Making and Prototyping Skills

In the prototyping elective, students will select from a relatively open range of small modules that cover different prototyping skills.

Students start the course with a reflection on their professional identity as a designer, and individually identify 4 modules from the provided prototyping skill-tree that would support them in strengthening that identity. During the course, they go through the module-specific online tutorials (8h), and then spend time applying that knowledge to a project of choice, reflecting on and documenting their process (8h).

Through most of the course students work autonomously. Support staff hold consultation hours where students can come and ask questions and discuss possibilities and strategies. SAs provide technical support. At the end of the course, students work in small groups to create a new or improved module tutorial.

Negotiation: At the start of the course, students formulate their prototyping-skill ambitions and project-related prototyping needs. Course staff supports students strategically in selecting the right modules and collaborates with students on improving and developing new modules.

Articulation: Students are responsible in the course for a combination of:

- Redeveloping/improving an existing module to bring it up to date or add in additional ways that the skill can be developed.

- Designing and testing a new module that teaches a new skill - based on talking with an expert, they formalise that knowledge, and make it communicable for future students.