Course Design Using an Authentic Studio Model

Educational Technology and Design 879 is a graduate course that introduces students to the basics of video design and production. In an attempt to improve the learning experience for students a redesign of the course was implemented for the summer of 2011 that incorporated an authentic design studio model. The design studio approach is based on the idea of working and learning in a shared space. Offering a course that employs a studio design model provides the opportunity for exchanging ideas, sharing artifacts, and developing community more deeply and more quickly. What makes this course offering different is the combination of authentic tasks incorporating both online and face-to-face design studio environments. This paper will describe how a studio design approach combined with an authentic learning design was implemented and what was learned.