- Professor: Katherine Bennett
- Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: by appointment via Slack after class. Other times are also possible. Message me or come talk to me.
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."
~Albert Einstein
In this class, the creative process will be investigated in order to generate ideas for art, design, technology, and business endeavors. The course will show how ideation, design research & thinking, and prototyping can inspire, inform, and bring depth to what one ultimately creates. Students will expand their arsenal of design research skills, learn how to think critically about their audience, content, form, and processes, as well as, understand the importance of utilizing more than one research and design strategy.
Prerequisite: None
Slack workspace The URL is: You must first have an account with Slack. Once you've signed up with Slack, you may join our workspace using the following link (only good for 30 days):
Academic Integrity
Accomodations
Assignment Links
Attendance
Communication
Course Goals
Course Structure
Evaluation & Grading
Grade Breakdown
Inclusion
Late Work
Learning Outcomes
Program Goals
Required Media
Required Readings
Required Supplies
Special Notes About This Class
Student Responsibilites
Technology In The Classroom
Time Estimate per Week
Using Generative AI
The following Integrated Digital Media program goals are introduced and reinforced within this course. Students will:
- develop conceptual thinking skills to generate ideas and content in order to solve problems or create opportunities.
- develop documentation and reflection skills and techniques to strengthen their process.
- develop a research and studio practice through inquiry and iteration.
- develop critical thinking skills that will allow one to analyze and position their work within cultural, historical, aesthetic, economic, and technological contexts.
- develop collaboration skills to actively and effectively work in a team or group.
To get students to:
- develop a rigorous, iterative process for looking, questioning, thinking, making, and communicating that challenges assumptions and preconceived ideas
- use their imagination to create something entirely new & innovative OR to reinvent an old idea into something new
- introduce students to the many research & design methodologies available to them
- develop skills of description, research, analysis, visualization, design and critical thinking.
- improve writing, documentation, and presentation skills
- facilitate collaboration
- understand what it means to develop a practice, which indicates development strides of leaps and bounds, unforeseen at the onset of the process
- take risks and experiment; developing a healthy sense of curiosity
More Information on What this class is about here <---- Check this out to understand that these assignments have multiple steps and it's critical to document your progress (not just your end point)!
By the end of this course students should be able to:
- to search and spot ideas, and transform these invisible ideas into visible realizations
The course will be comprised of lectures, critiques, discussions, readings, screenings, exercises, mini-projects and an overall project
Feedback sessions and critiques are the best way to articulate your ideas to others and get immediate feedback. The class analyzes and suggests ways to increase the impact of your project. The feedback is about how the work is coming across as well as ways to expand it. It is not about you personally, but your work. The more quickly you can realize this, the better. These are opportunities to develop your work. Take notes when your work is being critiqued and do not edit the responses, whether you agree with them or not. Review your critique notes and reflect upon what was said. Ask yourself how you could combine, transform, or expand what you are doing to make your project better.
Rules of the Critique:
- Be Present and Engaged
- Give Feedback to your classmates
- Do NOT take feedback personally.
There will be discrete team and individual exercises and projects that require you to apply the tools, techniques, and methods presented in the lectures, discussions, readings, and other material. These fundamentals are organized according to five phases.
These are ball-park time estimates for various homework assignments given in this course. These estimates will vary per student, as they also will throughout the semester. In the beginning of the semester, the time will be spread across the assignments. As various assignments wrap up towards the end of the semester, that time will then be required to be dedicated towards The Future project.
Please manage your time and do. not. do. your. homework. in. one. sitting. It will be stressful and not quality work. You may POST your homework before the deadline. Infact, you are encouraged to! Students who spread the assignment across the week submit higher quality work under less stress, and work with greater ease. Please note that doing to work is different from posting the work. As such, the time estimate has been included below:
- Constant I/O Project - 60 minutes
- Time Management - 15-25 minutes
- Affinity Project - 60-180 minutes
- Updating Blog with work and written reflections - 30-120 minutes
- Readings from required books and links - 30 minutes
- Be present and focused during class. Not multi-tasking nor in your devices. Take notes. You are responsible for being present and understanding what was discussed in class. Get the proper amount of sleep.
