Western Sydney University's partnership with Adobe is embedding generative AI into first-year design courses, building AI literacy, collaboration and problem-solving skills, and giving educators practical models for using adaptable AI tools.
At a glance
Organisation: Western Sydney University — School of Built Environment and Design
Target audience: First-year students across Industrial Design, Architecture, Engineering, Biology, Sociology, Criminology, and Education.
Timeframe: Initial AI trials in Spring 2024; expanded, fully integrated project brief in Spring 2025.
Primary goal: Enhance early-stage ideation by blending hand-drawing with generative AI to build design confidence, visual storytelling skills, and critical analysis.
Delivery model: Studio-based subject (Drawing Skills for Design Thinking)
Tools used: Adobe Firefly for generative image creation; Miro for collaborative ideation, prompt development, and weekly design uploads.
Governance: Led by Western Sydney University educators with support from Adobe’s Creative Campus partnership, incorporating ethical AI practice.
Key outcomes
- Upskilled educators in AI-supported pedagogy, developing adaptable frameworks, scaffolding approaches, and resources for use across disciplines.
- Enhanced critical thinking and improved digital and AI literacy for learners.
- Promoted responsible and authentic use of AI by embedding data privacy, bias awareness, and strategies to verify and maintain content authenticity.
- Increased collaboration and peer learning through shared prompting and feedback.
The challenge
Western Sydney University’s (WSU) key objective was to embed AI into its curriculum while simultaneously upskilling both educators and students to use the technology confidently.
Across multiple disciplines, WSU saw opportunities to use AI to communicate design concepts more clearly, build confidence and critical thinking, and strengthen literacy and iterative design skills. However, they also recognised that both students and educators needed practical, low‑barrier ways to experiment with AI tools before integrating them into everyday practice.
In first‑year design education, rapid hand‑sketching is often used to capture emerging ideas. Yet many students feel under‑prepared or self‑conscious about their drawing ability. This can limit experimentation, slow ideation, and undermine confidence for both learners and the educators supporting them.
About the initiative
WSU partnered with Adobe Firefly to enrich its Drawing Skills for Design Thinking course, giving educators and students a supported pathway to build AI capability and confidence.
In 2024, the WSU-Adobe project began with a small test case, asking students to experiment with Adobe Firefly to create a poster board communicating a ‘futuristic design concept’. Posters needed to convey function, scale and human interaction, with Firefly introduced through a series of trial graphics exercises.
In 2025, Firefly was integrated more deeply as a speculative design tool, seeding a shift in both process and mindset. It lowered the barrier for students new to drawing and moved the emphasis away from producing polished drawings and toward articulating design intent, exploring variations, and testing ideas quickly through AI‑generated imagery.
The cohort was intentionally diverse – from Industrial Design, Architecture, Engineering, and Biology to Sociology, Criminology, and Education. Students shared work online, exchanged feedback, and demonstrated prompting techniques. This fostered a genuine community of practice that included educators, building confidence among everyone – including those who had never used AI tools before.
“This was another step into AI at WSU, and focusing on design and creativity – while making it clear Firefly is just one tool, not a silver bullet – created an almost playful atmosphere. Everyone was open to discovery and learning, and that mindset has sparked AI opportunities well beyond this project.”
– WSU staff member
The impact
- Educators upskilled: Educator research into AI techniques informed strategies for prompting and iteration.
- Critical thinking strengthened: Students learned to evaluate AI outputs against design intent, questioning feasibility, materials, and functionality.
- Mindsets shifted: Initial hesitation gave way to curiosity after seeing creative, ethical AI applications in a safe, exploratory environment.
- Collaboration improved: Open critique sessions became honest and dynamic as AI images were seen as experiments, reducing social pressure and developing soft skills.
“Seeing AI visuals as creative starting points, not finished pieces, unlocked deeper dialogue and surprising skill growth. Students and staff discovered new capabilities together, proving how powerful collaborative exploration can be.”
– WSU staff member
Lessons learned
- A hybrid approach created momentum: Blending AI with traditional methods accelerated learning and creativity.
- New field requires new tools: Structured prompting and staging techniques supported rapid iteration.
- AI skills grew alongside confidence in self-critique: Students quickly adapted to AI tools, and open critique sessions encouraged honest discussion and stronger confidence using AI.
- Practical guidance accelerated adoption: Adobe Firefly’s tutorial and discipline-specific guides made it easier for educators to embed AI-supported visualisation into their teaching practice.
- AI perceptions and horizons change: Initial hesitation about using AI shifted after guest lecturers demonstrated creative and ethical applications. The subject created a safe environment for experimentation.
Challenges faced
- Check the fine print: Students sometimes assumed AI renderings were always going to be accurate or feasible.
- Keep evolving with technology: Students needed more support to evaluate the real-world functionality and materiality of AI-generated ideas.
Next steps
WSU will continue blending AI with design skills, strengthening the hybrid approach that has expanded creative exploration. The next phase will introduce clearer prompts and checkpoints so students can interrogate AI outputs more rigorously, supported by guiding questions about functionality, materiality, and ergonomics to keep design intent at the centre of the process.
The project has also produced a repeatable workflow that can be applied widely, from defining objectives and gathering references to creating mood boards, sketching, prompting, iterating and evaluating feasibility.
The model is readily adaptable across disciplines and the broader VET sector wherever visual communication is essential.
About Western Sydney University
Western Sydney University is a leading institution serving one of Australia’s most diverse and dynamic regions. The University is known for industry-connected learning, innovative teaching and a strong focus on preparing students with practical, future-ready skills across design, technology and the creative industries.
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