Copyright (c) 2009 Sheffield Hallam University All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.shu.ac.uk/drs2008/session7/track_a Recent Events in Experiential Knowledge SIG en-us Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:28:22 PDT 3600 http://digitalcommons.shu.ac.uk/drs2008/session7/track_a/2 http://digitalcommons.shu.ac.uk/drs2008/session7/track_a/2 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:30:00 PDT This paper discusses the development of the prototype application 'LabanAssist'. It looks at the design rationale used for the creation of what is fundamentally a system for recording dance knowledge on a score, as identifiable and replicable signs and symbols. A system made necessary because the conventions of other established disciplines, such as engineering and computer science practices, were no longer considered to be effective alone, in facilitating the production of well-designed cultural artefacts (Calvert, Fox, Ryman, & Wilke, 2005; Ebenreuter, 2005). It is important to ask how can we understand design as a discipline amongst other fields of study with longstanding conventions and traditions and if the discipline of design offers effective ways of thinking about the creation and art of making products or services for the enhancement of the human experience? Is design a discipline because it adheres to existing and established rules of interdisciplinary knowledge from which it draws, or is it a discipline in its own right that as a significant field of intellectual development utilizes interdisciplinary knowledge as a basis for creativity and invention?" While there is no simple answer to these questions, the design approach adopted for the development of the prototype application 'LabanAssist' offers a working example in which the central theme of grammar, or more particularly the rules of a language, depart from the conventional use for its practical application. This application is one in which a literal understanding of grammar is no longer seen as an adequate basis for the generation of dance knowledge expressed via symbolic writing systems. Instead, this research focuses on the way in which the figurative aspects of language can be represented in the design of an interface to orient user thinking and facilitate the generation of diverse movement compositions. Keywords: Labanotation; Grammar; Literal; Figurative; Tropes; Poetic Constructs; Broad Terms; Interface. Natalie Ebenreuter http://digitalcommons.shu.ac.uk/drs2008/session7/track_a/1 http://digitalcommons.shu.ac.uk/drs2008/session7/track_a/1 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:00:00 PDT Designers share their specialized knowledge by developing design cases, which we define as representations of design efforts and outcomes disseminated to peers. In the field of instructional design this practice is not well established. In addition, many fields in which design is practiced are examining how knowledge is built by designers, and considering the methods of research most applicable to building design knowledge. We consider design cases to be the method of dissemination for that design research which is wholly of apiece with the act of design (as compared to design research carried out in the process of designing or research on design). In considering the factors required to establish this practice, we understand the issue of rigour to be critical, since without standards by which to judge the rigour of a representation this form of knowledge building may always be undervalued in comparison to others. We look to naturalistic inquiry and action research to begin exploring how rigour might be approached in developing design cases, presenting from the perspective of instructional designers and hoping to engage designers from other fields insofar as these ideas are useful to them. Keywords: Design Knowledge; Knowledge Building; Case Study/Studies; Design Research Elizabeth Boling