Perspective Chapter: Designing Through Food – An Experiential and Inclusive Curriculum Model for Higher Education

This chapter explores how experiential, sensory-rich, and emotionally grounded approaches to curriculum design can enhance learning in design education. Using a case study of an industrial design studio where students engaged in bagel-making as a metaphorical and material practice, the chapter illustrates how food-based learning activates kinesthetic, emotional, and cultural dimensions of knowledge construction. It examines how such multisensory, playful, and ludic methods support inclusive, competency-based learning and foster deeper engagement with abstract design principles. By aligning experiential activities with student learning outcomes, the chapter contributes to broader discussions on interdisciplinary curriculum reform and transformative pedagogical innovation in contemporary higher education. Findings indicate increased student engagement, deeper understanding of iterative design processes, strengthened reflective judgment, and more inclusive participation through the integration of sensory, emotional, and culturally grounded learning activities.