The advent of generative AI has revolutionized the Learning and Teaching experience, particularly in design disciplines. However, there is a notable gap in understanding how students engage with AI to control design outputs. In recent years, a series of experimental workshops have introduced students to the utilization of generative AI tools. The workshops “The Quality that Lights Up” and “The Week Of Light” were conducted at XJTLU Design Building with the aim to encourage students to employ generative AI tools to visualize their design intentions.  

 

Figure 1: Workshops Poster.

To facilitate students learning process, Speculative Design (Dunne & Ruby, 2013) and Future Thinking (Evans & Sommerville, 2007) were employed as theoretical background during the planning stage of the workshops. This self-reflective, systematic and critical approach (Cornwell,1999) was integrated into the workshop to prepare students to envision different futuristic scenarios and generate theoretical as well as practical insights about the lighting topic, with the aim of identifying problematic situations or issues that are considered to be worthy of investigation by the participants (Burns,2015).

 

The speculative design framework (SDF) follows a methodological approach (Balagtas, 2019, Candy, 2018) to research drivers, trends and identify focal issues, (Santer, 2019), and construct futuristic scenarios archetypes (Fergnani, 2019). The scenario architypes were used to structure further analyses and shape probable spatial outcomes with lighting experiences. The Future Thinking process allowed students to develop plausible and compelling visions of the future. The SDF, akin to various design methodologies like Human-Centred Design, employs a cognitive approach to foster creativity and utilizes visualization techniques to enhance empathy and immersion.

 

Miro web platform was selected as the virtual learning environment (VLE) to structure and share the proposed SDF. The VLE provided students with the opportunity to share ideas about the future of lighting in a collaborative manner. During the initial stage of the workshop, the SDF was shared on the online platform Miro, encouraging students to collaborate in teams and utilize the platform as a dynamic whiteboard. This facilitated the development of various activities such as research, mind mapping, post-it pin-up, and storyboarding. Students followed the methodologies of Balagtas and Fergnani to imagine Futures of Lights, investigating trends, research and synthesis, focal issues, and scenario archetypes with the purpose to enable them to generate a probability matrix and evaluate the impact of their ideas. 

   

Figure 2:  Miro VLE Speculative Design Framework

 

Under the guidance of five tutors, students collaborated in pairs throughout the project. Each day was dedicated to a distinct phase of the speculative design framework, with students receiving instructions at the outset regarding the specific task to be completed. They would then present their findings to the tutors for feedback by the end of the day. Furthermore, students were supplemented with lectures providing theoretical frameworks and practical examples in the realm of lighting design. Additionally, they had the opportunity to visit the iGuzzini lighting factory in Shanghai, where they gained insights into the manufacturing process and witnessed the innovative outcomes produced by the company.
  

Figure 3: Miro students interaction and boards

 

 

Before starting the workshops, one on the first reflection during the meetings with the facilitators was how students could generate alternative design solutions and facilitate the experimentation with unconventional ideas within a limited timeframe, since each workshop could last only five days. Studies by Smith (2019) and Brown & Jones (2021) highlights AI's capacity to challenge conventional design solutions by generating unconventional and imaginative design concepts. The idea was to expose students to a ‘series of interrelated experiences’ involving numerous dynamic phases (Burns,1999) to guide them in the creation of a narrative or a conceptual idea to inform the generative AI tools; these elements were introduced as forms of experiential learning process during the workshops to enhance students’ engagement in diverse and complex activity settings. (Kolb,1984). 

The main challenges of this workshops for the facilitators were to create different frameworks and find suitable AI visualization platforms that would work with students’ inputs (analog and digital), sketches, and prompts to generate AI outputs consistent with their design intent. Different AI tools were used during the workshops: 

To better support student learning process and outcomes, the PROMAI team was invited during the Week of Light workshop to introduce an on-site lecture and provide live tutorials to guide the students through the pragmatic functions of the AI webtool. One of the outcomes requested from the students was to maintain the control over their idea without falling into the easy fascinations by the iteration of images generated from the different AI tools (Vizcom, Midjourney and PromAI), focusing instead on obtaining consistency between their research conclusion and AI outputs.
  

Figure 4: PromeAI Lecture at XJTLU Design Building

 

Thanks to those pre-constructed hybrid frameworks, students were able to use a combination of analogical and digital methods, such as hand sketches, post-it pin-up, storyboard, physical space configurations, etc., to translate their design intent and provide input into the AI tools. Instead of being a replacement of creativity, the integration of these frameworks significantly enhanced students’ workflow to navigate and control the potential of AI, not only amplifying their creative prowess but also augmenting their capabilities. The students’ cognitive process on the specific lighting or interior design topics was enhanced, allowing them to explore more possibilities. Through these workshops experiences, students rapidly learned to use and refine AI-generated images within the framework, enhancing iterative design cycles and fostering excitement for structuring prompt syntax. 
  

