Learning through Making: Designing your College Pathway

Course Description

This MAC Foundations course supports students to explore their aspirations as college students through making and design. Students work with a campus club or organization that aligns with their interests and pitch the design of an educational resource to inform the campus community of their work.

Syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

  • Develop academic skills in order to demonstrate the ability to identify and use campus services and resources.

  • Develop goals and plans related to personal purpose, interests, or values between self and community.

  • Build connections between self and community relationships with peers, faculty, and staff.

  • Critically evaluate information and media sources in a variety of formats.

  • Incorporate and cite sources accurately and correctly.

  • Describe the process of user-centered design in developing educational resources.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure

Percentage/Points

Attendance and Participation

25%

Maker Journal

25%

Project (Individual and Group)

25%

Community Impact Project

25%

Attendance/Participation:

I will take attendance at the start of each class and lab. If you arrive after 9:30 AM, you will be marked tardy which will only count for ½ of your daily attendance grade. We will start class with our opening activity at 9:30 AM sharp. We will discuss what active participation looks like in the first week of class and create a rubric based on our discussion. Using this rubric, you and I will assess your participation level quarterly.

Maker Journal: 25%

You will use your reflection journal for the beginning of class activities, documenting your ideas and progress in class and lab activities, and weekly journal reflection prompts. We will have four journal check-ins throughout the semester.  These will be due on the last class day of each month.  Exact dates are posted as assignments on Canvas.

Project Grades:  25%

  1. You will complete several individual and group projects including, but not limited to:

  2. Weekly class and maker lab projects

  3. Presentation at UNCG’s Children’s Festival (Saturday 10.19.26)

  4. Training and projects using studio tools

Community Impact Project / My Geeky Interest:  25%

We will be developing presentations to inform and improve the UNCG community. We will utilize the tools in the SELF Design Studio to develop this prototype.  You will be trained on these tools throughout the semester.  The culminating projects will be presentations that detail your investigation, research and prototype development.  

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.

Scholarly Perspectives

This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.