transparent, playful and easy – identifying creative ways to facilitate and stimulate dialogue...

1 | joe coll 2012

Transparent, Playful & Easy

Identifying creative ways to facilitate and stimulate dialogue between industry and education

joe coll | lyit | lin 2012

2 | joe coll 2012

Transparent, Playful & Easy

Identifying creative ways to facilitate and stimulate dialogue between industry and education

joe coll | lyit | lin 2012

and practical

3 | joe coll 2012

Context •

Considerations•Time•Transparency•Play&Reward•MakeitEasy•

Conclusions•

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Context

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MA in Visual Communication—ResearchthroughPractice

ncad|octobER2010—junE2012

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Researchatncadfocusesonthereflective practitionerratherthanthescientific method

MA in Visual Communication—ResearchthroughPractice

ncad|octobER2010—junE2012

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Reflection on how I tried to develop an ongoing dialogue with industry

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ncad – ma

lyit

07 08 09 10 11 12

design company

ncad

freelance

masters research

Educator

Student

Practitioner

Student, Practitioner & Educator at the same time

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Exploring the relationships

Student

PractitionerEducator

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Student Practitioner

Stimulate dialogue/interactions between the two

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Educator

Practitioner

Facilitate & Stimulate

Student

Stimulate dialogue/interactions between the two

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Educator

Practitioner

Facilitate & Stimulate

Student

Dialogue between the two

Inspire, inform & challenge students

Goals

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Research outcome: http://joecoll.com/testing/propeller-inspires/index.html

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Considerations and strategies I used to encourage ongoing dialogue with industry

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Although only a prototype, the focus of Propeller was always about creating a sustainable dialogue between industry and education

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Please note: the intention is not to tell you how too...

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Consideration 1:

Time

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Unsurprisingly I found TIME thebiggest obstacle to securingongoing engagement fromindustry

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Acknowledge ‘busyness’ and develop participation opportunities around varying levels of time commitment

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Encourages industry to engage at a level they are comfortable with... rather than creating an “all or nothing” scenario

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Finite blocks of time

1 – 5 mins 30mins – 1hr 1hr – 2hr 1 half day 1 full day

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Finite blocks of time

1 – 5 mins

Respond to questions on Twitter/Facebook

Tweet/Retweet content relevant to students

Take part in online design debates

Share thinking, processes and advice through a video interview

Write (Propeller Provocateurs) piece to provoke debate

Take part in the industry challenge

30mins – 1hr 1hr – 2hr 1 half day 1 full day

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§

Consideration 2:

Transparent CommunicationStimulatingdialogue

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Need to clearly communicate the who, what, when, where, why and how

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Develop clear

communication material

Provided detailed

information in a

digestible way

Not trying to hard-sell,

just communicate

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Promote to industry –

with social media

Creates ‘buzz’

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Have ‘buy in’ from industry

Be clear and transparent about what we’re asking off them individually

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With that information, every person from industry I contacted wanted to participate... although...

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First person I contacted,I asked them to take part in three elements of the project

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From then on I asked for less and got more

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§

Consideration 3:

Play & Reward

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I felt a sense of play and reward was a good way to engage professional designers and design students

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Although what works for one may not work for another

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Although what works for one may not work for another

About knowing your audience

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Design QuickieStudio QuickiePropeller ProvocateurIndustry Tweets

notacademicintone,buthavesoundpedagogicalgoals

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Example of play and reward:

Industry Challenge

QuickieAha!

!Not soQuickie

IndustryChallenge

StudioQuickie

DesignQuickie

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Opportunity for industry to have a low commitment and light-hearted engagement with students

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1. Practitioners challenge students & offer a reward

Design something that fits inside a kinder egg

One days work experienceTake part in an exhibition

Work experience – amount based on quality of response

We want to know why. Why do you want to be a designer?

