Northern Arizona University’s Design 4 Practice Sequence

Introduction of computer technology, changing corporate structures, and global competition have significantly changed modern corporate design contents, placing increasing emphasis on individual problem-solving creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and teaming and project management skills. In this paper, we describe a program called Design 4 Practice that explicitly teaches these skills within a novel curriculum centered around a carefully crafted sequence of project-oriented courses. The motivations and goals of these courses are presented, as well as outcomes of program evaluation and a discussion of current efforts to extend the program to allow international teaming.