Design-Based Learning in Textiles for Higher Education

Jobs in design and development of textiles require high end software and techniques, and higher education has problems providing adequate training for this, as the possibilities are large, and institutions don’t have experts on hand for all options. Distributed design-based learning (DBL) can aid in this, as the experts can come from a larger group, and the focus is on the output, not the specific software used. Design-based learning (DBL) is a modern concept of education for technical disciplines. The learner starts the educational process using end-user applications, and gains understanding of the theory by conceiving projects and solving real-life situations. We present a tool developed for textiles, OptimTex, where 5 modules have been worked out in which textile design software tools are used: weaving, knitting, virtual prototyping of clothing, embroidery and experimental design. Each module tackles 4 to 5 cases, each divided in a four element structure: example, theory behind the example, software, and quiz. Each module was developed by a different group of experts, and follow up of students is done distributed by each group.