Collaborative Design Techniques in the Classroom A Faculty perspective

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Collaborative Design Techniques in the
ClassroomA Faculty perspective

• Developed by
• Tom Singer, Professor Sinclair Community College
• Scot Rabe, Professor Ventura College
• Steve Brown, Professor College of the Redwoods

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Collaborative Design Techniques in the Classroom

• What is Collaborative Design?
• Levels of Collaboration
• Applications of collaboration
• Using VOIP in the Classroom
• You get to use the tools of collaboration
• Collaboration tools from Autodesk
• Problems Pitfalls
• What we have learned from the NSF project.

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What is Collaborative Design?

• Collaborative design techniques are the
  interaction between individuals or teams using
  remote communication software of varied levels to
  achieve a similar goal in the accomplishment of a
  problem, design or project.

Mike Aikens Butler County Community College
Butler, PA
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Whats Happening in Society?
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Technology use in Society

• NetGens Online 12.2 hrs personal time per week
• 28 gt GenX, 50gtBoomer
• NetGen 50 more likely to send IMs than GenX, 2x
  as likely to read Blogs, 3X as likely to use
  Social Networking Sites

Educating the Net Generation (an EDUCAUSE online
text )
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Technology use in Society

• 41 Head of Households Broadband (up from 29 in
  2004)
• 75 Head of Households Mobile Phones
• Data to phone 45 NetGen, 27 GenX, 17 Boomers
• 91 Head of Households use a Search Engine once a
  week

Educating the Net Generation (an EDUCAUSE online
text )
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Did you Know 2.0 --- You Tube video
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The Bottom LineThoughtful Questions

• How many of you used websites for your classes or
  projects?
• How are you using online technology in your
  business, home or in the classroom?
• What are the challenges you have faced with
  technology?
• Do any of you IM or text family or friends? Is
  this your preferred method of communication?
• How many of you have heard the saying email is
  so old school?

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The Bottom Line

• Todays student population is groomed for
  collaborative activities So encourage it!
• We need to embrace technology change and show the
  productive uses
• The world is a lot closer due to technology and
  people need to know how to use the technologies
  to maintain competitiveness.

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Levels of Collaboration

• Levels of collaboration occur through..
• Email
• Chat / IM
• Online File Storage
• VOIP
• VOIP Live Video
• Desktop presentation Tools

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What are the Tools

• Email Text
• Cell phone providers
• Google
• AOL IM
• MSN messenger
• Yahoo IM
• Skype

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What are the Tools

• Voice (VOIP)
• Cable TV Providers
• Vonage
• Packet8
• AOL IM
• MSN messenger
• Yahoo IM
• Skype

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What are the Tools

• Live Video
• WebCams with VOIP
• Yahoo
• AOL
• Skype
• Desktop Presentation Tools (real time)
• Macromedia Breeze / Adobe Connect
• Microsoft Live meeting
• Gotomeeting
• WebEx
• Train from Anywhere
• Yugma (FREE!) Yugma.com
• Statewide education or corporate systems.

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The easiest tool for VOIP --Creating SKYPE
accounts

• WWW.SKYPE.COM
• Why Skype?
• No advertising
• Digital communications clearer than AOL and Yahoo
  and most cell connections (and without any
  advertising)
• Free calling to other skype users
• Low cost calls to regular or cell phones
• You tube video on skype usage

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Skype makes free calling possible through
charging to make calls to to regular phones.
Skype Pro One cost for calling to regular and
cell phones in the USA and low cost to other
countries
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Desktop presentation demonstration using adobe
connect

• Recorded presentation from a Project Lead the Way
  Training Class using Adobe Connect
  http//connect.sinclair.edu/p23495962/
• This gives you an idea on how connect can be used
  as a remote presentation tool. What isnt shown
  is the ability to share your desktop and allow
  others to help you resolve a problem
• Adobe connect training video on you tube

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What Does the Next Generation of Collaborative
Instruction Look Like?

• Online live classes with complete video and audio
  interaction
• Using desktop presentation tools to hold remote
  classes
• Self paced distance learning when recorded
• Hold remote live classes using Hybrid learning
  centers (regional lab concept).

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What Does the Next Generation of Collaborative
Instruction Look Like?

• Using tools like holographic projectors in the
  classroom to project guest presenters and model
  images to a class.
• New interface technology Microsoft Surface
• New tools to help integrate and communicate
  drawing information 3D TV

musion eyeliner 3d
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Newer design tools that have built in
collaborative capabilities

• CAD focused PLM/ PDM products
• Delmia
• UGS Team center
• Autodesk Freewheel A tool designed for
  collaborative mark up on drawings between team
  members (labs.autodesk.com)
• Autodesk Buzzsaw An easy to use online file
  storage area that track file usage, version and
  allows teams to be created to limit users on what
  files they can access.
• Over the next few years there will be seamless
  integration between Autodesk products so a
  mechanical assembly can easily be moved into an
  architectural or civil drawing.