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2. Students respond

3. Practitioners select winning response

4. Reward organised

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Requiressome•organisation(andcontrol)onbehalfoftheeducator

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Requiressome•organisation(andcontrol)onbehalfoftheeducator

Studentsearn•opportunitytoconnectwithindustry

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Requiressome•organisation(andcontrol)onbehalfoftheeducator

Studentsearn•opportunitytoconnectwithindustry

Partofformal•educationalprogrammeorasaninformalinitiative

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Requiressome•organisation(andcontrol)onbehalfoftheeducator

Studentsearn•opportunitytoconnectwithindustry

Partofformal•educationalprogrammeorasaninformalinitiative

Feedbackfrom•industryverypositive:funtosetchallengeandreviewresponses

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Requiressome•organisation(andcontrol)onbehalfoftheeducator

Studentsearn•opportunitytoconnectwithindustry

Partofformal•educationalprogrammeorasaninformalinitiative

Feedbackfrom•industryverypositive:funtosetchallengeandreviewresponses

Lowtime•commitmentforindustry

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Requiressome•organisation(andcontrol)onbehalfoftheeducator

Studentsearn•opportunitytoconnectwithindustry

Partofformal•educationalprogrammeorasaninformalinitiative

Feedbackfrom•industryverypositive:funtosetchallengeandreviewresponses

Lowtime•commitmentforindustry

couldeasilywork•acrossvariousdisciplines

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Reward for industry?

My own primary & secondary research suggests the reward for industry is clearly talent

onindividuallevels,altruism,networkingopportunitiesandstatusaredriversfor engagement

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Consideration 4:

Make it Easy

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“Remove friction in the system”

Kenny,2010

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Make it easy:

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Make it easy:

Time•

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Make it easy:

Time•

clearcommunication•

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Make it easy:

Time•

clearcommunication•

technology/processof•participation

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Example:

Use of social media

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Example:

Use of social media

Leveragetechnologiesthatarealreadythere

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Twitter & Facebook

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Twitter & Facebook

Quick&Easy•

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Twitter & Facebook

Quick&Easy•

Studentsareheavyusers•

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Twitter & Facebook

Quick&Easy•

Studentsareheavyusers•

obviouslydependanton•industryhavingahighnumberofusers

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Question sent to followers on Twitter & Facebook

Input from your industry

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Couple of minutes to respond (via Twitter or Facebook)Low-level commitmentNo longer just a booklist... an industry booklist!

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Encourage industry to filter the great from the poor

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Encourage industry to filter the great from the poor

Loadsofamazingcontentinexistenceacross•theweb

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Encourage industry to filter the great from the poor

Loadsofamazingcontentinexistenceacross•theweb

difficultforstudentstofindanddistinguish•

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Encourage industry to filter the great from the poor

Loadsofamazingcontentinexistenceacross•theweb

difficultforstudentstofindanddistinguish•

ourroletofilterandmakesense•

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By making it very easy, we can encourage industry to help filter

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By making it very easy, we can encourage industry to help filter

createauniquehashtagontwitter(#propelit)•

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By making it very easy, we can encourage industry to help filter

createauniquehashtagontwitter(#propelit)•

Industrytweeterincludeshashtagwhenthey•aretweetingorre-tweetingsomethingtheyfeelwouldberelevant/usefultostudents

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By making it very easy, we can encourage industry to help filter

createauniquehashtagontwitter(#propelit)•

Industrytweeterincludeshashtagwhenthey•aretweetingorre-tweetingsomethingtheyfeelwouldberelevant/usefultostudents

onPropeller,thesetweetsareaggregated...•buteasyforanyonetosetupatagandhavestudentsfollowit

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Conclusion

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Through a series of interviews and feedback on my research project, it is clear that industry appreciate the need and benefit to engaging in higher education and are willing to do so, provided we...

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communicateclearlywhatis•beingaskedofthem

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communicateclearlywhatis•beingaskedofthem

acknowledgeandworkaround•timeconstraints

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communicateclearlywhatis•beingaskedofthem

acknowledgeandworkaround•timeconstraints

maketheirengagementeasy•andenjoyable

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§

Thank you

Feedbackjoe.coll@lyit.ie