Katja Fleischmann
Dr Katja Fleischmann is an experienced academic, researcher and designer with extensive knowledge of global and national issues driving the design profession. Having worked in the US, Europe and UK as interactive media designer and design educator and now Australia, she is well placed to contribute to the discourse around global movements in the design industry.
Her research centres around two often interlinking areas, the role of design in social, public and economic innovation, and the future of design education. Katja works currently on several research projects which include a study on the extent to which design-led innovation (e.g. Service Design Thinking, Co-Creation) can drive change towards a Circular Economy; a collaborative study on building economic development in Northern Australia through creative industries; and research on the transition of studio-based design education to an online learning environment.
Address: James Cook University, College of Arts, Society and Education, Division of Tropical Environments and Societies, Queensland, Australia
Her research centres around two often interlinking areas, the role of design in social, public and economic innovation, and the future of design education. Katja works currently on several research projects which include a study on the extent to which design-led innovation (e.g. Service Design Thinking, Co-Creation) can drive change towards a Circular Economy; a collaborative study on building economic development in Northern Australia through creative industries; and research on the transition of studio-based design education to an online learning environment.
Address: James Cook University, College of Arts, Society and Education, Division of Tropical Environments and Societies, Queensland, Australia
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by students online. Although there is a convenience aspect to the flipped classroom, students often view the online lectures as little more than pro forma content motivated by assessments. Creating engaging
video content online, particularly lectures, requires taking into consideration the video viewing habits and preferences of students. This case study of third year undergraduate visual communication design students
explores student perceptions of pre-recorded video lectures in two courses, one blended, the other fully online with students having a choice between the two learning modes following the Covid pandemic. Students were queried about the style of video presentations, their ideal length and were asked to offer suggestions to improve pre-recorded video lectures. Recommendations to create engaging online video lectures in both online and blended design classrooms are detailed.
Open Access
https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1386&context=learnxdesign
Citation
Fleischmann, K.(2023) The Flipped Design Classroom: Effectiveness of Online Lectures, in Derek Jones, Naz Borekci, Violeta Clemente, James Corazzo, Nicole Lotz, Liv Merete Nielsen, Lesley-Ann Noel (eds.), The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 29 November - 1 December 2023, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2024.023
28(1):135-153
incorporating online elements into their design teaching. Pre-recorded lectures, online feedback and critique sessions, self-paced learning
activities, and the use of cloud-based collaboration tools are among the most frequently employed methods. Nearly a third of surveyed educators are even considering teaching fully online design courses. This shift reflects a forward-thinking approach aimed at better aligning design education and industry. However, the study also highlights the importance of remaining open to disruptive technologies like generative artificial intelligence which is currently reshaping the design industry and work practices.
Keywords: online teaching strategies, virtual collaboration, online design studio, decentralize workforce, employability, artificial
intelligence, design industry practice
Fleischmann, K. Making tacit knowledge explicit: the case for online peer feedback in the studio critique. Int J Technol Des Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09911-8
RésuméL'intelligence artificielle générative (GenAI) redéfinit la manière dont la conception de l'enseignement supérieur est enseignée et apprise. La croissance explosive de la GenAI dans la pratique de la conception graphiqueexige que les éducateurs s'assurent que les étudiants sont préparés à entrer dans la profession de concepteur graphiqueavec les connaissances et l'expérience de l'utilisation de la GenAI. Pour faciliter l'introduction de la GenAI dans un contexte de projet, il est suggéré que les éducateurs utilisent un engagement critique comme point de départ pour s'assurer que les étudiants
Open Access:
https://cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/28618/21113
Katja Fleischmann, 2022. Journal of Design, Business & Society, 8, 2, pp. 247 - 272, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1386/dbs_00042_1.
The Design Journal, 25 (1), pp. 25-43, 2022, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2021.2004717
Open Access: https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/DATE/article/view/2972
Accepted version available here
https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/392315/Fleischmann385192Accepted.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y
design platform which allows students to annotate designs and provide in-context feedback for faster iterations in real time. Results are discussed in the context of broadening learning opportunities for
design students in a blended learning environment and providing students with an authentic learning experience because it represents technologies that are increasingly part of a professional practice.
Fleischmann, K. (2015). The Democratisation of Design and Design Learning – How Do We Educate the Next–Generation Designer. International Journal of Arts & Sciences. Vol 8(6): pp.101–108. http://www.universitypublications.net/ijas/0806/pdf/B5R188.pdf
Résumé
La technologie numérique transforme la façon dont sont enseignées les disciplines de l'éducation postsecondaire, y compris le design. Différentes branches du design se servent de l'enseignement en studio comme pédagogie permettant de former les étudiants pour les métiers des arts et du design. L'enseignement en studio accorde une importance considérable aux interactions en personne qui orientent l'apprentissage par l'entremise du dialogue et de la rétroaction offerte sur le travail individuel. De nombreux enseignants de design croient qu'il est difficile, voire impossible, d'enseigner le design en ligne à cause des interactions en studio. Le design est-il l'une de ces disciplines que l'on ne peut pas enseigner en ligne à cause de la culture des studios? Cette étude explore la question en investiguant l'efficacité de sujets qui étudient le design à l'aide d'une salle de classe virtuelle, qui sert à gérer les critiques entre les pairs, les rétroactions de l'instructeur, ainsi que les travaux à effectuer. Vingt-huit étudiants de première année ont pris part à deux cours de design en ligne qui exigeaient d'eux qu'ils interagissent avec leurs camarades et avec l'instructeur par l'entremise d'un système de gestion de l'apprentissage.
