The challenge and responsibility to create and implement a new two-year, direct-to-work Industrial Design (ID) program with the inclusion of necessary programs like engineering, manufacturing, and business for the community college environment is a daunting and complex task. Preparing students for the 21st century work environment requires a broad knowledge base of design, engineering, manufacturing, idea generation and making skills, creative problem solving skills, and a growth, global mindset. 21st century skills for workplace success is a popular term and has its origins from the National Academy of Sciences report regarding their forecast of necessary skills to work in the 21st century. Tony Wagner (2008) summarizes the 21st century skills to seven fundamental skills: critical thinking and creative problem solving, collaboration, adaptability, initiative, effective communication, analysis of data, and curiosity and imagination. The ID profession and supporting pedagogies address these seven core skills and are an ideal guideline for the introduction and development of 21st century work skills for students. In addition to the seven fundamental skills, the ID curriculum also addresses the concerns of globalization, introduction of technology into daily culture, human-centered design, and the need to be adaptable to our ever changing complex world. Considering the above requirements and conditions, a new type of classroom learning environment and educator will need to be developed that focuses on scientific inquiry, multi-disciplinary collaboration, project and team management, and creative making through a studio-based learning environment. For the spring 2026 semester, I'm continuing my research regarding classroom observations with a focus on identifying teacher traits that impact student learning with input and feedback from the student perspective. This research is being conducted with the Students-as-Partners program in the CTL.
ENVD 1002 - Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2024 / Fall 2025
Introduces technological competencies to support studio work including design representation and presentation. Students develop fundamental competencies in sketching, graphic design, file management and 3D modeling. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the following two 8-week studios. ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design, taken the first half of the semester, followed by ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, taken in the second half of the semester.
ENVD 1004 - Introduction to Environmental Design
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2026
Introduces methods, principles and philosophies that guide environmental design. Explores ways of thinking about, and accomplishing, the act of design. Students contemplate the processes and motivations behind design decisions including discussions of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Required for majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
ENVD 1010 - Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2024 / Fall 2025
Introduces students to concepts and techniques related to the design of products at a human scale. In an immersive project-based studio environment students develop the foundation of design communication and thinking through a series of hands-on projects with physical outcomes. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design is taken the first 7-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, taken in the second 7-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design, a 14-week class that is taught alongside the two 7-week studios.
ENVD 1012 - Technology 2: Visual Communications
Secondary Instructor
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Spring 2025
Explores the basic visual communication skills necessary for environmental design through image manipulation, vector and raster graphics, and composite renderings. Students will explore concepts in visual hierarchy, composition, and color theory to inform graphics within each environmental design major. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the following two 8-week studios. ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken the first half of the semester, followed by ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, taken in the second half of the semester.
ENVD 1020 - Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022 / Fall 2023
Introduces students to strategies and techniques of architectural design and communication in a hands-on studio environment. Students explore architectural form-making and design opportunities through an iterative design process culminating with a small-scale architectural project that responds to environmental, contextual and programmatic needs. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, an 7-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design, taken during the first 7-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design is a 14-week class that is taught alongside the two 7-week studios.
ENVD 1030 - Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023 / Spring 2024 / Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
Exposes students to concepts and strategies inherent to the practice of landscape architecture. Students design for biodiversity, climate resilience and human and beyond human physical and mental health within an urban context. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken the first 8-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, taken in the second 8-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.
ENVD 1040 - Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2026
Explores concepts and strategies related to urban planning and design. Students collaboratively develop a design solution to a small-scale problem within an urban fabric using basic skills of analysis and design iteration. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, an 8-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken during the first 8-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.
ENVD 1110 - Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2023
Explores the core principles shared across environmental design disciplines, including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Product Design, and Sustainable Planning and Urban Design. Through a multidisciplinary studio approach, students engage in spatial problem-solving, sustainable design strategies, peer-to-peer collaboration, and design thinking. Hands-on projects challenge students to apply foundational tools and methods to real-world challenges, considering social, environmental, and cultural impacts in both built and natural environments.�Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1110, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1, taken the first 7-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1120, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Design 2, taken in the second 7-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1022, Technology 3: Intermediate Applications for Environmental Design, a 14-week class that is taught alongside the two 7-week studios.
EPOD 2100 - Studio 1: Foundations of Environmental Products of Design
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
Project-based studio in which students focus on the design of products at a human scale with an emphasis on visualization, both graphic and 3D modeling, digital fabrication file production, and translation to physical form to design and build solutions for real users. Recommended corequisite: EPOD 2004.
