Learn x Design 2015 is the third international Conference for design education researchers and PreK–16 design educators, serving as a forum for the exchange of ideas on the latest research in design education. The conference included presentations, hands-on workshops, symposia, and an experiential Live Learning Lab for participants to actively engage with design methodologies and tools for teaching. The diverse international crowd of educators and designers came from 34 countries and 116 institutions to meet and discuss the role of design in education at various locations on SAIC’s campus. SAIC President Walter Massey gave opening remarks and discussed the history of design at SAIC over the past 150 years. He also pointed out the necessity for an interdisciplinary dialogue around design so that design can be influenced by other fields and continue to define and refine itself as it works its way into our day-to-day lives.

Wonderbox: Storytelling and Emerging Technology

My research with Denielle Emans examines a design collaboration between university graphic design students and a public art organization in the Middle East to revive the magic of these traditional ‘WonderBoxes’ using emerging technologies in programming and manufacturing. The project methodology leveraged trans-media approaches to include the community in dynamic and interactive visual storytelling. Students employed cooperative tools for social inclusion by presenting the assembled boxes to the public.

This action research explores the technological and participatory implications of reviving obsolete optical devices through contemporary design practice in support of cultural sustainability. The application of participatory action research to the project structure cultivated dynamic teamwork based on complementary design competencies. The methodology and findings of the study aim to support ongoing research into participatory approaches to collaboration in support of the integration of community-based activities in a pedagogical context.