Industrial design teaching through digital rendering: an educational experience of italian chinese cultural integration

Starting from the theorists who, through their contributions to the literature, delineate the boundaries of design knowledge, the article will emphasise the need to redefine the educational tasks of designer education by shifting from an artefact production orientation to a cognitive-constructive and a metacognitive approach. The empathic component in the didactic approach also constitutes a fundamental building block. This article reports the experience of a group of lecturers of the Joint School of Design and Innovation (JDSI), a joint school born in 2019 between Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) and Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU). The team worked extensively on defining the Concept Visualization Tools II course programme, the first Specialized Core course held in a physical presence by an Italian professor. All programme contents, from software to the topics covered, were carefully chosen and planned. This teaching method has proven effective in improving not only the technical skills of the students but also the professional and cultural qualities of future young designers.