Discussion Board
As in any class, the readings are the backbone of the course. Without completing the readings, it will be impossible for you to do your best work. In order to make sure you are thinking about the readings, you will post a sort paragraph about each day’s readings 24 hours prior to class. This can be as simple as three sentences. For example, you might write a sentence stating what you believe to be the main point of the article, a sentence on how the author supports that point, and a sentence on your own response. The aim is not to spend a great deal of time writing these posts, but to use the posts to help you make sure you've understood the readings and are ready to discuss them. You will also be expected to respond to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts before attending class. This means that by 10:20 on Mondays and Wednesdays, you will post, and by 10:20 on Tuesdays and Thursdays you will comment. There are approximately 20 days of readings that will require discussion board posts. In order to receive full credit for the posts, you need to complete 16, which means you don't need to post every day in which we have a reading. It is up to you to ensure you have generated 16 posts over the course of the semester; you will not receive reminders from me. It is also up to you to respond to posts before each class (regardless of whether or not you have posted). Failing to do so will be reflected in your participation grade (see below).
Your discussion posts should do at least one of the following:
8 points (16 posts worth .5 point per post; responses count toward participation grade)
Your discussion posts should do at least one of the following:
- Summarize the main point of the reading (always try to do this, even if your ultimate aim is to ask a question)
- Raise clarification questions about the readings. Were there parts of the readings that were not clear to you? This is your opportunity to ask your peers to help you parse some of the challenging ideas you’ll encounter.
- Raise questions for discussion. Were there things you thought might be controversial, or philosophical questions about the role of technology and design in culture, or questions about power structures?
- Real world examples of concepts in the readings. Links to articles, websites, and projects that are related to the readings (when accompanied by a brief discussion) are an excellent way to engage with a reading. in conjunction with some of the other examples of what to do with your posts, examples can be quite powerful ways to talk about design.
- Criticize or refute the argument of the reading. Did you disagree with the reading? Why? Did you find their argument flawed in someway?
8 points (16 posts worth .5 point per post; responses count toward participation grade)
Weekly Design Responses
These responses are your chance to practice your design thinking, sketching, and writing skills. They are due at the end of the week each week, and should be submitted via dropbox in D2L. Since you will be expected to both write and sketch, you should plan to scan your sketches and submit them as well. You will turn in a total of 10 responses. These responses may be a chance to think more deeply about questions or concerns raised in the discussion posts, or they may be about something else entirely. These are meant to be informal, but still well written and thoughtful. You may discuss design ideas you had while reading, concerns or excitement over the readings (followed up with discussions about why you had these reactions, with examples from the text), or sketches of relationships between concepts and texts. Concept mapping is encouraged here, and will help you build an overall picture of the themes from the course. Once again, outside examples, and even photographs of real-world design can be an excellent way to think deeply about the themes and issues we are discussing in class.
10 points (1 point each)
10 points (1 point each)
Design Workbook
These ongoing group projects will be turned in periodically throughout the semester. They will guide your thinking for the project from Part II of the course and the final project. More information about the nature of the workbooks and the expectations will be available on 1/26, when we read about them in class. The first workbook check-in is 2/2, then again on 2/23 and on 3/22. The completed design workbooks will be due at the end of class on 4/14. They will be returned to the groups on 4/15 so they may be used as groups prepare their presentations and final projects.
15 points
15 points
Part I Project: Design Practice
These individual design projects will come at the end of Part I of the course (Design Practice), and will reflect your thinking and sketching throughout the first third of the course. This design project is not tied to the larger group project in class, so students will have quite a bit of freedom to choose a design project. The projects should be polished and well written, should articulate the reasons behind design choices, and should draw on the class readings as well as outside sources.
15 points
15 points
Part II Project: Engaging Users and other Participants
This group project will culminate Part II of the course. Each group will use methods learned in class to engage a group of users or participants in a design experience. Groups will then turn in papers discussing their methods, the engagements themselves, their analysis, and a plan for next steps. Papers should focus on
15 points
- Description: Details about what your group did to engage people, why you chose these activities, and what the results look like. The description will likely include
- Analysis: What did you learn about the people you engaged? How does this inform your design practice?
- Reflection: What did you learn from this experience? What was successful about your engagement? What might you do differently next time?
- Planning: Do you need to develop further interactions with people to move forward with your design?
15 points
Final Project
The final project will be submitted in three parts. First, the in class presentation (5 points). Each group will have a full class period to present their design and to solicit feedback from the class. Presentations and feedback should be used to further develop the final project, which will be turned in by the date of the final. Each group will turn in a final design project (15 points) and each student will turn in an individual reflection paper (5 points). The group project should present the research (which should include both course reading and original research), early ideas, user/participant engagement, and iterations of design. The individual paper should explore how the student has grown as a designer and researcher throughout the course, and should engage with foundational ideas from the course about design, engagement, and social good. The group project should showcase an example of design for social good, while the individual paper should draw conclusions about how and we we design for good, and the implications of social good in design practice and in future work in or outside the design world.
25 points
25 points
Participation
You are expected to participate fully in class discussions and activities. Please note that participation grades start and 0 and must be earned throughout the course. Please also note that participation is not the same as attendance. You are expected to attend class and to be attentive and respectful. There is no policy against using laptops in class, but using laptops to look at social media or work from other courses will have a negative impact on your participation grade. To receive full points for participation, students are expected to participate in discussion boards, in-class discussions, in-class activities, and feedback/critique of each others’ work.
12 points
12 points