students are typically introduced to a wide range of subject areas. Therefore, the question investigated was: how can undergraduate design students learn the skills required for effective collaboration and thus develop a broad understanding of other disciplines while simultaneously continuing to develop their discipline-specific skills?
A multidisciplinary learning and teaching model was trialled over a period of two years in an undergraduate digital media design degree. Quantitative and qualitative evidence in support of the development of T-shaped characteristics came from students and educators.
Design education is at the crossroads of re-defining itself in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Design educators are now part of a global movement to work in isolation through web-based communication and collaboration tools, which are also at the heart of a decentralised workforce encountered in the design profession. With its social isolation requirements, many universities have closed down their physical classes and lecture halls and have required educators to abruptly transition their courses to an online delivery. Although this transition is not universally endorsed, it has forced the hand of design educators who have been reluctant to jump into the online world with both feet. As the literature reveals, many blended learning solutions have been trialled but few design educators have made online teaching and learning an ongoing building block of their design courses. This chapter examines the outcomes of this foundational shift from face-to-face design studio teaching to online by surveying design students and educators at an Australian university. The results are surprisingly optimistic but there are challenges that need to be addressed by institutions to make this transition work in the post-pandemic world. The central research question is: Will design educators who are now working in an online environment go back to the physical classroom and lecture halls once the pandemic restrictions ease? Or is online design education now a central part of the design curriculum?
Open Access, download here:
https://www.proudpen.com/book/the-impact-of-covid19-on-the-international-education-system-pp/the-online-pandemic-in-design-courses-design-higher-education-in-digital-isolation/
Fleischmann, K. (2015). After the Big Bang: What’s next in design education? Time to relax? Journal of Learning Design, Vol 8, No 3. pp. 123-142. Retreived from https://www.jld.edu.au/article/view/258/230
by students online. Although there is a convenience aspect to the flipped classroom, students often view the online lectures as little more than pro forma content motivated by assessments. Creating engaging
video content online, particularly lectures, requires taking into consideration the video viewing habits and preferences of students. This case study of third year undergraduate visual communication design students
explores student perceptions of pre-recorded video lectures in two courses, one blended, the other fully online with students having a choice between the two learning modes following the Covid pandemic. Students were queried about the style of video presentations, their ideal length and were asked to offer suggestions to improve pre-recorded video lectures. Recommendations to create engaging online video lectures in both online and blended design classrooms are detailed.
Open Access
https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1386&context=learnxdesign
Citation
Fleischmann, K.(2023) The Flipped Design Classroom: Effectiveness of Online Lectures, in Derek Jones, Naz Borekci, Violeta Clemente, James Corazzo, Nicole Lotz, Liv Merete Nielsen, Lesley-Ann Noel (eds.), The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 29 November - 1 December 2023, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2024.023
28(1):135-153
incorporating online elements into their design teaching. Pre-recorded lectures, online feedback and critique sessions, self-paced learning
activities, and the use of cloud-based collaboration tools are among the most frequently employed methods. Nearly a third of surveyed educators are even considering teaching fully online design courses. This shift reflects a forward-thinking approach aimed at better aligning design education and industry. However, the study also highlights the importance of remaining open to disruptive technologies like generative artificial intelligence which is currently reshaping the design industry and work practices.
Keywords: online teaching strategies, virtual collaboration, online design studio, decentralize workforce, employability, artificial
intelligence, design industry practice
Fleischmann, K. Making tacit knowledge explicit: the case for online peer feedback in the studio critique. Int J Technol Des Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09911-8
RésuméL'intelligence artificielle générative (GenAI) redéfinit la manière dont la conception de l'enseignement supérieur est enseignée et apprise. La croissance explosive de la GenAI dans la pratique de la conception graphiqueexige que les éducateurs s'assurent que les étudiants sont préparés à entrer dans la profession de concepteur graphiqueavec les connaissances et l'expérience de l'utilisation de la GenAI. Pour faciliter l'introduction de la GenAI dans un contexte de projet, il est suggéré que les éducateurs utilisent un engagement critique comme point de départ pour s'assurer que les étudiants
Open Access:
https://cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/28618/21113
Katja Fleischmann, 2022. Journal of Design, Business & Society, 8, 2, pp. 247 - 272, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1386/dbs_00042_1.
