Exploring the future of
design education
For over 20 years, IDSA’s Education Symposium has been a platform for celebrating the very best in design academia. It routinely draws design educators, students and design practitioners from all over the world and helps connect our vast community through knowledge sharing and networking opportunity.
We’re very excited for our 2019 event, which is themed “Looking Ahead: The Future of Design Education.” Design educators have an immense influence on future generations of designers and play a vital role in shaping the pathway for many individuals pursuing a career in a design discipline. At the symposium we will be unpacking the mindset, objectives and vision that is positioning future design talent for success in today’s ever-shifting creative landscape.
The IDSA Education Symposium will take place on August 21, 2019, at Venue SIX10 in Chicago and is open to all registered IDC attendees.
Symposium Emcee

Raja Schaar, MAAE, IDSA
Assistant professor of product design at Drexel University
The full-day event will be lead by IDSA’s Education Director, Raja Schaar, MAAE,
IDSA. As an educator, Schaar works to infuse her teaching with human-centered design methodologies that address real-world problems. Schaar pushes her students to apply design thinking, making and life cycle analysis to the development of devices and products that positively and sustainably impact the lives of users.
Symposium Presenters
Education Papers
Aaron Kurosu, IDSA
Princeton University"Design Science: An empirical and quantitative approach"
Alex Lobos, IDSA
Rochester Institute of Technology"Tangible Sketching with 3D Printing" with Co-Authors
Eric Schneider, IDSA
Thomas Jefferson University"Industrial Design and Occupational Therapy"
Liana Charles, IDSA
Newell Brands"History Can Shape Our Future"
Paul Skaggs, IDSA
Brigham Young University"Tolerance for Ambiguity"
Thomas Cline, IDSA
University of Louisiana at Lafayette"Looking Back: The Foundations of Design Education"
Wei Wang, IDSA
Georgia Institute of Technology"Grounding Experience: Empathizing in Future Service Design"
Panel Discussions & Workshops
Jennifer May, IDSA
ArtCenter College of DesignPanel: "The Dreamhouse of the Future: A Case Study on Toy Design, Design Education, and Social Impact"
Greg Smiley, IDSA
The Raymond CorporationPanel: "The Global Ecosystem and Design Education – The BIG Picture"
Tod Corlett
Thomas Jefferson UniversityWorkshop: "Teaching Design for the Internet of Things"
Verena Paepcke-Hjeltness, IDSA
Iowa State UniversityWorkshop: "Making Connections With Visual Maps: Academia meets practice"