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Design Challenges


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Learn the Principles of Design!

Pathway: Creative Design Stage: Beginner
Age:  8-11 Grade (US): 3-6
Pathway: Creative Design
Age:  8-11
Stage: Beginner
Grade (US): 3-6

This course is designed to engage you in the design process through hands-on learning. Each module covers a different aspect of design thinking and learning and as you learn about each topic, you will practice their knowledge and skills with real-world design challenges. This course will also expose you to different kinds of design careers, and different design challenges based on those fields.

Learning Outcomes

1

Use design-thinking skills to generate solutions to real-world problems

2

Identify different types of design careers they might want to pursue

3

Identify design problems in their community

4

Define problems and implement solutions that reflect the needs of uses, customers, or stakeholders

Method of Instruction

This course is intended for instructor delivery, either in-person or remotely. All instructional resources (lesson slide, handouts, quizzes, assessments, etc) can be downloaded for individual teacher customization and use. Should you have any questions regarding the curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact Digital Media Academy Support through the LMS.

 

Teacher Guide

The Teacher Guide contains all information required to deliver this Digital Media Academy Foundations course.

 

Curricular Connections Guide

Science, Language Arts, and Math curriculum integrations build student competency in core academic subjects while addressing essential, 21st-century technology skills. This Curricular Connections Guide is designed to spark your imagination of how to bring this course to life in your own classroom.

Standards Alignment

This course is aligned to national and international standards for technology education. Standards include: International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), International Baccalaureate , UK National Curriculum, New Zealand Curriculum, and more!

Required Materials & Equipment

  • Computer with Internet access
  • Smartboard, or screen and projector
  • Specific physical materials that may be required for the optional design sprint in Lesson 3
  • Paper, pens/pencils

Career Pathways 

Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Architectural Designer, Interior Designer, Industrial Designer, Costume and Fashion Designer, Game and App Designer, Urban Designer

Here is the course outline:

Getting Started

Read me first.

1 section
Getting Started

Teacher Resource

Covering course description, learning outcomes, teacher guide, required materials and equipment, career pathways, and standards alignment

15 sections
Course Overview and Teacher Guide
Lesson Preparation Materials
Questions and Assignments - Course Overview
Modules 1 - 3 Video
Questions and Assignments - Modules 1 - 3
Quiz - Modules 1 - 3
Modules 4 - 5 Video
Questions and Assignments - Modules 4 - 5
Quiz - Modules 4 - 5
Standards Alignment
Student Assessment Tools
Projects, Quizzes and Discussions by Module
Student Self-Assessment
Assessment Rubric
Curricular Integration and Assessment

Module 1: Designers and Design Thinking

Who are designers, what do they design and how do they do it?

3 sections
Lesson 1: Discover Design
Lesson 2: How do they do that?
Lesson 3: Design Thinking Workshop

Module 2: Design Detective

Learn how to identify problems and gather information from your users.

2 sections
Lesson 4: What's The Problem?
Lesson 5: Empathy, User Perspectives, and Solutions

Module 3: Ideas, Ideas

After redefining your problem based on empathy, it's time to learn how to brainstorm!

3 sections
Lesson 6: Reframe the Problem
Lesson 7: Problem Reframing Challenge
Lesson 8: Brainstorming

Module 4: Prototyping and Testing

These last parts of the design cycle are the most fun. You get to build models and test with your users.

3 sections
Lesson 9: Building Prototypes and Models
Lesson 10: Choose Your Design Problem
Lesson 11: Product Flops and Fails

Module 5: Design Your World

Tackle design challenges in your daily life; your home, your school and your community.

1 section
Lesson 12:Opportunities for Design

Student Showcase

Now it's time to show off your projects!

2 sections
How to Lead a Student Showcase
Student Showcase

Completion

The following certificates are awarded when the course is completed:

LSSW Course Completion Certificate