The Consortium for Design Education: A Model for Internationalizing Interior Design Programs

Abstract

The trilateral Consortium for Design Education (CODE) project merged an international design experience with a student exchange among six institutions representing Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The purposes of CODE were to institute (1) trilateral North American student exchanges, (2) joint design projects through virtual charettes for interior design students, and (3) the means of exposing students to the nature of the profession in North America, so that they would recognize, realize, and capitalize on innovative opportunities, thereby improving quality of community life and the environment in North America. The two significant components of the CODE project were a virtual design charette and the exchange of selected students over a period of four years. The virtual design charette provided an intensive two–day international team experience for over 200 interior design students. The goal of the charette was to take interior design programs beyond geographic boundaries and employ technological and international approaches to a design problem. The intent of the exchange was to provide students with an opportunity to study in a North American culture other than their own. The CODE project embraced a framework of integrating a global community into the interior design curriculum. The project created an international environment that fostered an interactive atmosphere among North American students, faculty, and administration. The project may serve as a model for other institutions that desire to integrate an international program into their interior design curriculum.