Novice designers in museums: A constructively aligned framework bridging formal and informal learning through artefact analysis

Abstract

We investigate how an artefact analysis framework grounded in constructive alignment principles can bridge formal design education with informal museum environments. Through three-phased qualitative research, fieldwork with 26 students focus group with seven and subsequent toolkit development we tested and iteratively refined this framework. Our analysis of 78 student-submitted artefact boards revealed significant patterns in how novices engage with design principles: while students excelled at identifying explicit functions they struggled with symbolic interpretation and complex spatial relationships. Focus group discussions diagnosed the causes of these challenges revealing a need for critical pedagogical interventions such as enhanced conceptual scaffolding and multimodal learning supports. This paper details the iterative design process of using these findings to create a refined pedagogical toolkit. The resulting toolkit addresses the identified challenges through terminology clarification progressive scaffolding and hands-on visual aids providing a practical model for enhancing learning transfer between museum and studio environments. © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.