Design Education as If Adjuncts Mattered (IXDA2020)

Higher education has come to increasingly rely on part-time faculty to fulfill the curricular demands of teaching. Part-time faculty, however, rarely participate in the challenges of curriculum development, management, and assessment. This presentation proposes a service-design framework for design educators—both tenure-track faculty and design practitioners at all levels of academia—to plan, develop, and evaluate courses based upon service design tools and methods. Presented at the Interaction Design Education Summit (part of Interaction Design Week) in Milan, Italy.

Transcript

1. Design Education As If Adjuncts Mattered Cassini Nazir Clinical Associate Professor University of Texas at Dallas Designer-in-Residence Southern Methodist University @cassininazir Eric Farrar Associate Professor Undergraduate Dean UT Dallas
2. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 “The fundamental task is to achieve smallness in the large organization.” 2 Modern organizations stripped the satisfaction out of work. Craft was no longer important, nor the quality of human relationship. Go back to the human scale—human needs and human relationships—from that springs the ethical response of stewardship to the environment. — E. F. Schumacher
3. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 The makeup of faculty in American academic institutions has dramatically changed over the past 50 years. 3 Schuster & Finkelstein. (2006). The American Faculty: The Restructuring of Academic Work and Careers. American Association of University Professors. (2016). Data Snapshot: Contingent Faculty in US Higher Ed. 1969 Mostly non-tenure track 27% tenure-track faculty 73% non-tenure faculty Mostly tenure-track 78% tenure-track faculty 22% non-tenure faculty 2016 TT Non-TT TT Non-TT Full-time faculty hires 41% tenure-track 59% non-tenure track
4. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 The makeup of faculty in American academic institutions has dramatically changed over the past 50 years. 4 What’s driving this change? Shrinking university budgets Shrinking funding for public universities Increasing costs Part-time faculty receive lower salaries and smaller benefits package Part-time faculty typically have a higher teaching load
5. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 There is often a “second-class” status for non-tenure positions. 5 Titles used to describe faculty trivialize them. Contingent faculty — minimizes contributions and commitment Non-tenure track faculty — indicates tenure is normal and ideal Adjunct faculty — indicates faculty are supplementary rather than essential More appropriate titles would accurately describe faculty primary role(s). Teaching faculty Professor of practice Professor of instruction Design educator Design educator-practitioner Design practitioner-educator
6. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Historically, two components constituted scholarship: research and teaching. 6 Discovery Investigative research Teaching Communicating understanding Contributes to human knowledge and the intellectual climate of a college or university. Knowing and learning are communal acts. What is to be known? What is yet to be found? How can I share with others what I have learned? 1 2 3 4
7. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Historically, two components constituted scholarship: research and teaching. 7 Discovery Investigative research Teaching Communicating understanding Contributes to human knowledge and the intellectual climate of a college or university. Knowing and learning are communal acts. What is to be known? What is yet to be found? How can I share with others what I have learned? 1 2 3 4 “Faculty reward systems do not match the full range of academic functions.” — Ernest Boyer, Scholarship Reconsidered, 1990
8. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 8 Discovery Investigative research Integration Synthesizing Teaching Communicating understanding Contributes to human knowledge and the intellectual climate of a college or university. Gives meaning to isolated facts and putting discoveries in perspective. Knowing and learning are communal acts. Application Engagement of communities What is to be known? What is yet to be found? What do the findings mean? How can I share with others what I have learned? How can what I learned be helpful to institutions and individuals? How can knowledge be responsibly applied to problems? Knowledge may be first discovered then applied, new knowledge may arise out of the act of application. 1 2 3 4 Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered (1990) changed what many universities codified in policy as “counting” as legitimate knowledge.
9. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 9 Mostly non-tenure track 27% tenure-track faculty 73% non-tenure faculty 2016 TT Non-TT Full-time faculty hires 41% tenure-track 59% non-tenure track 1969 Mostly tenure-track 78% tenure-track faculty 22% non-tenure faculty TT Non-TT
10. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Six implications of this changing academic workforce. 10 Poor hiring and recruitment practices Limited job security Inequitable salaries and access to benefits Lack of orientation, professional development, and formal evaluation No involvement in curriculum planning and faculty meetings Lack of office space, clerical support, and instructional materials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kezar & Maxey. (2013). The Changing Academic Workforce.
11. Poor hiring and recruitment practices Limited job security Inequitable salaries and access to benefits Lack of orientation, professional development, and formal evaluation No involvement in curriculum planning and faculty meetings Lack of office space, clerical support, and instructional materials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Six implications of this changing academic workforce. We will focus on the last three. 11 Kezar & Maxey. (2013). The Changing Academic Workforce.
12. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed rebuffs the “banking”approach to education, which demands “deposits” of information from faculty. He advocates for a world-mediated, mutual approach to education that challenges both faculty and student to co-create knowledge. 12
13. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Freire lays a foundation for a service-design approach to learning. 13 Nazir and Fee. (2018). A Service-Design Approach to Learning. User-centered Co-creative Sequencing Evidencing Holistic Principles of Service Design Stickdorn and Schneider Learning-centered Interconnecting and co-creating Structured, sequenced, and advancing Evidencing of context and content Integrative and evolutionary Service-Design Approach to Learning Nazir and Fee 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
14. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Service design creates various levels of change in an organization, each affording different outcomes and impacts. 14 Adapted from Junginger & Sangiorgi. (2009). Service Design and Organisational Change. Mission Beliefs 3 Service transformations Fundamental assumptions Practice Culture Service design interventions Norms and values Service interactions design Artifacts and behaviors 2 1
15. Mission Beliefs 3 Service transformations Fundamental assumptions Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Service design can be a used to pilot through the chaos of a changing academic workforce. 15 Adapted from Junginger & Sangiorgi. (2009). Service Design and Organisational Change. 1 Poor hiring and recruitment practices 2 Limited job security 3 Inequitable salaries and access to benefits 4 Lack of orientation, professional development, and formal evaluation 5 No involvement in curriculum planning and faculty meetings 6 Lack of office space, clerical support, and instructional materials Changing academic workforce Practice Culture Service design interventions Norms and values Service interactions design Artifacts and behaviors 2 1
16. A [very] short case study from design faculty at UT Dallas
17. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 17 Advanced Emerging Media Production Animation Studio I Animation Studio II Animation for Games Audience Analysis Audio Productions Lab I Audio Productions Lab II Audio Technologies Capstone Project Character Design Children and Media Code and Culture Communicating Social Science Communication and Social Science Theories Communication, Media, and Information Technology Computer Animation I Computer Animation II Computer Animation III Computer Animation Processes Computer Imaging Computer Modeling for Digital Fabrication Critical Making Design I Design II Design Research Methods Digital Activism Digital Audio Processing Digital Content Design Digital Fabrication Studio I Digital Fabrication Studio II Digital Inequalities Digital Sculpting Digital Video Production I Digital Video Production II Digital Writing Disability, Technology, and Media Emerging Media Production Emerging Media and the Digital Economy Ethics in New Media, Technology, and Communication Exploration of Arts and Technology Feminism, Technology, and Media Freshman Seminar Game Design Fundamentals Game Design I Game Design II Game Design III Game Production Lab I Game Production Lab II Game Studies I Game Systems Design Games and Narrative I Games and Narrative II Historical Perspectives on Emerging Media History of Games Human Communication Online Independent Study in Arts and Technology Interaction Design I Interaction Design II Internet Studio I Internet Studio II Intervention Design and Testing Introduction to Technoculture Journalism in the Networked Age Level Design I Level Design II Lighting and Composition I Lighting and Composition II Media Archeology Media Psychology Media Structures, Regulations, and Policies Media and Communication Research Theories I Media and Communication Research Theories II Message Effects Research Design Modeling and Texturing I Modeling and Texturing II Motion Capture Animation Motion Graphics Motion Graphics II Networked Identities News and Public Opinion Persuasion and Digital Media Political Communication Pre-Production Design I Pre-Production Design II Privacy and Surveillance Procedural Animation Project Management for Arts and Technology I Project Management for Arts and Technology II Projection Mapping Studio Qualitative Communication Research Methods Queer Technology and Media Race, Technology, and Media Reading Media Critically Reading in a Networked Era Rigging I Rigging II Scripting for Games I Scripting for Games II Senior Honors in Arts and Technology Senior Seminar Social Networks Sound Design Sound Design for Games and Interactive Media Special Effects Special Topics in Arts and Technology Storytelling for New Media I Storytelling for New Media II Strategic Design Survey of Digital Fabrication Theories EMAC Tools Development for Arts and Technology Topics in Animation Topics in Art and Technology Topics in Emerging Media and Communications Topics in Game Development Topics in Mediated Communication Topics in Sound Design User Experience Design for Games I Virtual Environments Virtual Environments II World Building Writing and Research EMAC Of the 122 undergraduate classes in the 2017 undergraduate catalog, almost a third were completely new.
18. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 18 Source ATCM 2302 Design I Provides foundational knowledge of visual structure and problem solving in two- and three-dimensional design. Students will be introduced to design methodology and design processes with emphasis on the formal principles of composition and organization. PREREQ — ATCM 3365 Game Design I This course presents principles and techniques of interactive game design, including but not limited to game mechanics, player dynamics, social and multiplayer structures, statistics and game theory, and systems analysis. Students will work individually and in teams to create original interactive games as well as learn fundamentals of focus testing, usability testing, and critique. Course focuses on both analog and digital games. PREREQ — ATCM 2365 Game Design Fundamentals ATCM 3305 Computer Animation I This course presents the concepts, tools and techniques used in 3D key frame animation. Topics will include squash and stretch, anticipation, overlapping motion and timing. Students will learn to animate using pre-existing rigs and set-ups. PREREQ — ATCM 2305 Computer Animation Processes ATCM 2365 Game Design Fundamentals Curriculum workshops helped faculty better understand the changes.
19. Faculty mapped the student journey from start to finish.
20. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 3 of 8 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 4 of 8 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 1 of 8 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 2 of 8 Core Curriculum 14 classes 1 Lower Level Major Requirements 8 classes 2 Upper Level Major Requirements 8 classes Lower Level Major Requirements 8 classes Upper Level Major Requirements 8 classes 2 Prescribed Electives 5 classes 2 Free Electives 5 classes 4o total classes 5 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 3 of 8 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 4 of 8 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 1 of 8 2 Major Requirements Lower-Level 2 of 8 ATCM 2300 Introduction to Technoculture In this foundational course students consider about the complex relationship between technology and culture. They will study evocative objects to raise questions about the history, impact, and implications of the co-evolution of technology and society. PREREQ — NEW ATCM 3303 Project Management for Arts, Technology, and Emerging Continuing study in project management, team management, and production. Topics include business and marketing planning, presentation strategies, and advanced methods for team building and communication. PREREQ — ATCM 2303 Project Management for ATEC I ATCM 3337 Interaction Design I Study of human-machine interaction for a variety of applications. Students explore rapid prototyping, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design skills that can be applied to various domains such as web-based publishing, mobile app development, game development, and entertainment and artistic performances. New devices and interactions are explored. PREREQ — ATCM 2335 Internet Studio I ATCM 2365 Game Design Fundamentals Introductory survey of game design, development, production, and studies, intended for incoming students in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication. This course covers aspects of all areas of game design and development, including game systems and level design, art and animation, programming, sound design, narrative, and game production management. The course also serves as an introduction to play and game studies, academic writing, critical analysis, and games research. Upon PREREQ — ATCM 3371 User Experience Design for Games Exploration of user experience design principles as they relate to digital game development. This research-based course focuses on how gameplay and interaction can be effectively communicated to players through user interface design. PREREQ — ATCM 2365 Game Design Fundamentals ATCM 3336 Design Research Methods This course will explore a variety of behavioral and attitudinal design research methods, including the planning, analysis, and execution of quantitative and qualitative methods. Topics also include the ethical concerns related to understanding users. and how to communicate research results. PREREQ — NEW Freshman Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior An undergraduate degree is 40 courses. Fall 1 Spring 2 Fall 3 Spring 4 Fall 5 Spring 6 Fall 7 Spring 8 Sequencing of courses is important to ensure ATEC students can graduate on time. And are adequately prepared for the subsequent coursework. Pathway Application Students apply to a pathway in their first semester sophomore year Students are discouraged from taking all their core classes in their first few years. This ensures they have time to work on heavily project-based courses later in their college career Before entering into their pathway focus, students undergo a portfolio review to ensure a clear direction of work ATCM 2300 Introduction to Technoculture ATCM 2301 Computer Imaging CE 1335 Computer Science I ATCM 2302 Design I ATCM xxx Pathway Exploration 1 of 4 1 of 14 Core 4 of 14 Core 2 of 14 Core 5 of 14 Core 3 of 14 Core ATCM xxx Pathway Foundation 2 of 4 ATCM xxx Pathway Foundation 4 of 4 ATCM xxx Upper Level 1 of 8 ATCM xxx Pathway Foundation 3 of 4 ATCM xxx Upper Level 2 of 8 6 of 14 Core 9 of 14 Core 7 of 14 Core 10 of 14 Core 8 of 14 Core ATCM xxx Upper Level 7 of 8 ATCM xxx Capstone 8 of 8 3 of 5 Prescribed Elective 2 of 5 Prescribed Elective 4 of 5 Prescribed Elective 14 of 14 Core 5 of 5 Prescribed Elective 3 of 5 Free Elective 5 of 5 Free Elective 4 of 5 Free Elective ATCM xxx Upper Level 3 of 8 ATCM xxx Upper Level 5 of 8 ATCM xxx Upper Level 6 of 8 ATCM xxx Upper Level 4 of 8 1 of 5 Prescribed Elective 11 of 14 Core 13 of 14 Core 12 of 14 Core 2 of 5 Free Elective 1 of 5 Free Elective Foundation Pathway Pathway Pathway Pathway Entrance Pathway Pathway Focus “Dissected” degree plan 40 course placements 122 course cards Faculty understanding of new degree Subsequent workshop iterations gave us more details about courses, contexts, and assumptions.
21. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 How would your meetings be different if the room had no chairs? Face-to-face meetings usually means everyone sits around a table. Meaningful shoulder-to-shoulder work can remove hierarchy. 21 1
22. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 What curricular models do you use? What curricular models might need to be created? 22 2
23. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 23 1 FOUNDATIONS 3 SIGNATURE WORK 2 PATHWAY Capstone Internship Field work Research Community-based projects Pathway Fundamentals Thematic clusters Three or more courses across multiple disciplines, including the major field. A student examines questions important to him/her and to society. Studio Practice History Theory Technology Synthesis Four possible in ATEC: Animation, game design, design and production and mediated communication. The undergraduate journey is a process of guided exploration and refinement. Based on National Association of Schools of Art and Design Creative Multidisciplinary Converge and Technologies, see https://nasad.arts-accredit.org Based on Association of American College’s & Universities publications on Signature Work, see https://www.aacu.org/signaturework
24. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 24 1 FOUNDATIONS 2 PATHWAY 3 SIGNATURE WORK Capstone Internship Field work Research Community-based projects Pathway Fundamentals Thematic clusters Three or more courses across multiple disciplines, including the major field. A student examines questions important to him/her and to society. messy < Studio Practice History Theory Technology Synthesis Four possible in ATEC: Animation, game design, design and production and mediated communication. The undergraduate journey is a process of guided exploration and refinement. Based on National Association of Schools of Art and Design Creative Multidisciplinary Converge and Technologies, see https://nasad.arts-accredit.org Based on Association of American College’s & Universities publications on Signature Work, see https://www.aacu.org/signaturework
25. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Shared documents create breadcrumbs for new faculty to navigate the path of previous faculty. 25 3 Principles Elements Integration Introduction Welcome. This guide is for instructors and teaching assistants teaching ATCM 2302 Design I. This guide helps: • current faculty teaching the course to understand the purpose, significance, and direction of the course; • all ATEC faculty give their feedback on the current situation on the course and its new direction; • administrators to understand the details of the integration of the course within the curriculum; and • students to understand the process by which the course was developed. Whether teaching for the first time or teaching this course for the first time, this document will help you understand course goals, form a daily game plan, and – perhaps most importantly—provide a shared space where the course may be improved. Design has relevance for every student. Your goal as an instructor is to create consistently meaningful and ‘learningful’ experiences for students. Although much of this course has already been written, it is still yours to iterate, improve, and innovate. This is but a beginning. ---- This document was developed by Cassini Nazir with the help of Design I faculty and administrators: Donna Aldridge, Eric Farrar, Roxanne Minnish, Monika Salter, Christine Veras, and Chip Wood – and with the tireless support of Design I teaching assistants: Nick Benke, Chelsea Brtis, and Joseph Porritt. ATCM 2302 – Design I 3 A year (or more) after this course is over, I hope that students will… … feel that the foundational course on design principles opened their eyes to how great design is achieved. — Donna Aldridge … remember the steps of the design process, how to empathize, how to define the problem, remember the research that it takes to solve the problem, documenting the steps along the way, and then analyze how their design might be improved through reflection. — Roxanne Minnish … understand that design is a dynamic process utilizing formal elements that can be applied to any endeavor” —Cassini Nazir ...become acquainted with how design is the practice and development of professional skills, which are used to discover end-user wants and needs, explore alternate solutions that are rationalized, and evocatively demonstrated in presentations using appropriate artistic media. — Chip Wood Your turn. Add your own goal(s). ATCM 2302 – Design I 4 1 Getting Started FRAMING DOCUMENTING RELATIONSHIPS CONCEPTS FORM EXPLORING REFINING Principles Elements Integration Design I represents the first design class for many students You have fertile ground. In our experience, many students have taken an art class in high school (most often a historical survey of art or a hands-on art creation course), but have little knowledge of or introduction to design. It is rare for Texas high school curricula to offer design courses, although they may offer courses that focus on technological skill building (i.e. Photoshop, Maya, etc). Course