- Schedule your time (keep a calendar of some sort)
- Come to class on time and participate (be present and engaged)
- Study outside of class (ideally with classmate(s)
- Devote at a minimum 6 - 8 hours per week - of well organized time - outside of class: fulfilling homework assignments, reading, and studying concepts covered in class.
- Consult slack at least twice a week for up to date info. Ideally towards the end of the week.
- Complete all assignments and post to your site by due dates and time deadlines - Sunday 10:00 EST (unless otherwise specified on the assignment brief)
- Participation is not limited to the assignments that you turn in. Participation also includes not only your presence in class, but your questions, feedback and dialog. Do not fall into the trap of being lazy during class and never vocalizing your presence. Lean in and be present. If you have a question, someone else does too. You vocalizing your questions helps others to do the same. You must be active in class.
- Email contact about logistics (when, where, how many, etc) ONLY
- Talk to me in real-time about issues or problems
- If something is up, communicate with me. Do not be shy. Reach out and let's connect. Even if you do not quite have the words, I'm here to help you. I can't help you if I do not know that something is up.
- Acquire and read all assigned readings before they are due
- Do. not. do. your. homework. in. one. sitting. Do not do it all the night before its due. Start it early to give yourself time to ask questions and get answers. Review the Letters to The Next CoHort!
- Give your classmates constructive feedback. Don't be passive in critiques or take it personally. Push everyone's ideas further.
- Action – do your absolute best. Be aware that your best varies day to day as you do as a human. This is normal.
- Make peace with the fact that your best one day, may not be the best on another day. One's best fluctuates. That's okay. It's normal and part of life.
- Strive for continuous improvement
- Direct message me on slack re: contact about logistics (when, where, how many?) only
- Talk to me in person about issues and problems. Do not direct message me with long conversations on slack. (if your email turns into a paragraph or two that means you should be talking to me in person, not emailing me.)
- Have desire amounting to enthusiasm (to learn, to explore)
- Have patience, persistence, and discipline
- Be creative. There are a million forms of creativity. Find yours.
- Pay attention to detail & craft
- Have self-confidence and pride in your work
- Take risks & be fearless in your projects
- Have fun!
- If you find yourself in the situation where you can not come to class, for WHATEVER REASON, you are still responsible for the course material. All assignments are still due on time. If you need accommodations, you must communicate with me as well as the Coordinator of Student Advocacy and Compliance office at ([email protected] & [email protected], 646.997.3046).
- Attendance is mandatory. I will discuss how to do the assignments and my expectations. Since there is so much technical, conceptual, and design information to absorb, regular attendance is essential. I cannot stress this enough. You must attend class to ensure that you are understanding how to work. I cover how to do the assignments in class, when they are assigned.
- Unexcused absences will affect your grade, after 3 of them.
- 5 or more unexcused absenses is grounds to be dismissed from the course or failing the coure.
- Feedback sessions cannot be made up.
- Be on Time. Tardiness will affect your grade. For every 3 tardies (15 minutes or more), you accrue an un excused absence. See above
- Contact the professor IN ADVANCE if you will not be in class (via direct message on slack is preferred).
- Attendance is mandatory for the midterm and final presentations / critiques. No exceptions. Critiques can not be made up.
- Work is still due on due dates, regardless of whether you are in class or not.
- Material missed is the responsibility of the student to make up. Consult the syllabus & schedule & github & slack. Speak to other classmates in order to find out what was discussed. Speak to several of them and at length. Office hours ARE NOT for making up lost class time.
- If you have some extenuating need to be outside of class (special doctor's appointment, religious observations, medical issues, COVID issues, etc etc), please contact the Coordinator of Student Advocacy and Compliance at ([email protected], 646.997.3046). A note that office will excuse the absence.
- Slack Direct Message is the preferred manner of contacting me. Messages will be responded to between 24-48 hours of being received, Monday - Friday. Emails and Slack Direct messages will not be responded over the weekend, nor on holidays.
