Learning During a Digital Transformation In
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LEARNING DURING A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN COMMUNICATION DESIGN: FACULTY, PROFESSIONAL, AND STUDENT VIEWS ON CHANGING PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES by Laura S. Scherling Dissertation Committee: Professor Richard Jochum, Sponsor Professor Olga Hubard Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date May 20, 2020 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor in Education Teachers College, Columbia University 2020 ABSTRACT LEARNING DURING A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN COMMUNICATION DESIGN: FACULTY, PROFESSIONAL, AND STUDENT VIEWS ON CHANGING PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE Laura S. Scherling Digital technologies have become fundamental to communication designers in their professional practice. The speed of technology change has been profound, and communication design educators, professionals, and students are challenged with reimagining what constitutes an education responsive to digital transformation. Attempts to address these changes have often been reactive, emphasizing digital skills requirements without always examining what practices best support design students as they prepare to pursue careers in various communication design-focused positions. The question of how educators can best prepare and support communication design students for what awaits them in the workplace is at the center of this study. Through mixed-methods research, including both survey analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews (N=202), this dissertation attempts to answer that question by analyzing practices incorporated by communication design educators, professionals, and students. © Copyright Laura S. Scherling 2020 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people who helped me with this process of completing this dissertation. I would like to thank my advisor, Professor Richard Jochum, and the dissertation committee, Professor Olga Hubbard Orvananos, Professor Paulo Blikstein, and Professor Joey J. Lee. I would also like to thank Dr. Laurence Wilse-Samson and George Njuguna for your editing advice and countless insights throughout this project. Finally, I would like to thank my mentors Dr. Shannon Mattern, Dr. Nitin Sawhney, Professor Judith M. Burton, Professor Mary Hafeli, Peter Haratonik, Samantha Clay-Reagan and my colleagues Eunji Lee, Jaclyn Griner, and Brian Bulfer. I would like to thank Sohee Koo and Jung Hee Han for lending extra support and kindness this Spring––in the midst of an unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic––as I finished writing this. I would also like to thank my family––my husband, my son, my parents, aunts, and uncles for your endless support. Finally, I’m grateful to the hundreds of research participants who contributed to the study survey and interviews––which made this dissertation possible. L. S. S. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I – INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 Background of the Problem ......................................................................................... 6 Problem Statement ..................................................................................................... 12 Research Question and Study Hypothesis ................................................................. 14 Research Question ................................................................................................ 15 Study Hypothesis .................................................................................................. 16 Researcher Positionality and Theoretical Framework ............................................... 16 Assumptions .............................................................................................................. 22 Assumptions not to Be Debated ............................................................................ 22 Assumptions to Be Debated .................................................................................. 23 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................... 24 Chapter I Summary .................................................................................................... 26 Chapter II – REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................. 29 A Digital Transformation in Communication Design Education: Changing Pedagogical Practices ................................................................................................ 30 A 21st-Century Digital Design Skills Debate ....................................................... 38 Job Satisfaction in Communication Design .................................................... 44 The Rapid Emergence of Digital Technologies in Communication Design Education: 1960s to Present .................................................................................. 46 A Historical Evolution of Communication Design Education .................................. 54 Apprenticeship Model ........................................................................................... 58 Studio/Workshop Model ....................................................................................... 61 Vocational Model .................................................................................................. 63 Trade schools. ................................................................................................. 64 South Kensington Model ...................................................................................... 65 Corporate Work Model ......................................................................................... 67 Bauhaus Model ..................................................................................................... 70 Chapter II Summary .................................................................................................. 72 Chapter III – METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 75 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 75 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 76 Mixed Methods: Explanatory-Sequential Design ................................................. 76 iv Quantitative Methodology: Explanatory and Exploratory Data Analysis ............ 76 Qualitative Methodology: Thematic Coding ........................................................ 77 Mixed Methods: Developing a Joint Display ....................................................... 78 Design of Study ......................................................................................................... 79 Participants ............................................................................................................ 79 Student participants (interviews). ................................................................... 80 Educator and professional participants (interviews). ...................................... 80 Recruitment channel (interviews). .................................................................. 81 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 81 Open-Ended and Closed-Ended Survey Questions ............................................... 82 Semi-Structured Interviews .................................................................................. 84 Limitations of Research ............................................................................................. 87 Logistical Limits ................................................................................................... 87 Time limit. ....................................................................................................... 87 Geographical limit. ......................................................................................... 87 Participant sample size. ................................................................................... 88 Theoretical Limitation .......................................................................................... 88 Role as a Researcher ............................................................................................. 88 Cultural bias. ................................................................................................... 89 Positive results bias. ........................................................................................ 89 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................. 90 Quantitative Data Analysis ................................................................................... 91 Qualitative Data Analysis ..................................................................................... 91 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................... 92 Confidentiality Procedures .................................................................................... 92 Aliases. ............................................................................................................ 93 Informed Consent .................................................................................................. 93 Diversity ................................................................................................................ 94 Research Benefits: