Designer as subject: role play as a teaching strategy in undergraduate design education

Abstract

Professional education is in a period of transition, with tension between academic initiatives and accreditation requirements, between academics and practitioners. A closer relationship benefits both groups; experiential learning through applied projects, 'learning by doing', is suggected as one method of creating a closer linkage between education and landscape practice. We report on the benefits and disadvantages of role play through five case studies, and suggest that role play establishes the framework for professional design to be redefined as a reflexive activity.