Examining knowledge and skills of Interior Design Students in Kuwait from Global Design Firm Perspective

Alansari, Ahmad; Pati, Debajyoti; Parkinson, Sharran; Gaines, Kristi; Alnajadah, Ali

doi:10.12816/0036473

Examining knowledge and skills of Interior Design Students in Kuwait from Global Design Firm Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor, Interior Design Department, College of Basic Education, The public Authority of Applied Education and Training, Kuwait

² Professor, Interior Design Department, Texas Tech University, U.S.A

³ Assistant professor, Interior Design Department, Texas Tech University, U.S.A

⁴ Associate professor, Interior Design Department, College of Basic Education, The public Authority of Applied Education and Training, Kuwait

10.12816/0036473

Abstract

The interior design profession has been evolving and changing over time. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether interior design students in Kuwait possess compliant knowledge and skill areas sought by global design firms. The methodology of this research consists of two areas: measuring students’ knowledge and examining student’s design skills. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to senior interior design students at the College of Basic Education (CBE) in Kuwait and one of the southwestern universities in the United States. In order to examine design students’ skills, senior design projects were collected and evaluated by six jurors, using an online survey, who determined whether interior design students are graduating with the skill levels expected from entry-level interior designers in the United States. Students’ projects were attached to the project evaluation sheet, and practitioners were asked to evaluate them based on specific guidelines. The findings of the study illustrated that interior design students at CBE possessed deficiencies in ten design skills that were not compliant with what is expected from entry-level interior designers. Nevertheless, they met the average expected skill level in one design area. Four design skill areas were not evaluated since they were not demonstrated in the selected design projects. Further, there are nine design knowledge areas in which design students possess deficiencies. Nevertheless, they showed acceptable knowledge levels in three design knowledge domains. Educational implications and suggestions for improving the interior design education in Kuwait are discussed.

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