Teaching Creativity with Outside-the-Box Projects

2021 ◽  
pp. 175-216
Author(s):  
Will Kuhn ◽  
Ethan Hein

The projects in this chapter are designed to teach musical originality. They strike a balance between regimented sequences and playful open-endedness. The goal of the projects is to foster students’ development of their own unique voices by leading them from executing teachers’ instructions to setting and attaining their own creative goals. The projects include unconventional musical forms: untimed abstract soundscapes, vaporwave tracks based on samples of commercial music and advertisements, turning finely edited video clips into a “beatboxed” drum pattern, creating music using samples of existing songs, and, finally, having students design their own projects. Throughout, the aim is to move beyond simply teaching technical skills and toward fostering imaginative thinking, the expression of emotions through sound, authenticity of voice, and irreverence. Another aim is to empower teachers to use tools and techniques unconventionally, and to adapt creative deviation methods to their own project planning and curriculum design.

10.28945/4553 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 339-365
Author(s):  
Yasar Guneri Sahin ◽  
Ufuk Celikkan

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the gaps between industry and academia perceptions of information technology fields, such as computer science, software engineering, and computer engineering, and it identifies areas of asymmetry between curricula and industry expectations. The study mainly focuses on the skills required of IT professionals (graduated students) and on how higher education institutes equip students for industry. Background: Higher education institutes have several IT-related departments. However, it is not clear whether these departments have sufficient content to equip students with industry-related skills. Rapid advances mean that some curriculum topics are redundant before the end of a standard two- or four-year degree programs. Balancing the technical/non-technical skills and adjusting the curricula to better prepare the students for industry is a constant demand for higher education institutions. Several studies have demonstrated that a generic curriculum is inadequate to address current IT industry needs. Methodology: The study involved a comprehensive survey of IT professionals and companies using a Web-based questionnaire sent directly to individual companies, academics, and employers. 64 universities and 38 companies in 24 countries were represented by the 209 participants, of whom 99 were IT professionals, 72 academics, and 38 employers. Contribution: This paper is intended to guide academics in preparing dynamic curricula that can be easily adapted to current industry trends and technological developments, with content directly relevant to student’s careers. In addition, the results may identify the skills that students need to secure employment and the courses that will provide skills in line with current industry trends. Findings: The results indicate a lack of emphasis on personal and non-technical skills in undergraduate education compared to general computer science, software development, and coding courses. Employers’ and software experts’ responses emphasize that soft skills should not be ignored, and that, of these, analytical thinking and teamwork are the two most requested. Rather than a theoretical emphasis, courses should include hands-on projects. Rapid developments and innovations in information technologies demand that spiral and waterfall models are replaced with emerging software development models, such as Agile and Scrum development. Recommendations for Practitioners: A multidisciplinary approach should be taken to the teaching of soft skills, such as communication, ethics, leadership, and customer relations. Establishing multiple learning tracks in IT education would equip students with specialized knowledge and skills in IT. An effective communication channel should be established between students and industry. It is also important to reduce the distance between academics and students and to provide an interactive environment for technical discussions. Enterprise level computing and Framework use provide job market advantages. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers and department heads, particularly those involved in curriculum design and accreditation, could use the results of this exemplary study to identify key topics for attention. Impact on Society: Changes of various degrees are required in the current curricula in many higher education institutions to better meet student needs. Societies and technology are dynamic in nature, and information technology-related curricula in higher education institutions should be equally dynamic. Future Research: Since technology (especially information technology) transforms and advances itself so rapidly, this study should be replicated t to investigate how these changes affect the gap between revised curricula and current industry expectations.


Author(s):  
Priscila Álvarez-Cueva ◽  
Mònica Figueras-Maz ◽  
Pilar Medina-Bravo

