Conference Agenda

Our Design Program at Tec de Monterrey is progressively incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, further enhanced by Extended Realities (XR), into our pedagogical practice. This innovative consolidation primarily improves the conceptualization stage of the design process. As students mature in their design intelligence, they harness AI to iterate and visualize alternatives, enriching their decision-making discussions with various project stakeholders. This led to the swift creation of physical prototypes across three distinct categories, each with their unique briefs. Vizcom AI emerges as the most utilized tool, a 2D-rendering platform that refines outputs based on initial sketches and user prompts. Complementary tools aid in navigating the convergence of design and technology education, including VR modelling, AR, and electronic systems simulation. Collectively, these technologies accelerate the design process. However, it is worth noting a consequent limitation in the development of basic analog design abilities, especially affecting the understanding of space and spatial intelligence. Students reported their learning experience with these technologies, along with their expectations and concerns. As we continue integrating these technologies into design education, we have identified the opportunity of leveraging VR to enhance spatial intelligence comprehension, while preserving AI's benefits. This study acts a base to develop new teaching and learning practices that support our students’ professional future in an evolving design landscape with these transformative technologies.

For the creation of standard-compliant drawings, the international standards system of Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) is fundamental. This paper provides a current perspective on the teaching of GPS. What teaching approaches currently exist? And do these meet the requirements of educators in vocational schools and universities? Particular attention is paid to the use of commercial learning kits. Is learning through haptic models as well as learning by doing outdated in the age of digitalization? What are the learning contents and teaching objectives of such learning kits?

To get to the bottom of these questions, a hybrid learning kit, which combines physical models with digital applications, is used and evaluated in a case study with mechanical engineering students as part of a lecture in the field of ISO-GPS [1]. Finally, the findings are presented in an optimized teaching/learning concept. The aim of this study is also to evaluate simple haptic models in the context of teaching GPS content in an increasingly digital society. Can such simple haptic objects still be convincing and help to understand complex issues? Or do students expect the use of technological visualizations from the field of computer vision?

Artificial Intelligence is currently experiencing a period of “inflated expectations”, according to Gartner and its Hype Cycle report on Emerging Technologies, August 2023. As part of this scenario, this article describes and analyzes the exploratory approach and implementation. experimental AI in three projects developed in 2023, in three different areas of the Tec 21 Educational Model of the Tecnológico de Monterrey: A five-week challenge with international partners and collaborators, a “Novus” fund for educational innovation, and a transversal subject of creativity and innovation for engineering and business students. In all of them, the use and application of Generative Artificial Intelligence contributed significantly – and in new ways – to the fulfillment of their objectives, as well as with new possibilities and reflections on their implications in the teaching-learning processes and the academic quality of their results. The range of exploration and development processes with Artificial Intelligence used, fed by sketches, 3D models or prompt engineering as a 'stimulus', showed from their use possibilities to detonate the formal genesis of architectural proposals for the exploration of different alternatives, accelerate the iteration phase in the creative process to design a car, and reduce the time and learning curve for the generation of digital representations or “renders”. From these results, reflections on new emerging cognitive processes in students through the use of AI, as well as reflections on possible implications and challenges in its approach from Latin America, could be extracted.

In a world where generative AI has become pervasive it is important that we maintain ethical standards when conducting design research and practice and even more so when that is with vulnerable participants. Some concerns exacerbated by AI are around integrity, data privacy, sensitive information disclosure, the amplification of existing biases, data provenance, lack of explainability and interpretability and reliability.

As designing with vulnerable users becomes more prevalent, we need to establish guidelines to ensure ethical practices to protect both participant and researcher. Current research advocates that design research should be conducted with end user groups to ensure that solutions developed meet the needs and expectations of those most impacted by the issues. This approach, however, may not always be ethical or appropriate for design projects within education. Along with many of the standard ethical considerations when conducting research with vulnerable groups there are additional considerations when developing design solutions. Many design projects never reach fruition or may take years to develop a functional design requiring participant involvement over the course of the project. Student projects are not always focused on the implementation of final designs.

This paper builds on previous research (Kiernan & McMahon, 2023) where a framework was developed to guide students when conducting research and practice. It explores several case studies of UG and PG design projects where vulnerable participants have been involved at various stages and to varying degrees. Case study analyses follows a description of these projects in applying the framework.

This paper firstly reintroduces a framework developed by the authors that guides design students when conducting design research. It continues by describing several case studies, comprising UG and PG design project, where the framework is implemented as a key part of the process of working with vulnerable participants across various project stages and to varying degrees. Case study analyses follow where a discussion unpacks key questions around the efficacy and effectiveness of the framework. These questions address how useful the framework is in guiding the student as to when it was appropriate to involve participants; how it did or did not provide the most useful methods to work with participants as well as sufficient alternative methods of research and testing as well as how expectations were managed, and guidance provided around means of payback for people’s participation.

The paper concludes by unpacking the appropriateness and usefulness of the framework to facilitate and guide students over the course of a project while protecting vulnerable participants.

Product design engineering education in the future involves commitment to more than integrative soft skills in team play and supporting student self-management, it is also about mediating collaborative design methods through integrative, intercultural experiences, co-piloted by AI. Balancing collaborative design learning formats is extremely relevant to emerging European Union (EU) regulations. Extreme textiles and new bio-based materials provide functionality yet they represent only one case of business in design. These are countered with fast fashion-based textiles, their prevalence in society, and their problematic performance and abundance. Alongside this, is the real need to protect LMIC communities facing high occupational risks without access to affordable, high quality personal protective equipment (PPE). This submission provides the background, process, and scope for a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) design project across three countries and two continents. Defining the project across continents requires navigation of learning and designing formats, alongside rapidly emerging technologies (AI). We will investigate how AI based and hands-on design meet problem-based design projects. This project – about extreme textiles, re-use of fast-fashion for personal protective equipment - will use different design learning formats (from charette to COIL). It extends beyond logistical challenges to address standards vis a vis affordability/sustainability, for a LMIC community needing buoyancy solutions for fishers (SDG 3+14), and the associated student learning. This scoping paper is also about intercultural design skills and it poses the questions; what is the role for AI in integrative design; what difference does it make in this context?