This paper primarily examines teacher learning and practice domains through an integrated model for instructional coherence (Finlay, 2000) based on a theoretical framework for tertiary education in design learning concerning the major design schools in India. Through this, the authors aim to understand patterns in the underlying factors of the domains of design teacher learning and practices.While inspired design pedagogies dominated early Indian design schools, these have evolved in the newer schools, bringing about a parallel shift in design pedagogies. The authors also suggest that funding is a factor in how these curricula and pedagogies are shaped and eventually play out in the classroom.The authors propose a conceptual model for instructional coherence based on learning theories that helps understand the teaching and learning practices in the country's complex ecosystem of design education

Keywords: Design Education, Design Pedagogy & Practice, Instructional Coherence, Instructional Models, Teacher Learning