Proposal Title
Ready, set, play! Disrupting our preconceptions of classroom learning through innovative teaching practices.
Abstract
What is play in the context of an undergraduate classroom? For our purposes, play is an attitude and an approach to making work. Both inside and outside of the classroom, there are many ways in which play can serve as a base for serious problem-solving.
As educators, we choose to create a learning environment that provides enjoyment to the people who conduct activities within it. Play does not need to be frivolous — it encourages curiosity, constructive and critical discourse, and provides a safe environment to fail. Framing work within the context of “play” allows students to go beyond their presumed constraints and learn through exploration and experimentation.
This presentation emphasizes problem-based learning methods used to teach complex concepts associated with interactive design systems. It will feature classroom projects that use “play” as a gateway to teach various prototyping tools and techniques. Students engage in a dynamic process of “making” through physical and digital prototyping in order to better understand systems thinking associated with the interactive design discipline. This embodies a highly iterative process of building and testing, emphasizing material skills and craftsmanship for both analog and digital environments.
Featured works will exhibit physical and digital prototypes spanning “raw”, low-fi constructs to sophisticated functional case studies. Examples shown will include motion projects, patterning, mechanical arcade games, and generative forms. Historical and contemporary contexts will be used to frame design systems and project inspiration.
Start Date
28-3-2018 12:10 PM
End Date
28-3-2018 1:00 PM
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Game Design | Graphic Design | Industrial and Product Design | Interactive Arts
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Included in
Game Design Commons, Graphic Design Commons, Industrial and Product Design Commons, Interactive Arts Commons
Ready, set, play! Disrupting our preconceptions of classroom learning through innovative teaching practices.
U-Hall 2-078 or Atrium
What is play in the context of an undergraduate classroom? For our purposes, play is an attitude and an approach to making work. Both inside and outside of the classroom, there are many ways in which play can serve as a base for serious problem-solving.
As educators, we choose to create a learning environment that provides enjoyment to the people who conduct activities within it. Play does not need to be frivolous — it encourages curiosity, constructive and critical discourse, and provides a safe environment to fail. Framing work within the context of “play” allows students to go beyond their presumed constraints and learn through exploration and experimentation.
This presentation emphasizes problem-based learning methods used to teach complex concepts associated with interactive design systems. It will feature classroom projects that use “play” as a gateway to teach various prototyping tools and techniques. Students engage in a dynamic process of “making” through physical and digital prototyping in order to better understand systems thinking associated with the interactive design discipline. This embodies a highly iterative process of building and testing, emphasizing material skills and craftsmanship for both analog and digital environments.
Featured works will exhibit physical and digital prototypes spanning “raw”, low-fi constructs to sophisticated functional case studies. Examples shown will include motion projects, patterning, mechanical arcade games, and generative forms. Historical and contemporary contexts will be used to frame design systems and project inspiration.