- For time sensitive matters, email me. Messages will be responded to between 24-48 hours of being received, Monday - Friday. Emails and Slack Direct messages will not be responded over the weekend, nor on holidays.
- Messages and asynchronous communications are to be professional at all times. Unprofessional emails will not be tolerated nor engaged with. If you have an issue, make an appointment with me during office hours.
- Messages and asynchronous communications are to cover logistics (when, where, how many?) only
- Talk to me in person about issues and problems. Do not direct message me with long conversations on slack. (if your email turns into a paragraph or two that means you should be talking to me in person, not emailing me.) Make an office hour appointment with me.
- Messages and asynchronous communications that exceed many paragraphs will only be responded to with a request to meet. You are to respond with a time that you can meet.
- Constant back-and-forth asynchronous communications will not be tolerated.
- Multiple emails sent within a short window of time are unprofessional and will not be tolerated.
- Weekly feedback will be discussed in class, provided there new content exists on the student's blog by the Sunday 2pm deadline. If the deadline is missed, work will be reviewed the following week and counted as late. Late work effects your progress and your Process site grade. Students are to factor in this feedback MOVING FORWARD. No one has a time machine.
- Students are to refer to the Github site and the Slack workspace for course materials, directives, assignment briefs and resources. This material is available to you at all hours of the day.
Makeup assignments are only available when discussed with and approved by the instructor in advance of the due date.
Each student will be judged on the commitment, fearlessness, and continuous improvement that their work shows over the course of the semester in comprehending the course materials. You will be given feedback as to how to tune the direction of your work. Everyone one will be different. This is wonderful! And perfectly fine! Yet, it's up to you to listen to the feedback, be receptive, and tune your work appropriately.
If your work is not developing with multiple sizeable strides that demonstrate depth, your grade will be below satisfactory. It is up to you to be open, put in the research and work, to be imploring with your feedback and to communicate your work as advised.
I am looking at your comprehension, development, depth, receptivity, fearlessness, communication/ability to express your ideas and be a strong member of our class community.
Incomplete or unsatisfactory work (lacking depth and notable development strides) will receive a below satisfactory grade, after one has not addressed it in a reasonable period of time.
- 5% Class participation: discussion and feedback of your peers, cognitive presence in class, discussion of your work and challenges, your activity within the class community inside and outside of class
- 5% Self Assessments (2.5% each)
- 10% Constant Input/Output
- 25% Process Website, including all written reflections for ALL posts, including time Management, Class exercises, News Reflections, Article reflections
- 20% Midterm Project
- 20% Future Project Development
- 15% Project Final Presentation + Process
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been of the highest level, showing sustained excellence in meeting course responsibilities. Work clearly differentiates itself from other work, has memorable impact, pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. The student thoroughly understands the theory and practice behind ideation & prototyping.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been good, though not of the highest level. Work demonstrates a better than average understanding of ideation & prototyping theory & practice.
Performance and attendance of the student has been adequate, satisfactorily meeting the course requirements. Work is average and competent, showing a basic understanding of ideation & prototyping theory & practice.
Performance and attendance of the student has been less than adequate. Work is lacking in many or most areas that show any understanding of ideation & prototyping. Problems may include lack of interest, procrastination, poor planning and poor craft.
Performance and attendance of the student has been such that course requirements have not been met. Work shows no overall understanding of the course material on many levels or either a severe lack of interest.
Late work (ie, 2++ weeks) is not accepted, as this course is about process, namely, regularly weekly development of projects and assignments. Assignments are assigned a key points within the semester, to be timed with the students development. Doing the assignments out of rhythm, defeats the entire point. Time cannot be made up, nor can we go back in time.
If you are late by a week or so, post the work to your Process site under the appropiate label. Do not back date the post as older posts will not be reviewed.
You must do the assignments, in the order that they are assigned. Each is strategically placed within the semester. They work together like building blocks. Thus, they cannot be skipped as you will not have the pieces to work with for the subsequent assignment.
