Assessment methodMultimodal Design Project

Developed following past collaborations with the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE), this technique encourages students less familiar with technical design to engage with the process in a way that is relevant to their field and encourages attendance to relevant disciplinary provocations. Emphasis on design process is a central feature of this technique as it allows for an appreciation of the importance of design elements like ideation (core disciplinary values and social context) and the ways in which this can be married with iteration or technological/design possibility. For example in COMU2120 students form groups of 4-5 to arrive at a concept or idea about Journalism of the Future. Groups pitch their idea and document the design process in hardcopy workbooks. Groups proceed to construct a physical or digital prototype of their idea, and produce a report. Lastly, students reflect on this process (and their contribution to it) via written reflection. This technique lends well to any discipline in which attention to creative process is valued. For example, Education students could design practical tools to facilitate teaching to a specific learning module; while Music students might design instrument modifications or functions for music editing platforms.