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A new study has recently been completed investigating current attitudes towards drawing and drawing tuition among senior academics in design education in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Kingdom. This study examines some of the main aspects of existing educational practice while also exploring academics' aspirations for ideal drawing tutors and drawing studios. It forms part of an extensive research programme conducted over twenty years on the role of drawing in design practice and its implications for design education, earlier findings being used here for comparison. Primarily based on interviews with deans and programme leaders from HEIs in England and Scotland, and supplemented by interviews with senior design researchers, views on the forms of drawing ability crucial to today's designers, the impact of computer-based technology on the role of drawing in design, the curriculum structure and content with regard to drawing studies, and the use of academic resources are discussed.

Over a number of years a programme of research has been carried out into the role of drawing in design processes, primarily the graphic design process, and on the possible implications for curriculum planing for design students. From the findings of an original in-depth analysis of the use of drawing in the commercial environment of the design consultant, various initiatives in educational planning and assessment in England and Scotland have been fostered and a contribution has been made to the ongoing debate in drawing studies.ically changed many aspects of the professional Introduction and background

Increasingly, concerns are being expressed about the negative effects of digital copying in both industry and higher education. A project was formulated to investigate the use of paper-based drawing methods for copying from visual source material in varied and structured ways and, thereby, to mitigate the adverse effects of design student dependency on screen-based copying. A Copying Vocabulary Matrix was formulated based on findings accrued through a practice-based enquiry where methods of copying were explored and a terminology of copying identified by the authors. A Constructive Copying Workshop was then devised for integration into an existing printed textile design course. Students were asked to respond to the words in the matrix through copying from the same visual source and were limited to pencils and paper. They were also encouraged to keep a reflective journal to record their thoughts as they worked. Their views were monitored during and after the workshop, and the drawings produced were then reviewed and analysed. It was found that a wide variety of images were produced based on either experimentation or strategic rationale by the students and that their visual literacy, analytical skills and understanding of textile design were enhanced, leading to the conclusion that similar teaching interventions into the design drawing curricula could benefit the student learning experience.

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