EDW 2026 Premier Event: The Future of Design Education: A Panel Discussion

Four Alberta design programs, one stage. Hear from the U of A, MacEwan, Athabasca and NAIT on where design education is headed.
About this Event

As part of Edmonton Design Week 2026, MADE is convening a panel discussion on the future of design education, featuring representatives from Alberta's design programs speaking to their institution's past, present, and future direction.
Design is increasingly asked to help solve complex problems in health care, public services, and civic life, not only to shape products and visual communication. That shift is changing how design is taught. This Edmonton Design Week panel brings together representatives from four of Alberta's design programs to talk about where their institutions came from, where they are now, and how each sees design education evolving over the coming decades.

The programs take distinctly different approaches. The University of Alberta's Department of Art & Design is one of the oldest in the country. MacEwan University's Bachelor of Design treats design as an applied social science as well as an applied art, and its digital and user experience design major is the only one in the Prairies. Athabasca University's RAIC Centre for Architecture runs Canada's first online architecture program, serving learners across 26 countries. NAIT's design programs span digital design and the built environment, including Digital Design, Architectural Technology and Interior Design Technology.
Patrick Whitney opens the evening with remarks on design education from a global perspective. Each institution then has a chance to introduce its program, followed by a discussion on design in Alberta moderated by André Nogueira, and audience Q&A
Featuring:

• Opening remarks: Patrick Whitney, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Brown University School of Public Health
• Moderator: Dr. André Nogueira, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
• University of Alberta: Tim Antoniuk, Program Coordinator, Industrial Design
• MacEwan University: Dr. Adolfo Ruiz, Chair, Department of Design
• Athabasca University: Dr. Henry Tsang, Chair, RAIC Centre for Architecture
• NAIT: Ryan Hector, Associate Dean, School of Construction and Building Sciences