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McKay School of Education > News > IP&T's Advanced Instructional Design Class Produces World-Class Museum Kit

IP&T's Advanced Instructional Design Class Produces World-Class Museum Kit

IP&T 664 Team

IP&T 664 Team

Exhaustive research, skillful collaboration, and seamless teamwork characterize the latest project developed by a team of graduate students enrolled in a class on Advanced Instructional Design (IP&T 664) taught Winter semester by Dr. Andy Gibbons. In the space of a semester, the team conceptualized, designed, and manufactured a complex artifact/museum kit to the specifications of their client, Kari Nelson, Curator of Education at the BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures.

The IP&T 664 class engages in an advanced instructional design project each year, solving complex problems presented by a different client each year. "The goal [this year] was to learn how to cooperate in the design of a complex traveling museum artifact," Gibbons explained. "The product eventually included several media forms: a full-color printed manual, a full-color geography card set, a DVD, a Google Earth tour, a set of museum artifacts, and an exotic-looking fabric-lined wooden cargo crate." The project was designed to aid museum patrons in learning about different cultures in the Pacific islands. Nelson was delighted with the outcome.

The product, known as a Culture Case, is housed in an aged wooden crate, looking as if it popped out of a movie. "It is reminiscent of Indiana Jones," Gibbons said. Inside the crate (which, incidentally, smells of coconut) are stored materials for exploring island culture, including a set of geography cards, listing facts about Polynesian island cultures, cultural information and instruction on dances music, rituals, customs, and daily life, keyed to state curriculum objectives; cultural artifacts with corresponding information cards; and a variety of immersion activities described in a colorful teacher's guidebook.

he project required a variety of capabilities from class members. "This was a very talented and adaptable group," Gibbons explained. "They came with considerable skills, which they contributed fully. We had in the class a sculptor, two former magazine editors, former teachers, language specialists, computer specialists, former researchers, and media producers. It was quite an assemblage of abilities."

Culture Case

Culture Case

The project lasted from January to April, which allowed the students limited time to learn to work with and adapt to the various strengths of the group members, as well as to design, plan, and construct the Culture Case and its accompanying materials. "In that time they had to comprehend the problem, conduct interviews to gather additional information about the extent and nuances of the problem, and, after considering alternatives, to move from a general concept to a detailed prototype," Gibbons related. "The real accomplishment, however, was in coming together as a team. There was a great deal of negotiation and learning."

The culture case was not the only final product. One of the key requirements of the project was to create a template for future Culture Cases to allow clients to create their own cases adapted to other cultures. "It was the whole package-not just the individual kit-that was the goal of the project," Gibbons stated. "These young designers created a traveling museum kit worthy of any of the best museums. Moreover, they created a template-an abstract, generalized plan-for the creation of more kits, which the museum plans to do this summer." The museum can now loan the kit to public school teachers or to home school parents.

Collaborating as a team requires one to learn as well as work. The students needed to learn to value each other's opinions and feedback. "There were challenges," Gibbons admitted. "I think they came mainly as team members had to shed their individual notions about their ideas being the best. Once the team members realized that there were many possible successful designs, the path to a solution became evident, and everything fell into place."

Gibbons is preparing for next year's project and would be glad to hear from anyone with instructional design problems that need solving. "We like the hard ones," he said, "and the ones that allow us to think out of the box-or as in this case-out of the cargo crate."

21 May 2008