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Douglas G. Marschalek
   Professor
   UW-Madison Department of Art
   1982
   Are a
   Art education
   Other teaching positions
   Miami University, Oxford, OH
     Education
1980 Ed D University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
esign is essential to life. How we design objects and learning environments
(physical
and virtual) is of great interest to me. I could buy a kayak; or I could
research and
devise new forms of kayak design based upon personal criteria. How a form
surrounds my body, how it feels in balance with me and the water, and how
it
enhances experience is all about art, design, aesthetics, problem solving,
creativity, and life. Aspects of
design and engineering have a special place in these efforts. How light weight,
fluid in form, and aes-
thetic one can make a structure is personally challenging.
¶ The process of design is applicable to many activities in life, including
my research in interactive
design of learning environments involving web page and CD-ROM design. My
research background in
cognition and learning are applied to the design of interactive learning
environments which are a
study of systems learning. In the design of kayaks, it is an exercise of
bringing four systems together
into one object:
              physical - structure of materials; universe
              biological - anthropometry & ergonomics; environment
              cultural - design across cultures
              technological - tools and human built structures
¶ These systems can be applied to the design of interactive environments
delivered through com-
puter technology.When thinking of and designing interactive learning environments
in terms of sys-
tems, the viewer/learner experiences art in many contexts which cross numerous
fields to shape
learning. Solutions to most real-world problems necessitate the application
of multiple disciplines
that are embedded in one or more of the systems.Through systems learning,
underlying relationships
can be found that profoundly shape solutions and learning.