Representations of masculinity and femininity within the most listened-to commercial music and its evolution, based on a system of our own elaboration of 11 analytical categories of gender stereotypes that explore gender binarism, are examined. In so doing, qualitative and quantitative content analyses of 50 video clips of the most listened-to songs in two periods (2009 and 2019) are carried out. From a post-feminist critical perspective (Gill, 2007, 2017), the study verifies that gender binarism is maintained over time, albeit with important nuances in both years. The results conclude that the most prominent stereotypes are Western hegemonic femininity, associated above all with romantic narratives (mainly in 2009), and Western pariah femininity including dialogs with elements of greater sexualization (especially in 2019). On the other hand, Western Protestant masculinity is present in most of the songs associated with musical genres such as rap or hip-hop, in both periods; while Occidental assured masculinity, which is evident in 2019, is associated with the need to maintain the heteronormative and hegemonic representation of masculinity, even when not fitting the sexuality of the artist. The article concludes that, in ten years, there is an evolution of the heteronormativity among the most popular music videos, where dominant masculinity stereotype continues to be the heterosexual hegemonic masculinity model, in both the romantic and sexual context, while the representation of femininity shows some confrontation with the traditional model. This study contributes to other work on masculinities and femininities as it establishes categories that may be applied to different cultural products and social realities. Resumen Se examinan las representaciones de masculinidad y feminidad dentro de la música comercial más escuchada y su evolución, a partir de la elaboración propia de un sistema de 11 categorías analíticas de estereotipos de género que exploran el binarismo de género. Para ello, se lleva a cabo un análisis de contenido cualitativo y cuantitativo de 50 videoclips de las canciones más escuchadas en dos cortes temporales (año 2009 y año 2019). Partiendo de la perspectiva crítica postfeminista (Gill, 2007, 2017), se comprueba que el binarismo de género se mantiene en el tiempo, aunque con importantes matizaciones en ambos años. Los resultados concluyen que entre los estereotipos más destacados se encuentran: la feminidad hegemónica occidental, asociada sobre todo a narrativas románticas (principalmente en el año 2009), y la feminidad paria occidental, que dialoga con elementos de mayor sexualización (sobre todo en 2019). Por su parte, la masculinidad protestante occidental se encuentra presente en la mayoría de las canciones de géneros musicales como el rap o el hip hop en ambos periodos de tiempo; mientras que la masculinidad asegurada, que se evidencia en 2019, se asocia con la necesidad de mantener su representación heteronormativa y hegemónica, aunque la sexualidad del artista no encaje en ella. A partir de la muestra analizada, el artículo concluye que, en diez años, ha habido una evolución de la heteronormatividad en los videoclips musicales más populares, donde el estereotipo de masculinidad dominante sigue siendo el modelo de masculinidad hegemónico heterosexual, tanto en el plano romántico como en el sexual; mientras que la representación de la feminidad muestra algunas confrontaciones con el modelo tradicional. El estudio supone una aportación a los estudios sobre masculinidades y feminidades pues establece categorías que pueden aplicarse a diferentes productos culturales y realidades sociales.


2004 ◽  
Vol 01 (04) ◽  
pp. 435-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
IMRAN SIWANI ◽  
MIRIAM CAPRETZ

Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements. The success of any project relies heavily on the initial estimation of all project parameters. The absence of reliable estimations leads to ineffective project planning, over- or under-commitment of resources and therefore an increased likelihood of a software project failure. Fuzzy Logic is a soft-computing technique used to effectively solve uncertainties due to imprecise inputs to generate linguistic or quantitative outputs. This paper presents a novel framework for project management incorporating fuzzy logic known as 'fuzzy ProjectManager'. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the application of fuzzy logic as a feasible technique for improved estimation accuracy of all software project estimations to ensure higher software project success rates.


2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomo Globerson ◽  
Ofer Zwikael

If a project is to be successfully completed, both planning and execution must be properly implemented. Poor planning will not allow appropriate execution and control processes or achievement of the project's targets. The objective of the study reported in this paper is to evaluate the impact of the project manager on the quality of project planning processes within the nine knowledge areas defined by A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and to determine ways of increasing the effectiveness of the manager's intervention. Participants in the study evaluated their use of the 21 processes that relate to planning, out of the 39 processes required for proper project management. The results of the study reveal risk management and communications as the processes with the lowest planning quality. Poor quality in these areas results when project managers lack the formal tools and techniques for dealing with communications and the functional managers are not equipped with the tools and techniques that will allow them to effectively contribute to the risk management process. Improving quality planning processes requires the development of new tools in areas such as communications, as well as organizational training programs designed for the functional managers.


Author(s):  
Andrew Saxon ◽  
Sheila Griffiths

In this chapter, we present a small-scale comparative study into the use of streaming media Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) in skills teaching. We consider the use of streaming digital video clips in the teaching of complex technical skills to Fashion Design students in large class sizes, drawing a comparison with the face-to-face demonstration model in widespread use in our curriculum.


Author(s):  
Avinash Dube

Modern age is a digital age. Digitalization is improving the things in all sectors. In electronics digital instruments are replacing conventional analog instruments giving precession and accuracy.  Teaching learning methods are greatly improved due to incorporation of digital technology. Life style of common people is also changing due to digital tranjections, online shopping, online banking etc. The field of art and painting is also influenced by digital techniques available now a day. With emergence of new tools and techniques the art of painting is gaining new shapes. Digital technical skills provide a wide platform for imagination of artists. There are pros and cons of each aspects but it is true that art always connect students with their own culture as well as with the wider world. Visual art always improve learners critical thinking.


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