2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Although there is a growing emphasis on decolonizing design curricula and integrating design justice into engineering design, little research explores the lived experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) design students. In this pilot study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 13 students from historically excluded backgrounds who were studying various studio-based design majors (architecture, interiors, and product design) at a public US university. Interviews covered a variety of topics and were designed to identify areas that might be worthy of further study. Interviews were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. In the present paper, we present results related to student-faculty interactions and design pedagogy. The major emerging themes included: faculty appearing out of touch with students’ current realities, perceptions of unclear and subjective grading, and unfair or discriminatory treatment of students during studios and critiques. Design education is highly dependent on faculty feedback, either through informal in-class feedback or formal design reviews and critiques. Our results suggest that women and students from historically excluded racial backgrounds may reap less benefit from faculty relationships and feedback opportunities compared to white students and man students. Students perceived that faculty did not care enough about their well-being and that faculty were fostering studio environments in which students could not get enough sleep and could not afford project materials. This pilot study points to a need for further research into faculty-student relationships and interactions and faculty pedagogical choices in design education.