Transition Design: Teaching and Learning

Central to the development of transition design is its foundation in higher education. The theoretical basis that informs the practice of transition design develops from an emergent process comprised of hypotheses, theory, and testing in educational settings. These approaches-which focus on tackling specific, complex, placed-based challenges-must be tailored to address the nature of specific contexts and the varied learning of student cohorts and their respective needs. This paper investigates the value and thoughtful integration of transition design practices into design education and proposes curricula for undergraduate design students. It outlines methods and tools that are utilized in our teaching, describes successes, identifies challenges, presents ideas for improvement, and proposes opportunities for development.