DeL Online March 2006: speakers: Darrall Thompson

Darrall Thompson

The Importance of Design in Online Systems

Graphic design and Visual Communication courses have had a rough ride in regard to their credibility in the university context. The debate about whether we have the requisite body of knowledge featured in other academic disciplines has too often been the forum in which we have floundered.

This paper takes a different approach to the credibility issue by highlighting the importance of design in the successful application of online systems.

University Educators and other academics are grudging in their acknowledgment that design thinking and application can be an essential ingredient in the successful implementation of online systems, but the evidence presented here is undeniable and goes way beyond simple issues of usability.

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Biography

Darrall Thompson Working as a designer and lecturer (fifteen years in London, followed by fourteen years in Australia), has given Darrall a broad and extensive view of both the design profession and design education.

He has over thirty journal articles and conference publications, and in his role as Program Director of Visual Communication developed a range of subjects and courses for undergraduate study and television broadcast.

His close association and secondment to the UTS teaching and learning centre has also brought a sound pedagogical understanding and formed the basis of his web-based teaching and learning initiatives: The ReView assessment software and a major involvement in the design of SPARK (Self and Peer Assessment Resource Kit).

Darrall won a Faculty Teaching Award (2002) for innovations in online learning and recently completed a research masters focussing on design education.

Darrall Thompson
Senior Lecturer
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
School of Design
Australia

Phone: +61 (02) 9514 8916
Fax: +61 (02) 9514 8787
Email: Darrall.Thompson@uts.edu.au
Web: www.uts.edu.au/

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