A Case Study for the Development of a Competency-Based Fashion Design Curriculum in Gwangju Metropolitan City and Jeollanam-do

Abstract

This case study is centered on the developing process for the curriculum of fashion design major that is focused on the concept of competency, which is becoming increasingly more important in universities. The purpose of this study is to develop a competency-oriented curriculum for fashion design majors based on recent social changes that accentuate the importance of competency in such programs. In order to establish a competency-oriented curriculum of the Department of Fashion Design, the researchers examined environmental trends within the fashion industry, the curriculum and major competencies of other universities were examined. As a result, the key ability types of the Department of Fashion Design at A University, a local private university, were determined to be: communication and consideration, creativity and convergence, digital fashion, and practical adaptability. Four major abilities were selected to develop competencies suitable for the aforementioned ability types. These abilities are design planning and development, creative and convergent thinking, integrated information search and utilization, and field expertise application. From there, the curriculum was organized with these four major abilities in mind, and curriculum completion plans were developed for each grade and semester according to the stage and level of contents for each subject. To ensure the validity of the curriculum, it is necessary to develop a back-flow system that demonstrates whether the targer competency has been acquired through a competence-based curriculum.