Wearables of the past and the future: an immersive and cross-cultural learning experience of undergraduate students in an international design collaboration

Abstract

Short term, collaborative, immersive and situated learning experiences through cross cultural design projects are key to elevating design students’ global perspectives and ability to perform in international contexts. In this article we examine students’ experiences during an international study tour that took Australian university undergraduates to collaborate with peer students in a design project at a university in Colombia. Our examination identifies three key dimensions contributing to the enhancement of students’ global perspectives: 1) intercultural engagement through peer-to-peer exchange, 2) cross cultural collaboration during remote and immersive design work, and 3) immersing in place-based experiences that enable cultural sensitivity. An analysis of students’ essays and design work demonstrates how these three dimensions were fundamental to broaden their worldviews and ability to perform globally. In the context of increasing participation of graduates from the Creative Industries in the global economy, this article contributes to the discourse about the value of short-term mobility programs in Design in Higher Education.

Keywords:

• Immersive learning
• study tour
• design
• creative industries
• culture
• higher education

Acknowledgements

We are forever grateful to all the persons involved in these explorations, most specially to all participating students from Queensland University of Technology and from Universidad El Bosque. We are in debt to the Faculty of Creation and Communication at Universidad El Bosque that hosted the QUT Study Tour, and to the QUT Creative Industries Faculty for the opportunity to conduct the Study Tour to South America.

Ethics statement

This study has been conducted under Queensland University of Technology Ethics Approval number 1500000897. All images are provided under signed Image Release Consent forms.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support in relation to this study and publication of this article.