Survey of DIT Second Year Interior Design & Furniture Students 2014-15

A retrospective study on:

Can a Blended Learning approach help to overcome learning challenges in First Year?
___________________________________________________________________________
(Definition of blended learning in this study: A combination of face to face and multimedia learning using CAD video screencasts)

I am a lecturer at Dublin Institute of Technology, Grangegorman, Dublin 7 and I am undertaking

research for an MSc. in Applied eLearning. Your participation in this survey will be completely
confidential and responses will be made anonymous. This should take no longer than 15 minutes to
complete. Please answer all questions honestly and as fully as you can.
Do you agree to take part in this survey? Yes _______ No_______
Date: __________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Q1 - Course Choice
What were the main aspects about the course content that attracted you to the BA Interior Design
& Furniture course at DIT?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Q2 - What were you looking for when choosing this course?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Q3 - The First Year Learning Experience

Write a brief reflection on the new learning challenges you had to overcome in first year.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Q4 - The First Year Learning Experience

Place the following in order of how challenging you found each task when you were learning in first
year, with the most challenging at 1 and the least challenging at 5.
Technical Drawing
Free-hand Drawing
Sample & Mood-boards
Academic Writing (eg. essays)
AutoCAD
Please complete the following:
I found ________________ the most challenging in first year because _________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
I found ________________ the least challenging in first year because _________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
(You do not have to choose one of the 5 above, if something else applies)

Q5 - Convergent and Divergent Thinking

Convergent thinking is the type of thinking that focuses on coming up with a single, well established
answer to a problem. e.g. 10 +10 = ?; or What colour is milk?
Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring
many possible solutions. e.g. How many things can you make out of a paper clip?

In the diagram above please circle the eight words which most describe the learning processes you
would use when you are doing any assignment on the course.
Would you describe yourself as a convergent or divergent thinker?

_________________________

Why do you think this is the case? ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3

Q6 The traits of a good designer:

Place the following in order from 1 to 10 indicating which you think is the most important trait of a
good designer, with 1 being the most important and 10 being the least.
Artistic Ability

Awareness of Audience

Communication

Creativity

Eye for Materials

Humility

Problem Solving

Team Player

Technical Skills

Vision

Q7 Multimedia Learning
In your CAD module in first year you were given post-lecture videos (screencasts) via e-mail to look
at after class. (As a reminder, you completed surveys on this in first year.)
i. Please write a brief reflection on how you used them in first year.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
ii. Do you still refer to the videos in your learning in 2nd year? ________________________________
iii. Has your opinion changed towards learning CAD software (Autocad, Sketchup, Photoshop,
Illustrator) in second year, and if so, please say why?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
iv. Place the following in order of how challenging you found each assignment in the first year CAD
module, with the most challenging at 1 and the least challenging at 4.
1st Semester: Activities 1 to 16
1st Semester: Survey/sketches/tech. drawing by hand
1st Semester: End of semester cad drawing test
2nd Semester: Reception design project
4

v. Are there other modules in which such multimedia tutorials would have helped to overcome new
learning challenges, and if so, please say why?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

vi. Do you think video screencasts could be a useful presentation format for your own project work
in second year and beyond?
If so, please say when and why?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

If you have any further comments about the screencasts or the learning processes in the first two
years of the course, please add them here:
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Many thanks for your participation in this survey.