Missed Opportunities/Creative Possibilities  Project 1 Design Brief

EDUC 303X Designing Learning Spaces           

 Goals:

- Analyze existing learning spaces and reflect on possibilities for learning

- Practice some of the steps in the process of designing learning spaces

- Gain experience presenting and analyzing findings in conference settings

Assignment: Document (photos, descriptions, interviews, observations, etc.) a public space where you see an opportunity for learning that is being missed and propose at least one redesign that would improve learning.  Some examples are: museums, lounges, public sculpture, playgrounds, parks, parking lots, supermarkets, shopping centers, libraries, anywhere! 

Spend 20-30 minutes in this space and consider the learning opportunities that have been missed and why they have been missed.

Here are some questions to consider for this project

- What are the missed opportunities?

- How could different audiences be engaged?

- Who are the stakeholders?

- What redesign or intervention(s) would integrate learning into the space?

- What are some creative ideas of asssessment?

- What other questions occurred to you during this project?

 Deliverable:  Poster Presentation for a Conference Poster Session.

A poster session is a popular format for sharing work at professional and academic conferences.  We’ll have a mini-conference on April 18 to look at each other’s work and share ideas.

Poster Details: Your poster should be no larger than 30 inches x 42 inches.  University Art on Hamilton Ave in downtown Palo Alto (650) 328-3500 can sell you a piece of ‘railroad board’ (lightweight posterboard) for about $1; perfect for this project. Drugstores and the Stanford Bookstore are some other options

Examples:

2007 Poster Examples

Be Ready For:

- 30 second pitch explaining your work to the class

- Evaluations from peers and instructors

- Discussion that compares and connects the various learning spaces

Criteria:

- Quality: are observations detailed? insightful? original? Where is the learning? How well did you address the project assignment?

- Creativity: How does your project demonstrate passion, elegance, fun, and originality

- Clarity: At first glance, does your poster explain the space you observed and your intervention? Is your pitch clear and coherent?

Time for project:  10 hours total

Due:  April 18, 2008