9 through industry and collaboration in several projects. For example, their second-year students collaborated with public figures Berita Soul (Gugulethu Khumalo) and Nkayise Nqola, both of whom lead NGOs. This initiative enabled students to apply design thinking to real-world social challenges, enhancing their learning experience and industry connections. During the June recess, third-year Jewellery Design students participated in a work-integrated learning (WIL) project in collaboration with De Beers. The project focused on diamond familiarisation, cutting and polishing, and jewellery retail. As part of the experience, students were placed with various companies affiliated with De Beers, where they completed tasks related to these specialised areas. Teaching and Learning with 4IR FADA is committed to integrating Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies into Teaching and Learning. Noteworthy initiatives in 2024 included the following: In the Department of Multimedia, a focus on emerging digital communication technologies (XR) includes augmented and virtual reality, blended space design, transmedia, and smart environments. This strategic emphasis aims to position the department as a leader in digital design education in South Africa. In the Graphic Design Department several postgraduate students engaged in research related to 4IR. Notable projects included exploring digital multimodal design for fraud prevention, UX/UI design for emotional flourishing in virtual reality and improving the user experience of personal weight management. Six students in the Honours programme focused on 4IR design solutions for their final projects, creating a range of innovative solutions including female health apps, reading for meaning applications for pre-and primary school children, a teaching app to combat cultural stereotyping and an app for GenZ users on unbiased news coverage and community building. Honours students from Multimedia embarked on a seven-week project in which they applied a projective research method to develop a series of design fiction scenarios suggesting how smart urban technologies associated with the 4IR could meet the needs of community of Westbury. Industrial Design year groups incorporated 4IR themes into various modules, covering topics like 3D Printing, 3D Scanning, Digital Manufacture, Projection Mapping, VR Sketching, and Sustainable Materials.
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