Yes, I think
you can. My first reaction was rather negative, how could one teach design or art through e-mail. But in thinking about it I could not find any important element of that teaching that could not be cast in one of the many possibilities of electronic communication. Someone should give it a try!
No, i don't think
you can.
I believe a good designer must first learn their craft, and that there is no substitute for 'hands-on' learning of any craft.
Visual research is another area that is vitally important (no designer can work succesfully in a vacuum)..although the internet is getting better as a resource, it is still no match for the World's libraries and museums.
Hi Robert
I agree, I did not exclude "hands on" nor " a proper visual education". My careful "yes" is based on the possibility to teach someone. Even in a traditional learning context students have to do things on there own, including building models, visiting musea, consulting libraries, visiting industries etc.
Why not?
Check out the site below. They seem to have quite a following and offer some interesting design courses online.
http://designboom.com
'cutlery' and 'in a box' ???
'cutlery' and 'in a box' ???
I have enough spam hitting my inbox without registering for yet more sites..but neither of those sounds particularly interesting to me !
Yes..students could be self-motivated enough to visit musea and libraries etc. but in my experience they so often need to be taught to look, and to use visual research properly in their design work. I'm still not convinced this could be taught properly by correspondence. Merely steering people in the right directions is not teaching.
More 'academic' subjects lend themselves better to this format..hence the existence of the Open University here in Great Britain.
This still involves one-to-one tutoring and feedback though..(rather laboriously via email)
A computer can't mark an essay.
I dare say a rudimentary knowledge of any subject could be imparted this way, but it would be no match for good old-fashioned one-to-one, hands-on, tutoring.
*hopefully now my job is safe ;)*
yes you can but ,you won't experienced it
through a computer.How can you learn the beautiful curve of an eames fiberglass chair on a computer? You won't. You have to feel one of those, close the eyes and let your finger gently stroke the curve of the chair, it's quite an experience, much more exciting than stroking the curve of a plastic chair.
Experiencing design is a prerequisite to understand what design is about. Otherwise, it's simply virtual.
I agree with Robert
that it is neither the most efficient, nor the most suitable way. Just the lack of "cross-motivation" between students would already be a major difference, but the question was: can it be done?. As to the tactile quality of design...in how many musea are you allowed to "feel" the collection and in how many schools is there a substantial collection of products to do the same thing? I do not dispute the quality of the tactile experience of designed objects (especially for blind people) but that is not the question. I would rather have a work of art explained to me with the help of a reproduction in a book, than to standf in front of the real thing without the benefit of a good teacher. I think e-education can provide that and create such a strong motivation that "seeing the real thing" becomes the next goal. I for one, would never have travelled all the way to Falling Water if it was not for the half dozen of books I have read about FLW and Falling Water. Anyway, as long as nobody has tried seriuously to put such a curriculum together we will not know....
Virtual Design
You can probably learn to design on a computer and then you will become a virtual designer just as a person who gets an online university degree gets a virtual education. You will probably miss human contact in many ways but I wouldn't think that is too critical in our brave new cyberworld. If you can fight wars via computer why shouldn't you design a chair with one?
If you need any help, please contact us at – info@designaddict.com