Cooperative Design and Communities of Practice

Abstract

The focus of teaching and learning within Coventry University's Automotive and Industrial Design course is to equip students with a passport to enter their professional community of practice [1] [2]. One of the core competencies contained within this passport is co-operative working and teamwork - seen as a fundamental aspect of the creative design process, from concept to production - and this is seen as a threshold concept within the course. Therefore, to provide designers for industry it is imperative the discipline of co-operative working is part of the learning process as designers will be expected to interact with a wide range of disciplines 'such as engineering, business, sociology, and psychology, among others'. [3]. And, in today's global world, designers will often be expected to do so across geographical boundaries. This paper presents four case studies, underpinned by feedback and work outputs designed to foster co-operative learning, from each year of the automotive and industrial design course.