague Research & Teaching Conference
Abstract
Integrated design education presents challenges for novice design students, including navigating interdisciplinary coursework, cultivating design knowledge, and adapting to a new academic environment. This paper explores these challenges to develop mechanisms and educational strategies that facilitate students’ adaptation in design schools. It examines a mentoring program addressing first-year design students’ challenges, particularly in their first semester, emphasizing mentorship within the context of Izmir. The mentorship program, as a case study, was initiated through a structured, multi-phase methodology for an iterative development process. The program’s objectives and operational framework were established, alongside a guidance document to standardize mentor-mentee interactions. Five senior-year mentors, each from different design disciplines, were selected based on academic performance, communication skills, and engagement in student support activities. Program actors—including the program team, mentors, and mentees—were identified to ensure a structured support network. The mentoring process evolved through three spatial and organizational planning stages, integrating physical and digital meetings with varied scheduling and interaction strategies. Data collected through mentoring sessions and discussions were processed in periodic team evaluations. Based on the analysis of this collected data, the mentoring program has evolved in response to key points, namely; academic integration and institutional connectivity. Therefore, the program’s strategies are structured around 1) institutional level, 2) faculty level, and 3) program level. Regarding the findings, the needs of novice design students are assessed to discuss the outcomes of each evolutionary stage, providing insights into the role of a mentoring program in enhancing students’ academic and professional development in design education.
Ender Bulgun received her PhD from Ege University’s Textile Engineering Department. he taught fashion design courses at various institutions Since 2012, she has been the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at Izmir University of Economics. Her research includes ready-to-wear technology, fashion design, CAD systems, new technologies, and smart clothing design. She completed her bachelor’s education at Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Architecture, in 2019. Since 2020, she has continued her Integrated PhD in the Design Studies Program at Izmir University of Economics. She has been a research assistant in the Industrial Design Department there since October 2023. Her research interests include spatial perception, spatial computing, wayfinding design, virtual and mixed reality. After earning a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology, she completed another in fashion design at Izmir University of Economics. She worked as a fashion and graphic designer in textile manufacturing and gained costume design experience in Germany. Since 2022, she has been a research assistant at IUE, pursuing a master’s in Design Studies. Her research focuses on emotional attachment in design, living organisms in design, and fashion circularity, with her work exhibited internationally.
Pınar Neşeliler graduated from the architecture department at Yaşar University in 2020 and earned a master’s degree in Architecture with a thesis. She is currently a Ph.D. student at Dokuz Eylül University and a research assistant at Izmir University of Economics since 2023. Her interests include adaptive architecture and sustainable development goals (SDG) in pedagogy.
Dr. Onur Mengi (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an interdisciplinary academic with experience in industrial design and design management since 2010. He is currently an Associate Professor at Izmir University of Economics. His research focuses on design thinking, social change, and multi-level perspectives in industrial design. He is a research collaborator at QUT Design Lab in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Ali Aslankan received his bachelor’s (2005), master’s (2008), and doctorate (2014) degrees in architecture from METU. He completed doctoral research at PSU (2011-2013) with the Fulbright Program. He has been an Assistant Professor at IUE since 2016.