Abstract
M.Ed.
The department of Industrial Design at the University of Johannesburg implements year-end written examinations for all of its theoretical subjects as a final summative assessment. This assessment process has remained largely unchanged since the inception of the course and remains an important period within the academic calendar. This method of assessment is the mainstay of the assessment process employed at the department with regard to the theoretical subjects offered. However, students’ experiences of this phenomenon are unknown. Reasons for this are varied but, primarily, a lack of open communication between lecturers and students as a result of the nature of the discipline has compromised deeper understanding of the student experience. Previous research regarding assessment within the broad art and design field has focussed intently on the subjective studio critique as a method of assessment of practical work. The results of previous research have, therefore, side lined investigation of written end-of-year examinations.
It is with this in mind that the focus of this study is to investigate students’ experiences of written examination within the context of industrial design education. This study investigates written year-end examinations as a phenomenon and identifies possible linkages to Transformative Learning (TL) theory. That is to say, students’ experiences of examination are investigated as contextual experiences that may or may not bring about transformation in meaning structures that initiate critical reflection. According to TL theory, students who are able to reflect critically on experiences will be able to adopt and even accept different viewpoints. Such a changed viewpoint is critical to establish in order to understand if and how students learn through transformation as a result of their experiences of the phenomenon of written examination.