By experiencing each step of the design process, students receive a richer understanding of the profession and process. Additionally, public installations on campus provide an opportunity for the junior students to interact with the more senior students in the department. The need for collaboration in the design process is fully realized. 

Students saved discarded furniture, destined for the landfill, by re-imagining purpose and function. The studio course was possible through collaboration with FMG, the local Haworth Dealer, and Social Design Alliance, a local non-profit working to better the community through design. 

The struggle for legitimacy of the profession has not substantially changed in 50 years. Creating a framework for interdisciplinary collaboration helps to advance this cause for emerging designers and builds the confidence needed to collaborate professionally. Beyond these guiding principles, there is no better way to understand, than to do.

Students left the course with a greater understanding of material properties, joinery, finish/durability, structural issues, and marketability. Special emphasis placed on life-cycle, environmental concerns, and socio-economic impact. 

Saved furniture from the local branch of a national re-sale store was purchased by SDA as the re-sale store had a "no donation" policy. Students received support from local artisans who served as advisors and photography students for capturing their final built designs. Utilizing these resources, students learn basic skills in woodworking and metal working, one student even learning basic welding. Transformations were dramatic. 

The final exhibit was a silent auction, benefiting SDA's effort to divert furniture from the local landfill and to the vulnerable within the community. Students produced boards detailing their design process and work was photographed by students for use in their portfolios. 

Incorporating opportunities for competition helps to build confidence in design abilities. This Retail Design elective course responded to the RFP from the Retail Design Institute. Students saw, first hand, how their work compared to other students' work around the country, worked with hard deadlines, and a detailed RFP. Guest speakers from Fashion Design and Merchandising provided valuable information regarding visual merchandising, theories regarding human behavior in retail/public space, and standards in the profession. A guest speaker from Audio Design provided information regarding acoustic standards and mitigation in public spaces. 

Students were presented an opportunity to compete against professionals for the design of a temporary exhibition at SXSW for Interscope Records. Students, organized in groups, presented concepts to record executives. Winning concepts were then applied to all programmatic requirements and presented for final approval. The students' design was selected as the winning entry! 

Creating a professional quality design and presentation with students in a volunteer setting poses many challenges but the students were grateful for the opportunity. Perhaps the best lesson the students gained was the insight into the real challenges designers face. Students worked alongside me at all hours of the day and night in the computer lab to finish this project. They dealt with the realities of an ever-changing program, site issues, material lead times/availability, and timeline constraints. In the end, Interscope Records had issues with the site owner and pulled out of SXSW altogether, giving the students first hand experience with a failed project. 

Even with the challenges and disappointment in the 11th hour, students tackled the project from start to finish and gained incredible experience. Each student received a letter of recommendation from the record company and the student club was presented a $5,000 grant for their participation. 

Students explore concepts related to privacy, self-actualization, and ideal learning environments, utilizing evidence to justify design decisions. Each student selects their own unique demographic for a charter school. The above example explores LGBTQ and gender fluid youth in middle school. Deliverables emphasized: presentation quality materials. 

This senior level residential studio addresses an historic property, split program, advanced materiality and detailing, and detailed construction documents. Students investigate characteristics that sell residential designs and incorporate those methods in professional quality presentations. Application of codes in the historic property creates unique challenges. Deliverables emphasized: construction documents. 

In preparation for entering the field, students develop InDesign templates for standard deliverables such as FF+E. Drafts are eliminated for a more efficient work flow. Students present to their "client" and revise based upon their feedback. 

Students add weekly content to a website for new and innovative material research pertaining to the weekly lesson. Learning the skills to upload and edit a basic website helps to prepare students for later portfolio courses. Students strive to submit new and interesting materials in an unofficial competition with one another. The database lives online after the course terminates, creating an easily accessible resource for students in the future. 

Students each contributed a portion of a larger presentation on Google Drive to share the research portion of this elective course. By creating a template standardizing layout for the class, submissions are uniform and easily navigated as the students use this tool later in the course for information informing their furniture design final. 

Portfolio curriculum is addressed as a process as opposed to an object. The first assignment explores WHY the student designs and ignores WHAT. Students are then taught to curate and present work, as well as develop branding, target their interests, and distinguish themselves. In addition to traditional portfolio, website, resume/cover letters, students develop a tangible package that conceptually represents them as design professionals to be utilized when networking fails. Students mail their Tangible Package to their top choice of firms and are always shocked at the resulting communication from industry professionals they believed beyond their reach. 

Students were required to exhibit at the college's portfolio show. Each student was provided a table with a black table cloth and, for years, they simply stood behind their table with their portfolio. Students taking the Portfolio course learned how to exhibit and present work. Portfolio Preparation students were required to attend a campus portfolio show and write a critique. This assignment yielded constant improvement, semester after semester. Students took great pride in building their displays and telling attendees about their concepts. After two years, the practice began to influence other departments at the college and students from across campus were putting greater care and craft into their presentation on exhibition day.