Process sites are reviewed and assessed weekly. Work is due on Sundays by 10 AM EST. You are welcome to post it earlier than this. Work posted after that will go towards the following week, and be reviewed next Sunday. This put you behind, as your work will not be reviewed in time. A record is made for the missing work, as this effects your overall grade and your opportunity to progress.
Late work beyond two weeks is submitted only under the advisement of the professor. Please contact me to discuss this with me. It's critical to strategize. I will advise you how to move through the material. Office hours are great for this.
Should a student find the need to use AI for their coursework, they are required to: 1. discuss the need and 2. how they used it on their blog, 3. attaching screen shots of the correspondence.
This includes AI suggestions, any collaboration with AI, and any AI output whether indirect or direct. It is expected that you work and reflections are thoughful, supported, and have substance, documenting your work and it's evolution.
Course work submitted without this annotation, discussion, and documentation will be considered in violation of the NYU Student Code of Conduct.
Positive/successful use of AI and generative software (in addition to documenting the process on your blog post) include a collaboration with the AI to further your process or information starting point about a topic. AI should never be used to finalize an assignment or information source. Students are repsonsible for cross checking the AI, verifying it's claims. Otherwise, they are responsible for the errors and "hallucinations" that the AI generates.
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These are large projects which develop over a series of weeks. Each week they are assessed for their development and strides from the previous weeks. As with any process, time in between completion of work allows for the development of the project. Hence forth, "cram sessions" are worthless here. If you see the assignments as check lists, you are in grave danger. If you think you can do 3 or 4 weeks of work in half the time, you are mistaken and have missed the value of this course. You are also wasting your valuable time. This isn't a course, that you can "catch up with".
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Furthermore, if you leave all of the work to one day, you will struggle with the course. Time and time again students have mentioned that this made a huge difference in managing the course. Once the stopped doing work the night before, and also broke the assignments up over time, did they finally see the development strides. Breaks are good. Cramming is not.
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The lowest possible grade is an F, provided there is work to assess. If there is no work to assess, a zero (0) will be given.
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Students who are below satisfactory will be given feedback in Slack via direct message. It is up to you to respond to the directives. Students who are endangered of failing will be notified via Slack and email. Be mindful and check Slack, especially around the last day to withdraw.
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All due dates can be found in the schedule. This is just an overview and description of all the projects for the course.
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Post all homework assignments to your Process Site by Sunday 10am EST. Period. Otherwise, they are considered late. When you post, post not just images, but a short discussion outlining what happened and what you gained. Give us context. Tell us what this is about. Tell us what you are thinking. Tell us what you are thinking. Where might you go next? What next might you do?
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Context and discussion of each assignment is addressed within the assigned modules and class. Make sure to read each module and be attentive in class, so as to complete each assignment appropriately. You can also ask questions in the assignment_questions channel in Slack. Public conversation is great! Your questions help everyone learn!
Laptop computers and other mobile devices are invaluable tools for artists, designers, and students when used responsibly. However, this technology can also be incredibly distracting, especially in the classroom. The experience is better for everyone in the class, if everyone can be present and active. It not only helps you, but it helps your neighbor. Again, we live in a community and we must think beyond our own needs.
Read Clay Shirky's thoughts on students & laptops in the classroom.
When in class, you may use your laptops and other devices for any activities pertaining to the course: taking notes, researching material relevant to our readings and discussions, doing homework, making class presentations, etc. However, the following uses are unacceptable: checking email, instant messaging, texting, using social networking sites such as facebook, etc. Also, during class screenings, your laptops should not be used.
Be forewarned, that if you are chronically in your devices and not participating in conversation, not only will your participation grade suffer, but you will also be called upon. Class is a community.
Violations of academic integrity are considered to be acts of academic dishonesty and include (but are not limited to) cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication, denying other access to information or material, and facilitating academic dishonesty, and are subject to the policies and procedures noted in the Student Handbook and within the Course Catalog, including the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Judicial System. Please note that lack of knowledge of citations procedures, for example, is an unacceptable explanation for plagiarism, as is having studied together to produce remarkable similar papers or creative works submitted separately by two students, or recycling work from a previous class.
