UK researcher explores new approaches to computer-aided design education

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 25, 2026) — A University of Kentucky researcher is examining how students learn computer-aided design and what makes them excited to use it.

Kristi Bartlett, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UK College of Design focuses on computer-aided design (CAD) and how it prepares students for a wide range of careers. Bartlett recently received the prestigious U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award with $649,752 over five years for her research.

“Computer-aided design is a software tool that allows somebody to build 3D shapes using their computer,” Bartlett said. “It’s an important skill for students to learn because it’s now widely used across many different industries in design, engineering, manufacturing and more.”

In product design courses, students are encouraged to think critically about how people interact with objects and systems. That process often begins with observation and research.

“One of the things that product design students must learn is how to interview or observe people and see how they interact with a product,” Bartlett said. “How might a new product be able to fit into that task and become something that would be really useful for someone?”

Bartlett’s research also examines how students learn technical skills outside traditional classroom materials. She is interested in how students use online platforms and emerging tools to solve design challenges.

“They’re not going to open a textbook and see, ‘How am I best going to model this shape in the software?’ That’s just not how it is, especially for software related questions,” Bartlett said. “One of the focuses of my research is on a more holistic look at the different places that students are actually getting this knowledge and then looking at those places for any gaps in what’s being presented.”

A key component of this project looks at spatial skills and how they are measured in design education. Bartlett said current assessments may not reflect the realities of how students learn and apply those skills today.

“The way that spatial skills are currently assessed has a lot of problems,” said Bartlett. “I don’t think that the spatial tests that are still used to this day are really as relevant as they need to be if we’re going to be using them to make decisions about student learning.”

The award will support Bartlett’s effort to rethink how CAD is taught and evaluated.

“My CAREER award is giving me the opportunity to look at computer design education in a new way through a new paradigm.”

Through the study, Bartlett hopes to better understand what motivates students and how instructors can make CAD learning more engaging for a broad range of learners.

“I think computer-aided design is exciting for all types of learners, and I hope that my project will help promote that.”

The CAREER Award is one of the “most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization,” according to NSF.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award Number 2538625. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.