Bridging the Gap: A study on the Integral Role of Core Life Skills in unlocking Potential in Design Education

ABSTRACT In the dynamic landscape of modern education, core life skills have emerged as essential components for holistic development. These skills, encompassing critical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence and collaboration go beyond traditional academic knowledge, aiming to equip individuals with the practical tools needed to navigate real-world challenges. This shift signifies a departure from conventional education paradigms, emphasizing the importance of nurturing a well-rounded skill set for success in the 21st century. Core life skills contribute to holistic development by fostering not only intellectual capabilities but also emotional resilience and ethical decision-making. As design education evolves to meet the demands of an interconnected world, understanding and integrating these skills into the curriculum become crucial for empowering individuals to thrive in both personal and professional spheres. This study investigates inclusion of essential components of Core Life Skills like empathy, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, with interdisciplinary collaboration approach of teaching and learning into the curriculum. The resulting curricula was viewed through the lens of student-centered nature, engagement and responsiveness to the dynamic educational landscape. The study focuses on comprehensively examining the intersection Core Life Skills with multi-disciplinary cohorts. Present study was conducted on the Middle East College design students in Muscat, Oman in order to analyze and observe the influence of imparting core life skills along with their design skills. Through the incorporation of real-world applications and community outreach, the research provides insights into how the amalgamation of Core Life Skills at foundation level of various disciplines of design studies enhances student engagement, empathy, and social responsibility, ultimately equipping them for the challenges of the modern world and enhances their domain skills as well. Evaluation of pre-intervention data highlighted that all the student participants were in low level life skill with none at average and high levels, whereas, in post-intervention evaluation, more students were found at average and high levels. Keywords: Core Life Skills, Student-Centered Education, multidisciplinary, Empathy, Problem Solving, Social Responsibility.