Down the Rabbit Hole we go: evaluating the impacts of a situated design pedagogy

Abstract

This paper reflects on the University of Western Sydney’s Bachelor of Design teaching studio, officially recognised as the Rabbit Hole, and its impact on student learning. The award-winning Rabbit Hole’s learning environment incorporates participatory design methods and a work integrated learning framework that facilitates situated learning experiences, where live projects with real-world outcomes bridge the gap between academia, community and industry. This study employs qualitative methods to explore the impact of the Rabbit Hole’s curriculum on student learning and subsequent graduate experience, with a focus on demonstrating how the Rabbit Hole fosters socially responsible emergent designers through working on live projects. This paper affirms the need for design pedagogy that is underpinned b y studio teaching that focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration and professional practice