UTILIZATION OF THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW PROGRAM CURRICULUM

Program curriculum development is a pivotal undertaking to ensure program relevance in a dynamic world. This paper focuses on utilizing a product development methodology to shape the next generation of the Industrial Design Engineering program. The methodology has emphasis on understanding the user and stakeholder needs to develop innovative program curriculum both efficiently and effectively. The primary research question addressed is: " How can a Product Development process be used for developing a new program syllabus?". Given the novelty of applying this methodology to university programs, our exploration sought to identify the most effective methods from the product development process. Initial steps involved gathering information about anticipated future scenarios to ensure the program's relevance, currency, and adaptability to changing landscapes. The program structure needed to accommodate dual-degree variants, allowing students to choose their major initially and later decide their degree path. This flexibility aimed to prepare students for the workforce or further studies, depending on their chosen path, after three years. Following the pre-study, iterations occurred through idea generation, evaluation, and cross-fertilization of drafts outlining the new design program's potential structure. Employed methods included surveys, trend analysis, brainstorming, brainwriting, Pugh’s decision matrix, and PNI. The result was three distinct program structures, each offering students the option to complete their studies in three years or pursue a master's program. The final concept that was created after the final phase was completed is designed to not only keep students in sync with societal changes. The academic year and course structure is also organized to clarify each course's purpose and its relationship to others, fostering a cohesive learning experience. The adoption of a product development methodology for crafting a new program curriculum did not only prove to be successful but it also remained effective throughout the entire process. Last but not least the methodology also provided many new ideas on how a program curriculum could be structured.