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Newer Design tools that have built in
collaborative capabilities

• One example is a windmill power generator could
  be placed on a 3 dimensional civil drawing and
  the support structure is created through the
  architectural program. All the design items can
  be edited and modified independently and
  collectively to update the system update
  capabilities.

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How to Implement Collaborative Communications
into a Workgroup or Classroom

• Start small use in class / workgroup
  collaboration to become familiar with the
  technology (The most important)
• Use the technology as a communications tool with
  your students and colleagues
• Hold office hours with it
• Have student teams within your class communicate
  with it
• Get comfortable with the technology and overcome
  IT roadblocks
• Give away headsets to get the process started

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How to Implement Collaborative Communications
into a Workgroup or Classroom

• Coordinate with a colleague you know and try some
  small projects
• Expand to larger projects over farther distances
  (time differences are a real challenge, but very
  realistic)
• Always use a design process to guide the task!

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The process of how to collaborate using online
tools

• Step 1 Install a free communications tool
  (Skype or other VOIP / IM package)
• Step 2 Have a general conversation with the
  other team members using the online tools (choose
  a project manager / leader)
• Remember team members are real people and they
  have opinions and feelings (putting a picture in
  your VOIP client helps make it more personable)
• Step 3 Distribute a design project to both
  groups at the same time. This requires a group
  voice chat. It may also include a desktop
  sharing tool like Yugma (free) or adobe connect /
  webex to display a powerpoint presentation or
  drawing set.

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The process of how to collaborate using online
tools

• Step 4 Respect time deadlines for brainstorming
  and deliverables
• Time management is the key to success of the
  project
• Step 5 Use dedicated class time to get the
  project started. Then have the teams determine
  the best times for collaboration based on the
  dynamics of the team.
• Step 6 Teams need to follow a design process.
• From experience teams that do not follow a
  design process and approve each step before
  beginning the next process will have more
  conflict, and will waste more time than the teams
  that follow a process.
• Step 7 Collaborative projects on design
  typically require a combination of drawings and
  presentation (powerpoint) materials. Make sure
  your team coordinates the presentation so
  everyone can participate.istribute a design
  project to both groups at the same time. This
  requires a group voice chat. It may also include
  a desktop sharing tool like Yugma (free) or adobe
  connect / webex to display a powerpoint
  presentation or drawing set.

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The process of how to collaborate using online
tools

• Step 7 Collaborative projects on design
  typically require a combination of drawings and
  presentation (powerpoint) materials. Make sure
  your team coordinates the presentation so
  everyone can participate.
• Communication is harder when it is not face to
  face, rely on a variety of tools voice, email,
  file sharing , desktop viewing tools to insure
  that the communication is clear between team
  members. Draw sketches, scan them or post them
  to the storage site to make sure communication is
  clear.
• Enjoy the experience, applying these technology
  tools can lead to new innovations.

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Problems and PitfallsInstructor perspectives

• Setting up VOIP can be both challenging,
  especially for non-techies in home use
  scenarios
• Make sure there is a tech safety net by having
  other team members or class room members provide
  technical assistance
• Collaboration between classes is not easy.
• Instructor changes roles and becomes a
  facilitator
• Facilitator and team member must be comfortable
  with the technology
• It is more fun with an external partner but it
  can be done in-house

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Problems and PitfallsInstructor perspectives

• Management of Collaboration between groups is not
  easy.
• The Facilitator MUST coordinate the presentation
  to all sites
• Team members must understand their role
• Timing.do classes / meetings meet at the same
  time or have overlap? Time Zone coordination...
• Use Remote storage -- Streamline
• Low tech still works (email), but VOIP brings
  another dimension and webcams expand excitement.
• Bandwidth turn off live video for increased
  performance
• Coordination with IT and roadblocks that pop up.

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Current Collaborative Projects

• Midwest Coalition for Comprehensive Design
  Education To get involved visit
• http//e-create.org/
• The integrated Project is the manufacture of
  parts for an electric guitar.
• Teams collaborate on the guitar body and
  headstock design on the guitar

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Free design tools for Educators Students

• FREE AUTODESK SOFTWARE and Tutorials
• AutoCAD electrical, Inventor , Revit, Civil 3D,
  Alias studio, Maya, and other design/ animation
  tools
• For Faculty and STUDENTS!
• Create accurate scale drawings, Math, Physics,
  Technologies, Your home renovation..
• Sign up for an account Should use a School email
  address (.EDU) to make the verification
  process easier. Students can receive link from
  instructor if they do not have a .edu address.
  Software is downloaded from site
• students.autodesk.com