The ReflecTable: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice in Design Education

Abstract

Abstract. The ReflecTable is a digital learning environment that explores how design games and video-led reflection might be combined to bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical components of design education. The concept seeks to leverage the qualities of exploratory design games and video to inspire design students to critically reflect upon the relationship between their evolving design practices and the theories and techniques they are taught in lectures, by allowing them to capture, review and reflect upon short videos of a design game. In this paper, we present the ReflecTable design and nine studies conducted during the course of its development. The studies suggest that the ReflecTable has the potential to support design students in understanding how theoretical concepts and methods relate to different design situations and their own evolving design practices.

Group tagging: Using video tagging to facilitate reflection on small group activities

“…This is facilitated using an external camera to capture students' interactions in any setting. The customizability of the app makes it practical in a variety of small group teaching unlike other task-specific tools, such as Reflectable (Hook et al, 2013). The simple tagging interface makes the process of recording the clips easy and intuitive.…”

“…This method of reflection showed a potential in helping students understand their own design approach and decisions as well as have a better understanding of the theoretical concepts related to design activities. The system was task specific, created for design students to connect theoretical and practical aspects of their studies (Hook, Hjermitslev, Iversen, & Olivier, ). Likewise, most examples of video enhanced reflection in higher education (eg, in the medical field, teacher’s training, psychology) are task specific (Birbeck et al ., ).…”

A Comparative Evaluation on Online Learning Approaches using Parallel Coordinate Visualization

“…This principle has been successfully used to design tutorials for education of mathematics (linear equation) [15], design [4], and music [23]. We chose to adopt this model because education of visualization requires conceptual learning as well as practice for problemsolving skills.…”

Making the Invisible Visible

“…The prototype, which was inspired by the ReflecTable [13], comprised an off the shelf webcam mounted on a tripod, an area microphone, three small wireless mice and a laptop ( Figure 1). When one of these mice was clicked, a video showing the last 30 seconds was recorded and saved onto the laptop.…”