Knowledge transfer in Design: Strategies to connect Institutions of Higher Education (HEI) with Markets and Portuguese Society.
Supervisor: Ana Cristina Dias
The relationship between Design higher education and society is essentially based on knowledge-transfer processes. It is acknowledged that knowledge – alongside pedagogy, research, and dissemination – is an asset for the progress and competitiveness of a country. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assemble and connect transversal knowledge on the subject of knowledge management in the scientific and disciplinary area of Design, in the sense of perceiving how education can promote deeper and lasting ties with the reality of the market, especially at the level of joint projects. In Portugal, it can be said that this dialogue is still insufficient, mainly due to problems of communication and poor evaluation of the competencies proposed by educational institutions, compared with those expected by companies and those achieved by designers. Considering the particular case of the design of products and services, this research focusses on the aforementioned problem as its object of study. Particularly, it addresses the second level of higher education – the master’s degree. A non-interventionist research methodology was used, with a predominance of qualitative methods, as well as the use of quantitative methods in the treatment of some data.
Objectives
The main objective of this research project is to outline strategies for reviewing academic curricula, namely integrating research and communication skills, and facilitating the transfer of knowledge between academia and external actors. Thus, we aimed to create a correspondence between the needs of the markets and Portuguese society and the academy. Specifically, it was intended to:
- Elucidate and systematize philosophical concepts that lead to understanding the construction of knowledge in Design.
- Map the master’s degree courses in Product Design and Services taught in Portugal and collect data on the horizontal and vertical articulation of these curricula, which allowed the construction of a reference framework that contains the primary characteristics of the various courses, thus describing their different profiles.
- To recognize the importance of the second cycle of higher studies: to value the master’s degree as an essential reinforcement of the undergraduate studies, recognizing the importance of developing in students good research practices and connection to the world of work.
- Understand the relationship between HEIs, markets and society, at the level of training actions and joint research.
- Understand the discrepancies between Design skills proposed by educational institutions, those expected by the industry and achieved by a professional designer.
- Identify the problems and gaps that hinder dialogue within the academy.
- Identify the problems and gaps that hinder access and acceptance of the designer in the labour market.
- Raise awareness of the need to establish a better relationship between the academic world and the professional world in the area of Product Design and Services.
- Identify success stories in the international context (well-formed relationships between educational institutions and companies), analyse existing infrastructures and strategies of approach to society, with the purpose of creating a set of references that cover the most important characteristics and problem constraints that condition that success.
- Identify ways of involving the different agents in the training processes, encouraging cooperation as a determining factor for the success of the various stakeholders.
- Promote the transfer of knowledge to society, strategically structuring the economy, through partnerships between HEIs, companies, research centres, government, and other public and private entities.
- Foster the entrepreneurial spirit of Design students, providing an environment closer to what they will find in the job market.
- Demonstrate the importance of protecting and accelerating the knowledge transfer process through resources and infrastructures to support promising ideas and projects.
- Contribute to the improvement of the teaching of Design in Portugal, seeking the satisfaction of graduates, faculty, and employers and, consequently, provide an approximation of the competencies achieved in teaching to those required in professional practice.
- Promote the teaching of a Design, namely of products and services, able to actively intervene in a constantly changing society, translating technical and scientific knowledge into economic and social value (with innovative solutions as a result).
Results
The main contribution of this research resides in the recognition of the work of the designers by the society in which they are inserted. The main conclusion of this study is that it is imperative to educate both educators and employers about the need to co-construct a knowledge culture through collaborative practices that favour the consolidation of the competitiveness of the national economy.