A design and artificial intelligence undergraduate curriculum based on project-based learning

This paper discusses the development of the Design and Artificial Intelligence (DAI) undergraduate degree programme at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), which aims to nurture technically grounded innovators that can create better design with AI. The curation of both the Design and AI content within the DAI curriculum was not easy as the programme needs to deliver a strong foundation in both areas without requiring students to overload additional courses. To address this, the DAI programme uses projectbased learning (PBL) in the curriculum through hands-on design studio courses where students work in teams on industry-sponsored projects to design solutions. In this paper, the DAI programme is evaluated from a student self-efficacy perspective to better understand whether the PBL approach embedded in the DAI programme suffices in increasing student confidence on designing solutions and working with industry. A series of end-of-term surveys were carried out in this work and the results show that the number of students with higher confidence level increases with each passing term over the duration of this study. The findings suggest that PBL can be used as an approach to broaden student learning in a packed curriculum while supporting the development of student confidence.