A Challenge in Design Epistemology: Virtual Design Education Without a Physical Frame

Andreas Ken Lanig

(Department of Design, Diploma University, Germany)

Abstract: The phenomenon of virtualized study programmes in graphic design is historically new. A research thesis traces the development of design competences in the course of studies. Learning biographies are the basis for a qualitative content analysis. Key categories emerge over the three years of study and are condensed into a theory of action. Among other things, the study comes to the conclusion that design competence development in the virtual learning space is also a synthesis of personal and inner-subject competence gain. The main difference to studio training is that these competence gains are mainly self-organized.

Key words: design pedagogy, distance learning, online teaching, competence development, empirical study