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Volume 22, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1474-273X
  • E-ISSN: 2040-0896

Abstract

This article discusses research from the Design Experimentation and Exploration (DEE) course in the higher education context. The DEE course was designed to support MA design students’ understanding of their creativity in an explorative course. The data were drawn from the students’ weekly and final reflections, as well as from the notes by one of the researchers. We were interested in how material-led processes developed through repeated material explorations and experimentation during the DEE course. We found that, in this context, the material process was related to identity building, overcoming challenges in idea development, and conceptual inquiry. The results highlight how materials and making can intertwine with personal goals. They thus provide an example for educators in other contexts to support students in bravely following uncertain processes, letting go, and experimenting freely.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Academy of Finland (Award 331778, 331763 and 266125)
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (CC-BY), which allows users to copy, distribute and transmit an article as long as the author is attributed, the article is not used for commercial purposes, and the work is not modified or adapted in any way.
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2023-07-06
2025-03-24
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