Meredith Davis looks at the importance of design research in contemporary design practice. From an American perspective, Davis addresses the trajectory of design research programmes in universities and discusses the pre-requisite conditions for establishing research degrees.

Michael Erlhoff portrays his outlook on the emergence of design studies in China. Evoking elements such as the Chinese economic reform and existing socioeconomics as significant factors affecting the advent of Chinese design education, Erlhoff raises key issues such as whether or not traditional design pedagogy has a hampering affect on modern design studies.

Author Tim Marshall seeks to describe the role of today's design education on the future generation of designers. The author maps the history of design learning throughout different design movements, up to the recent progressive shift into interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary design education, which requires collaboration and communication between design fields.

The European Global Education Week is an annual awareness raising event encouraging global education practices in the member States of the Council of Europe and beyond. Global Education (which encompasses development education, human rights education, intercultural education, peace and conflict resolution) works on the understanding of the core issues of global citizenship.

Looking at the current situation for design education, Farzan Adibi raises a number of important questions. Breaking down design education into 'scholastic education' and 'para-scholastic education', Adibi questions the current curricula, teaching requirements, facilities and programming in relation to the presence of communication design in society, the economy and culture.

The Aspen Design Challenge is a call to students, worldwide, to use their creative talent and strategic design skills to address a crucial global problem. The Challenge is issued as part of the Aspen Design Summit, an international conference held in Aspen, Colorado. The Summit brings together leaders from business, the public sector and non-profit organisations; experts working with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals; and individuals and agencies from the developing world.

Indigo, the international indigenous design network, invites tertiary design students from around the world to take part in a major cultural exchange project entitled MIX08.

An article by Professor Carole Goodman, presented at the Icograda Education Network Conference 2007, in La Habana, Cuba.

The Omnium Research Group (Australia) at the College of Fine Arts (UNSW) is pleased to announce ‘The COLLABOR8 Project’ (C8). COLLABOR8 is an eight-week long fully online education non-profit initiative that aims to establish a basis for collaborative online art and design projects between universities in Australia and China.

An article by Carmen Broomes and Joi Roberts, presented at the Icograda Education Network Conference 2007, in La Habana, Cuba.