Figure 5: Workshop The Quality That Lights Up Students Workflow (Midjourney)

   

Figure 6: Workshop Week of Light students AI Visualization (PromAI)

 

 

This insight underlines the pedagogical role of AI in boosting educational outcomes by providing students with practical skills that echo contemporary design paradigms. The comprehensions gained may be applied to structure and guide similar projects and AI visualizations that take advantage of diverse and innovative design thinking strategies. Design schools and universities should promote interdisciplinary collaboration, bridging together designers, AI researchers, experts from various fields, and students. The AI integration must be supported by responsible experimentation ensuring that its use amplifies creative disciplines without compromising human values. It is evident that a clear set of instruction improves the effectiveness of any design process. Thus, combining a structured framework with skilled use of AI tools enabled students to achieve a satisfactory level of consistency, increase productivity, and explore more creative and aesthetic aspects. Ultimately, the development of effective pedagogical strategies for integrating AI into design education will be fundamental for preparing students for the evolving demands of the profession. In the near future, we can expect more integration between different technology embedded in virtual learning spaces. One example could be the integration of AI and providing point systems, levels, and rewards, using gamification to offer clear incentives for students to actively engage in their learning. (Hadian et al., 2024) 

 

According to various international reports, Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) is one of the currently emerging fields in educational technology. While the application of AIEd has been a subject of research for about 30 years, educators have only recently started to explore the potential pedagogical opportunities that AI applications offer for supporting learners throughout the student life cycle. AI applications and research in architecture have accelerated more efficiently in recent years (Belém, C. et al., 2019), and integrating AI-driven decision-making tools significantly influenced the way students made their decision. Research by Smith & Williams (2020) highlighted the importance of data-driven insights in enhancing the design process and decisions. The dynamic synergy between AI and the realm of architectural design is generating a transformative revolution in landscape of education research (Cudzik et al., 2024). The growing accessibility of these models poses new challenges to architectural education (As et al., 2021), highlighting the crucial role of embracing Al in modern architectural pedagogy and the numerous benefits it offers. It is foreseeable that the use of generative AI tools and VLE will become prevalent i education curricula in the coming years. Therefore, it becomes fundamental for educator to start experiment and improve their digital competency to ensure the best possible learning environment for our students. 

 

Thanks to the experience with these design workshops, I have come to recognize that a combination of AI tools and a pre-structured framework might pave the way for new pedagogical approaches. During the workshop, it becomes evident that students easily adopted to the completely new learning environment and were able to build upon newly acquired knowledge and practices, which motivated them to learn new tools and techniques. Working in groups of two to four, depending on the type of assignments, greatly alleviated the anxiety about technical aspects. Instead of solely receiving instruction from teachers, students collaborated on Miro VLE and/or AI tools and learned by interacting with their classmates. Overall, this experimentation has shown that applying AI and virtual education environments has significant potential to enhance student engagement. At the same time, I believe it was a valuable opportunity for students to directly engage with the industry. During the workshops, thanks to the professional networks of the tutors, we secured support from various sponsors (iGuzzini, IDI, PromAI, ect.) that facilitated site visits, lectures, events, and contests. An interesting example was “The Quality That Lights Up" design contest, held during the IDI event in Shanghai as the culmination of the two phases of the workshop. This exemplifies what can be achieved when academia and industry come together with the support of bridging organizations like IDI. This successful collaboration has not only provided XJTLU students with invaluable experience and exposure but has also highlighted an innovative teaching approach. The contest has paved the way for future initiatives, promising continued growth and inspiration for all involved. Building on this success, there will be another design contest hosted by IDI this November in Shanghai to award the final outcomes of “The Week of Light” workshop. These practical approaches and experiences help students envision their possible future professional practice and understand the potential of their ideas in the real world. It is crucial for the University to further develop this bridge with professional practice in order to enhance students learning experiences and professional development, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability in response to technological advancements within the field. 

 

Another important aspect that I learned during the planning phase of the workshops is the importance of collaborating with other tutors from different departments and experts. This interdisciplinary exchange introduced new idea and methodologies in each workshop. Therefore, for the next academic year, I am planning to expand these collaborations further, not only within the design school but across the entire university. I believe this approach will enhance not only the student learning experience but as well improve my professional development. Organizing and participating in these extracurricular activities gave me the opportunity to experiment with new teaching methods and technology that I wouldn’t have been able to explore during regular coursework. While organizing this workshop is time-consuming, I had initially doubts about the students’ ability to use new technologies in a short timeframe. However, during the workshops, I realized that the students learning curve with new technologies is incredible, and working with them side by side in the educational setting of the workshop significantly enhances their learning. This different setting is less formal compared to a typical class, and students feels more confident working in this kind of educational environment. The introduction of these technological tools, at the same time, helped them to break down the social anxiety barrier and provided an opportunity to collaborate, experiment, and learn together. Providing step-by-step instructions and helpful tips to navigate the workshop activities and technological tools facilitate their learning experience. 

 

In order to better understand how and what to improve in the next workshops, I conducted a short questionnaire at the end of the “The Quality That Lights Up" workshop to gather students’ perception in using AI tools and the Miro speculative design framework. The questionnaire responses demonstrated that all the students embraced the use of the AI tools and the integration of the Miro speculative framework positively during the workshops, and it guided and significantly enhanced their workflow to navigate and harness the potential of AI tools to boost their creativity rather than replace it. I can conclude that by using pre-structured frameworks and AI tools, students were able to achieve consistent results, work more efficiently, and explore creative and aesthetic elements.

 

 

 

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