Competence-based learning and societal awareness: Building up experiences within the discipline of interior architecture

Abstract

By means of the bachelor proof, students of interior architecture of the University of Antwerp (Faculty of Design Sciences) are stimulated to design interiors for real-life public libraries in view of particular societal challenges. During three subsequent years the teaching staff elaborated a set of learning objectives and activities that jointly form a competence-based learning process focussed on the development of the societal awareness of design students. In this paper we report on the intermediate experiences of the teachning staff and the students as indicated by a set op mainly qualitative data. In short it concerns four lessons learned relating to the over-and underestimation of (i) disciplinary filters, (ii) comfort-zones, (iii) motivating complexities and (iv) copy-cat behavior.