The Design Journal, 25 (1), pp. 25-43, 2022, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2021.2004717
Open Access: https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/DATE/article/view/2972
Accepted version available here
https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/392315/Fleischmann385192Accepted.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y
design platform which allows students to annotate designs and provide in-context feedback for faster iterations in real time. Results are discussed in the context of broadening learning opportunities for
design students in a blended learning environment and providing students with an authentic learning experience because it represents technologies that are increasingly part of a professional practice.
Fleischmann, K. (2015). The Democratisation of Design and Design Learning – How Do We Educate the Next–Generation Designer. International Journal of Arts & Sciences. Vol 8(6): pp.101–108. http://www.universitypublications.net/ijas/0806/pdf/B5R188.pdf
Résumé
La technologie numérique transforme la façon dont sont enseignées les disciplines de l'éducation postsecondaire, y compris le design. Différentes branches du design se servent de l'enseignement en studio comme pédagogie permettant de former les étudiants pour les métiers des arts et du design. L'enseignement en studio accorde une importance considérable aux interactions en personne qui orientent l'apprentissage par l'entremise du dialogue et de la rétroaction offerte sur le travail individuel. De nombreux enseignants de design croient qu'il est difficile, voire impossible, d'enseigner le design en ligne à cause des interactions en studio. Le design est-il l'une de ces disciplines que l'on ne peut pas enseigner en ligne à cause de la culture des studios? Cette étude explore la question en investiguant l'efficacité de sujets qui étudient le design à l'aide d'une salle de classe virtuelle, qui sert à gérer les critiques entre les pairs, les rétroactions de l'instructeur, ainsi que les travaux à effectuer. Vingt-huit étudiants de première année ont pris part à deux cours de design en ligne qui exigeaient d'eux qu'ils interagissent avec leurs camarades et avec l'instructeur par l'entremise d'un système de gestion de l'apprentissage.
students are typically introduced to a wide range of subject areas. Therefore, the question investigated was: how can undergraduate design students learn the skills required for effective collaboration and thus develop a broad understanding of other disciplines while simultaneously continuing to develop their discipline-specific skills?
A multidisciplinary learning and teaching model was trialled over a period of two years in an undergraduate digital media design degree. Quantitative and qualitative evidence in support of the development of T-shaped characteristics came from students and educators.
Design education is at the crossroads of re-defining itself in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Design educators are now part of a global movement to work in isolation through web-based communication and collaboration tools, which are also at the heart of a decentralised workforce encountered in the design profession. With its social isolation requirements, many universities have closed down their physical classes and lecture halls and have required educators to abruptly transition their courses to an online delivery. Although this transition is not universally endorsed, it has forced the hand of design educators who have been reluctant to jump into the online world with both feet. As the literature reveals, many blended learning solutions have been trialled but few design educators have made online teaching and learning an ongoing building block of their design courses. This chapter examines the outcomes of this foundational shift from face-to-face design studio teaching to online by surveying design students and educators at an Australian university. The results are surprisingly optimistic but there are challenges that need to be addressed by institutions to make this transition work in the post-pandemic world. The central research question is: Will design educators who are now working in an online environment go back to the physical classroom and lecture halls once the pandemic restrictions ease? Or is online design education now a central part of the design curriculum?
Open Access, download here:
https://www.proudpen.com/book/the-impact-of-covid19-on-the-international-education-system-pp/the-online-pandemic-in-design-courses-design-higher-education-in-digital-isolation/
Fleischmann, K. (2015). After the Big Bang: What’s next in design education? Time to relax? Journal of Learning Design, Vol 8, No 3. pp. 123-142. Retreived from https://www.jld.edu.au/article/view/258/230
When reading this chapter, you will gain the following three insights:
1. peer assessment displays several benefits and potentials for creative arts education;
2. peer assessment can facilitate a powerful reflective practice for students in creative arts education;
3. peer assessment is a reliable and valid assessment strategy to add or replace the traditional studio critique.
Assessment Agency: Student-driven
Assessment Focus: Process
Assessment Outcomes: Fixed
Assessment Context Transferrable
Fleischmann, K. (2016). Peer Assessment: A Learning Opportunity for Students in the Creative Arts, In: Nygaard, Claus, Branch, John, Bartholomew, Paul, (eds.) Assessing Learning in Higher Education. Learning In Higher Education Series. Libri Publishing, Oxford, pp. 109-132
This chapter contributes to the anthology on learning spaces in higher education by exploring the extent to which the computer lab and other formal and informal learning spaces offer a viable alternative to the traditional design studio in supporting students to learn collaboratively and be creative. We define learning space as the various places where teaching and learning occur, including formal and informal locations as well as those in both physical and virtual environments. After reading this chapter, you will:
1. have a deeper understanding of the key features of learning spaces that support successful cross-disciplinary and creative collaboration;
2. have insights into how students view a range of typical formal and informal learning spaces in higher education; and
3. be able to reflect on how the best features of traditional learning spaces might be replicated in new forms of physical learning spaces.
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