Single-player vs Multi-player Learning
Design Education is on the radical side of the spectrum as far as education goes. No exams, project based work and group projects entice a bunch of people to join design schools every year. A bunch of people though, drop out during the first year itself.
The reason? The ‘radical-ness’ in design education is more than just a lack of exams. It’s a shift in mindset. For 18 years of our lives, conventional schools advocate Single-player Learning -
Single-player Learning aka solo learning
An individual learns, gives an exam and gets marks. You might be a part of the class, but at the end of the day, it’s what you did that would result in passing or failing. Learning is a solo activity.
Contrary to that, Design education advocates Multi-player Learning -
Multi-player Learning aka social learning
Most projects happen in small groups. A team learns, works on projects and gets grades. The person who has contributed the most and the least in the group get the same grade. Learning is social.
Single-player learning does not really prepare us for the real world. In the real world, work a social activity. We are surrounded by people - colleagues, bosses, managers, clients, customers. Work is inherently multi-player.