Experiences of Teaching Basic Design as Foundation Course to Beginners with no Background in Drawing Skills: A Case of Architecture Department at NED University of Engineering & Technology

Primary and secondary school education in Pakistan has virtually no component, module or dedicated course to enable students to learn and practice drawing as a skill. However, many aspiring young people join architectural studies and are exposed to challenges that are common in this discipline. The major obstacle is the lack of sufficient background to help in creative thinking and design process. Despite the struggle, a sizable number of students perform well in the Basic Design Studio and later phases of work. This paper deals with the concepts and methods used in training the fresh minds towards architectural realm and explores the commonly found factors responsible for adequate performance and later stages of work in design studios. The methodology of this research is based on observation and experience gained after conducting basic design studio for couple of years at the Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan. In the later part of the research, a survey was conducted to evaluate the course via student feedback in the form of questionnaires, in order to understand the role of Basic Design course in helping students’ creative thinking and approach towards design solutions. Lastly, interviews were conducted of various basic design instructors in order to analyse their experience and pedagogy of teaching students who have no background in fine arts studies. Key Words: Basic design, non-art background, design exercise, design pedagogy