Overview ATCM 2302 Design I is a required class for all undergraduate students pursuing a degree in the school of ATEC. The class should be taken in the fall or spring semester of their first year. Transfer students may have the opportunity to transfer credit for this class. In fall there are typically 8 course sections offered (a total of 240 seats). Students have two 1 hour 15 minute meetings (for a total of 2 hours 45 min/week). The course takes place in ATC 4.918 a large classroom, with ample space for design-related activities. No more than 30 students can register for a section of the class, although the room can comfortably hold about 36 students. Design I fulfills one of eight lower-level major requirements for students in the ATEC program. Students need to take this course early in their college career to prepare them for future work. This class is often taken with other ATEC foundation classes (ATCM 2301 Computer Imaging, ATCM 2300 Intro to Technoculture, CS 1334/5 Computer Science), but is not currently a pre- requisite for many classes. Principles Elements Integration Course Structure This course has three main parts, each five weeks in length. Assignments build on previous weeks and gradually become more complex and challenging. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Integration of Process, Principles, Elements Use the design process effectively and integrate the principles and elements meaningfully Elements of Design Line, Shape, Pattern, Texture, Space, Motion, Value, Color Design Process Critique and reflection What is Design What is design? What do designers do? How do designers think? Principles of Design Unity, Emphasis, Focal Point, Scale, Proportion, Balance, Rhythm ATCM 2302 – Design I 11 2 Getting Going REFLECTING- ON-ACTION KNOWING-IN- ACTION Segment I Weeks 1-5 What is Design + Principles of Design These first five weeks of class are devoted to helping students to start to think like a designer, understand the principles of design, be able to identify principles, and apply the principles in compositions. Students also begin learning about reflection and start work on their learning portfolios. This phase ends with a review of the principles. 1A – What is Design? 1B – Principles of Design: Unity 2A – Principles of Design: Emphasis and Focal Point 2B – Introduction to Reflection (Learning Portfolios) 3A – Reflection: Learning Portfolios Practice 3B – Principles of Design: Scale and Proportion 4A – Principles of Design: Balance 4B – Principles of Design: Rhythm 5A – Principles of Design: Review 5B – Introduction to the Elements of Design and Critique Principles Elements Integration ATCM 2302 – Design I 13 Class 1A Overview What is Design? First day of class: Get to know your students and set expectations. Let your students get to know you and what they will learn in this class. Learning Goals Get to know each other Set expectations of the course and learning objectives Briefly introduce the design process through a simple design activity Class Agenda 15 Introduce yourself, your background Have students introduce themselves (preferably w/ ice breaker activity) Take attendance, capture on roster 15 Handout and briefly review 0.1D-Syllabus and then have them do 5.1- Syllabus Quiz 20 Design Activity: Draw a Vase 20 Handout Introduction to Design Thinking (Process Guide) Homework Due by class 1B Review 0.01D-Syllabus Read Introduction to Design Thinking (Process Guide) Read Pentak, Ch 2: Unity Read Krause, Harmony (pages 50-61) Take quiz on Chapter 2
26. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Help part-time design educators to think about curricular contexts and long arcs. 26 4 ATCM 2302 – Design I 3 A year (or more) after this course is over, I hope that students will… … feel that the foundational course on design principles opened their eyes to how great design is achieved. — Donna Aldridge … remember the steps of the design process, how to empathize, how to define the problem, remember the research that it takes to solve the problem, documenting the steps along the way, and then analyze how their design might be improved through reflection. — Roxanne Minnish … understand that design is a dynamic process utilizing formal elements that can be applied to any endeavor” —Cassini Nazir ...become acquainted with how design is the practice and development of professional skills, which are used to discover end-user wants and needs, explore alternate solutions that are rationalized, and evocatively demonstrated in presentations using appropriate artistic media. — Chip Wood Your turn. Add your own goal(s).
27. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Champion the work of part-time faculty with administrators and key stakeholders. Give them visibility. 27 5
28. 28 Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 Addressing the permutations, complications, and externalities of design solutions not immediately obvious from crafting curriculum requires the work of a diverse group of faculty.
29. Cassini Nazir · Interaction Design Education Summit · 3 Feb 2020 “To talk about the future is useful only if it leads to action now.” 29 — E. F. Schumacher