ABSTRACT
A recent longitudinal study carried out by the Centre of Excellence for Product and Automotive Design (CEPAD) at Coventry University identifies the crucial transformations that undergraduate industrial design students must inculcate in order to successfully join their global community of practice. The findings showed that the concept of a liminal space is an important factor. The threshold concept theory posits the idea that within disciplines there are conceptual gateways or portals, due to their troublesome nature, can make it difficult for students to progress. Underpinning the characteristics of a threshold concept is the notion of liminality. Meyer and Land argue that while students are trying to grasp a threshold concept, they can remain 'stuck' as they oscillate between previous and new understandings, thus experiencing a disjunction, particularly in relation to problem-based learning. The chapter concludes that it seems little doubt that giving students the time, space and structure to immerse themselves into a design brief can only enhance their creativity.
