Communication Competencies in Design Education: An Unconventional Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Protocol for Communication Across the Curriculum

Authors:

 *  Deanna P. Dannels (North Carolina State University)

 *  Amy L. Housley Gaffney (North Carolina State University)

 *  Kelly Norris Martin (North Carolina State University)

Abstract:

Working from a scholarship of teaching and learning framework, this collaborative project used an inductive process to explore a central question of design teachers: what does feedback reveal about valued communication competencies in design? Results reveal five communication competences--systematic demonstration of design evolution, comprehensive explanation of visuals, transparent advocacy of design intent, credible staging of presentation, and appropriate interaction management--that suggest an interdependent tapestry of communication, knowledge construction, and multimodal expression. These results and reflections contribute to scholarship on communication in design and illustrate an unconventional scholarship of teaching and learning protocol for cross-curricular practitioners in interdisciplinary collaborations.