Please review NYU's School of Engineering's academic dishonesty policy in its entirety. Procedures may include, but are not limited to: failing the assignment, failing the course, going in front of an academic judicial council and possible suspension from school. Violations will not be tolerated.
All work for this class must be your own and specific to this semester. Any work recycled from other classes or from another, non-original source will be rejected with serious implications for the student. Plagiarism, knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own work in any academic exercise, is absolutely unacceptable. Any student who commits plagiarism must re-do the assignment for a grade no higher than a D. In fact, a D is the highest possible course grade for any student who commits plagiarism. Please use the MLA style for citing and documenting source material.
NYU-Tandon is committed to assuring equal educational opportunity and full participation for all students. The mission of the Office for Students with Disabilities is to provide individuals with learning differences (a.k.a. disabilities & neurodiversity) the same access to programs and activities as other students. We assist students to maximize their potential while helping them develop and maintain independence.
Students who believe they are eligible for course accommodations under the ADA or Section 504 or have had accommodations please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980 or [email protected]. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at http://www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor.
Faculty can provide course accommodations/modifications only after receipt of an approved accommodations letter from the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities. Accommodation letters can be provided to qualified students at any time during the semester, but grades earned before the faculty receives the letter cannot be changed.
- A physical Sketchbook and 3-7 drawing tools. I like Moleskines or something similar. See Sketchbook Work for more details.
- A physical planner. See Planners and Journals
- Digital Camera (You can also use a smart phone.)
- Access to Netflix (for two videos)
- Digital Storage (Thumb Drives or External Hard Drive, Laptop, etc)
- Youtube or Vimeo Account
- paper, scissors/craft knife, hot glue + gun, tape, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, string, cardboard (save your cardboard shipping boxes, etc), legos, tinkertoys, wood, etc.
- Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
- Don't Read This Book: Time Management for Creative People by Donald Roos Physical editions are ideal, but digital edition is fine.
The following list of required readings may be incomplete and is subject to change. Please see the course website for updates.
- Brown, Sunni. The Miseducation of the Doodle. A List Apart. January 25, 2011.
- Rohde, Mike. Sketching: the Visual Thinking Power Tool A List Apart. January 25, 2011.
- Trollbäck, Jakob. One Designer Shares: How to Use Design to Tell a Story. HOW Design. 23 Jan. 2008.
- IDEO’s Human-centered Design Toolkit (available free online)
- Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
- IDEO's Design Kit Methods
- Don't Read This Book: Time Management for Creative People by Donald Roos
- Speculative Everything by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby
- The Pocket Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions by Bruce Hanington and Bella Martin
The following list of required media may be incomplete and is subject to change. Please see the course website for updates.
- Everything Is A Remix
- Ira Glass on storytelling
- Metal Gear Solid Documentary: Watch The Making of a Hollywood Game
- Metal Gear Solid Documentary: Hideo Kojima's Gene
- Abstract: The Art of Design. Netflix required. Note there are 2 season, with each episode on a different person's practice.
- The Creative Brain
See Appendix
The NYU Tandon School values an inclusive and equitable environment for all our students. I hope to foster a sense of community in this class and consider it a place where individuals of all backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious, castes and political affiliations, and abilities will be treated with respect. It is my intent that all students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. If this standard is not being upheld, please feel free to speak with me.
If you feel that you have been discriminated against, biased or harrassed (for whatever reason), please contact the Bias Response reporting form : https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/equal-opportunity/bias-response.html.
- Future The Future Project is comprised of many smaller exersices: Card Sorting, Mind Mapping, Concept Maps, Mood Boards, Prototypes (low & high; 2D and 3D), Timeline, Storyboards, Personas, Stakeholder Maps, various forms/types of research, an annotated bibliography, and a Final Presentation.
There will be several drafts and versions of each. All are required to be submitted if they wish to be evaluated as part of your process.
- Self Assessments
- Process Website
- Various written reflections on assigned readings from REQUIRED READINGS section
See Appendix