Insertion of Surprise Elements in the Collaborative Learning Process through Graphic Representations for Synthesis (GRS): A Qualitative Study

Designers are motivated to the collaboration during professional practice and throughout college graduation years. However, during postgraduation in Design, students start having research work and, usually, a learning of theoretical subjects only through personal scope. With the goal of suggesting changes to such practice methodologies, this study aims to draw attention to a significant learning of theoretical classes in Design postgraduation, through visual thinking and collaboration principles. For such deed, it's being proposed as a didactic strategy the use of Graphic Representations for Synthesis (GRS) produced in groups within the classroom. This work presents a qualitative study, in which the production process, analysis and discussion of GRS developed collaboratively by students during the classes of UCD was investigated. Results have shown that the uses of GRS have supported students' learning and, the insertion of the surprise elements in the production of the GRS have brought substantial gains in this process.