Design researcher & educator

design education

1. 

   Now we know: Findings from a critical pedagogy experiment on the nature of codesign knowledge

   Jalali, A., Londoño Davalos, L., and van Amstel, F. M. C. (accepted). Now we know: Findings from a critical pedagogy experiment on the nature of codesign knowledge, in Pombo, F., Moreira da Silva, F., Nielsen, L. M., and Börekçi, N. (eds.), DRS Learn X Design Conference 2025, 22-24 September 2025, University of Aveiro, Portugal - Feb 20, 2026
2. 

   Designing the world precedes designing the word: Critical pedagogy in typography education

   Phan, L. D. H., Jalali, A., and van Amstel, F. M. C. (accepted). Designing the world precedes designing the word: Critical pedagogy in typography education, in Pombo, F., Moreira da Silva, F., Nielsen, L. M., and Börekçi, N. (eds.), DRS Learn X Design Conference 2025, 22-24 September 2025, University of Aveiro, Portugal - Feb 20, 2026
3. 

   The Contradiction of Institutional Diversity in the Design Student Body

   Phan, H. L. D., & van Amstel, F. M. C. (2025). The Contradiction of Institutional Diversity in the Design Student Body. Diseña, (27), Article.6. https://doi.org/10.7764/disena.27.Article.6 - Sep 15, 2025
4. 

   Reflective writing

   Reflective writing complements the design studio learning experience with a theoretical challenge that is as important as the practical challenge of learning design: to know oneself and the world around it. Studio environments typically privilege reflection-in-action, or reflecting while designing, which is great for learning the materials of a design situation, but poor for learning about […] - Feb 22, 2025
5. 

   The Self-Managed Studio

   Abstract: Imagine a design studio where aspiring designers break free from traditional hierarchies and redefine what it means to be a designer. In the self-managed studio developed at UTFPR, design students learned that design can serve not just industries but social movements and the public. Inspired by critical pedagogy and radical practices like Theater of the Oppressed, […] - Jan 18, 2025
6. 

   When Is the Pluriverse?

   Udoewa, V., Gutiérrez Borrero, A., Noel, L., Ruiz, A., Borchway, N.K., Lodaya, A.,and VAN AMSTEL, F.M.(2023) When Is the Pluriverse?, in Derek Jones, Naz Borekci, Violeta Clemente, James Corazzo, Nicole Lotz, Liv Merete Nielsen, Lesley-Ann Noel (eds.), The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 29 November – 1 December 2023, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2023.109 - Mar 14, 2024
7. 

   Taking a side: critical formation and outreaching practice in Laboratory of Design against Oppression (LADO)

   Bizotto dos Santos, W., Mazzarotto, M., & Van Amstel, F. (2024). Tomando um LADO: formação crítica e prática de liberdade no Laboratório de Design contra Opressões. Arcos Design, 17(1), 143–175. https://doi.org/10.12957/arcosdesign.2024.78425 - Jan 10, 2024
8. 

   Prospecting relational qualities in Design Education through quilt therapy

   Guimarães, C., & Van Amstel, F. M. C. (2024). Prospectando qualidades relacionais na educação em Design através da quilt-terapia. Arcos Design, 17(1), 190–211. https://doi.org/10.12957/arcosdesign.2024.77916 - Jan 10, 2024
9. 

   Prospecting anti-colonial qualities in Design Education

   Mazzarotto. M., Van Amstel. F. M. C., Serpa, B. O., Silva, S. B. (2023). Prospecting anti-colonial qualities in Design Education. V!RUS Journal, 26, 135-143. Translated from Portuguese by Giovana Blitzkow Scucato dos Santos. Available at: https://revistas.usp.br/virus/article/view/228457 - Dec 26, 2023
10. 

    Pluriversal Futures for Design Education

    Noel, L.-A., Ruiz, A., van Amstel, F. M. C., Udoewa, V., Verma, N., Botchway, N. K., Lodaya, A., & Agrawal, S. (2023). Pluriversal Futures for Design Education. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation (Vol. 9, Issue 2, pp. 179–196). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2023.04.002 - Sep 3, 2023
11. 

    ProTesters: a board game for teaching the testing process

    Moreira, G. G., Reinehr, S., Malucelli, A., & Van Amstel, F. (2022, November). ProTesters: a board game for teaching the testing process. In Proceedings of the XXI Brazilian Symposium on Software Quality (SBQS ’22), November 07–10, 2022, Curitiba, Brazil. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 9 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3571473.3571503 - Jan 28, 2023
12. 

    Weaving design as a practice of freedom: Critical pedagogy in an insurgent network

    Serpa, B.O., van Amstel, F.M., Mazzarotto, M., Carvalho, R.A., Gonzatto, R.F., Batista e Silva, S., and da Silva Menezes, Y. (2022) Weaving design as a practice of freedom: Critical pedagogy in an insurgent network, in Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 25 June – 3 July, Bilbao, […] - Jun 21, 2022
13. 

    Designers as cultural producers (2022)

    Polyana de Andrade Tavares, a graphic design student at LADO, embarked on a profound journey of collective conscientization that transformed her understanding of her role as a cultural producer. Her final work reflects on this transformative process through an autoethnographic lens, weaving together personal experiences and broader socio-cultural contexts. Initially, Polyana approached her study with […] - Jun 1, 2022
14. 

    Monster aesthetics as an expression of decolonizing the design body

    Angelon, Rafaela and Van Amstel, Frederick M.C. (2021) Monster aesthetics as an expression of decolonizing the design body. Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 20(1), pp. 83-102(20). https://doi.org/10.1386/adch_00031_1 - Jun 9, 2021
15. 

    Global South Futures of Design Education

    Abstract: The future is an ideology that preserves colonial and imperialist relations in the Global South. Design education can counter this ideology by encouraging the development of many futures of design education, through cultural hybridism, dialogue, and other ways of confronting the global South with the global North realities. This conversation starter was proposed to […] - Dec 2, 2020
16. 

    The Anthropophagic Studio: Towards a Critical Pedagogy for Interaction Design

    Van Amstel, Frederick M.C and Gonzatto, Rodrigo Freese. (2020) The Anthropophagic Studio: Towards a Critical Pedagogy for Interaction Design. Digital Creativity, 31(4), p. 259-283. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14626268.2020.1802295 - Jul 25, 2020
17. 

    Classroom-to-Studio Transformation

    I like to teach through developing projects as done in design studios. Most of the times, students need to adapt regular classrooms to work like design studios. I encourage them to appropriate the classroom space in any way that is  better to support their creative activities. Along the years, we learnt together many ways to […] - Nov 1, 2018
18. 

    Expensive or expansive? Learning the value of boundary crossing in design projects

    Amstel, F. M.C. van; Zerjav, V; Hartmann, T; Dewulf, G.P.M.R; Voort, M.C. van der. 2016. Expensive or expansive? Learning the value of boundary crossing in design projects. Engineering Project Organization Journal, 6 (1), Pages 15-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21573727.2015.1117974 - Nov 18, 2015
19. 

    Double stimulation experiments

    For my PhD research, I had to do some experiments in design education. Design education is characterized by a learning-by-doing approach when the learner is pushed to take the lead of experimentation. This represents a problem for design educators who also want to test the research hypothesis within teaching activities since it is not easy […] - Dec 20, 2014

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे