Learning by Design

An Interview with Brad Hokanson By Joe Landsberger

Editor’s note: Many years ago I met Brad when developing the now-defunct “Classrooms of the Future,” a regional midwest conference dedicated to “presentations, workshops, and discussions about issues and applications of technology in instructional settings in higher education.” Out of this collaboration, he invited me to present a learner-focused web site project (www.studygs.net) to students in his interactive design course in at Brad Hokanson the School of Design at the University of Minnesota. This association has continued for the past six years yielding over 50 learnerdeveloped Flash exercises, for learners. Brad has presented frequently at AECT conferences, and often travels internationally with his students to broaden their experience in design. Brad is Associate Professor of Graphic Design. Joe: Greetings Brad. Let us begin with your learning experience. You’re an architect. What led you to its study? Brad: I decided to become an architect when I was 11 and saw some design work at my high school; as my father was a stonemason, it was a logical and understandable choice. As with most choices that are made when you are younger, they often get diverted or changed as life progresses. 22

I first attended Carleton College and earned a degree in studio art, then followed that with an architectural degree at the University of Minnesota. From there I earned my Masters of Architecture in Urban Design at Harvard University. After a hiatus of twenty years and some changes in direction, I earned my doctorate at the University of Minnesota, focusing on educational technology. Joe: After completing your architectural degree, what type of projects did you work on? Brad: I worked for four architectural firms before starting my own architectural firm about 1981; our work was varied, ranging from small urban infill housing to urban design work to academic buildings. Two of our major projects were a student center for the University of Minnesota at Morris and a new campus for Cambridge TechTrends • March/April 2009

Community College. My former partner continued the work of the firm and is still in practice in downtown St. Paul. Joe: There must have been a moment when you realized a new academic direction and interest. What led to its discovery? Brad: One of the virtues of professional education in architecture [that continues today] is a very active role for the practitioner in the learning process. When I was in architecture school, most of the design critics were practicing architects. I found that method very worthwhile for both student and critic, and I anticipated a blended professional life of practice and teaching. After combining both architectural practice and teaching for a number of years, I found my attention being more and more directed toward education, and so I stepped out of architectural practice in 1996 when I began my Ph.D. studies. All in all, the choices I’ve made have been progressive and additive, building on a visual and design based education, learning through doing, and extending those ideas to educational technology. Joe: What learning strategies or approach did you find most helpful in your studies? Brad: Most of my formal education has centered on very active processes of designing and making; from stuVolume 53, Number

dio classes at Carleton to design studios at Harvard. The application of ideas through designing has been one of the more consistent emphases of my learning, and this has continued through to my Ph.D. It’s interesting to see the innovative success of “studio” programs within instructional technology programs such as at the University of Georgia and Indiana; I think this is a valuable observation about education in general, that praxis, the application of ideas, leads to deeper and more effective learning. Joe: Did technology of the time assist your success in learning? Brad: Most of my education occurred somewhat after the invention of the electric light but prior to the widespread use of computers in education. I view that transition to the digital age as exciting, but I believe it encourages me to question the use of various technologies more, and to have a more selective methodology in their use. Joe: What was your dissertation? Brad: Most studio-based degrees have some sort of summative project that is required, and most have different names for that project. My Ph.D. dissertation dealt with the use of computers to manipulate images, and examined how this might affect thinking. Joe: The theme of this issue in TechTrends is visual literacy. Referring to your foundation in architecture and educational technology, how do you see the interest of your students in visual literacy? Brad: I teach in the College of Design, so most of my work is with students that are trained in aspects of visual literacy; drawing, graphic design, or analysis of the visual environment. They are immersed in the idea of a visual world; at the same time, there remains a lack of examination and reflection that is needed for true visual literacy. Joe: The technology used by students seems to be changing from year to year. Brad: I learned just how popular Volume 53, Number 2

Facebook is with students last May when I took a group of students to Argentina and tried to get them to use Skype, a computer-based voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) software program that uses the Internet to make telephone calls. Half of the students refused, and needed a lot of handholding to enable them to call home. At the same time, they often used Facebook as a group-interactive method. The students were using Facebook to make dinner arrangements for each night in Buenos Aires instead of talking to each other face to face. One of the ongoing trends that does seem to reoccur is a need to specifically seek to encourage students to engage in real interactions as opposed to mediated interactions. In some cases, an in-person, unmediated experience is much more valuable; there is a separation between personal engagement and virtual engagement. It’s my experience that younger students are more prone to be “virtual” or “mediated”. Joe: What technologies do you “teach” in your courses? Brad: I make broad and deep use of digital tools in all my classes, including creative problem solving, but most especially in my interactive media courses. Students create animations using Flash, Adobe’s interactive content production software. One of the more interesting Flash-based projects my students work on is the creation of interactive mysteries. Small teams of students create storyboards and then produce complete mystery stories in the Flash environment. Examples of these interactive mysteries are available at http://hokanson.cdes. umn.edu/5341/mysteryExamples. html. One of the new developments here is an integration of Flash with both printed output and with Facebook. Joe: What other types of projects do the students engage in? Brad: One of the great successes of the course has been working with the Study Guides and Strategies Web Site www.studygs.net project. It is valuable to us on a number of levels;

first, students are challenged with a real world problem, that of translating text/HTML based materials and information to a more interactive format. Second, the content of each study guide is deeply examined by the student designer and, through their design efforts, this content is learned. It’s a bit of a hidden curriculum; we all know that those that learn the most on an instructional design project are the designers, and here we put that axiom to good use. In addition, the guides themselves are a great publishing exposure for new designers, exposing their work to millions around the world, and act as a service learning component in their academic program. Joe: What course environment do you use? Brad: That’s a pretty broad ranging question. It really varies with the course I’m teaching and with what I’m trying to do with it. In some cases, I’ve used WebCT/WebVista for a significant amount of one course, while in another course, I use a university-supported wiki environment extensively. One of the values of the wiki is that students can comment and can add their Flash work directly into the wiki. Wikis can be edited from anywhere, are interactive, and— because it doesn’t require a separate interface—wikis are easy for students to learn quickly. I publish my class notes on the wiki, and the students add their comments and actual work to the collaborative environment (see an example at https://wiki.umn.edu/ view/DesignFlash/). In other courses, I use WebVista as a platform for student discussion and writing, including journaling, and the collection of digital images. Most course management systems offer a wide range of tools such as grade books with secure access and presentation areas. One needs to be selective in which tool is needed within a course management program and not limit yourself to a specific platform. Joe: Any new developments? Brad: We’ve done a little work in SecondLife, dabbling there for a theory

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class. But one of the more interesting things we’re doing there is to use SecondLife as a place to help us redesign our computer labs. We’ll have a few students create the redesign and allow all students to visit, virtually, the computer labs that will be rebuilt over the summer. It’s a great environment to walk through and demonstrate space. Joe: Recently you taught a new course on Creative Problem Solving. How does that fit in with the broader world of design? Brad: Actually, the course fits extremely well with all topics. One thing that makes it interesting is that it is not teaching students about creativity; it’s a course that develops the skill of creativity in students. It takes a lot of lessons from the studio environment such as active learning and applies them in a broad based skills course. Joe: What are your international travels with students? What is their academic focus? Brad: I have been lucky to have my university support me in letting me lead four study trips abroad. In May I will lead my second trip with students to Denmark; I’ve also lead two trips to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In both cases, the academic focus was on design, but the participants came from all areas of the university. In an age of technology and virtual worlds, it remains important for learners to become personally engaged in their learning; the value is that you are there. At the same time, technology does have its place. There are a couple of great technologies that can be employed during foreign study: wikis that students create about their experiences (see http://wiki.umn. edu/view/Argentina2007); printing trip journals via Lulu (http://www. lulu.com/content/2761030); and mapping activities via Google Maps (in progress). Joe: How do you keep up with all the changes in technology? Do students drive the train? Brad: Hmmmm. While I think I’ve got answers to the question, I’ve also 24

been distracted by the metaphor. Well, first of all, keeping up with changes in technology is an ongoing effort involving reading, talking to people, frequently going to computer stores and finding out what’s new (which I also give as an assignment to students), and helping make those connections with other people. I suppose the best first step is to support an atmosphere of technological sharing, a “geek-safe” zone to some extent. Then it doesn’t matter who’s driving the train, as there are so many trains that there is a lot of driving to do. Joe: Regarding visual literacy, what implications would you make regarding higher education instruction out of your experience? Brad: I’d say that visual literacy is sorely needed as a skill for the 21st century (it was needed in the 20th century as well, but we ran out of time). Most of those in higher education do not know how to decipher visual information, how images affect their thinking processes and lives, or how to use visual materials well. And this includes students, faculty and administrators. Joe: You co-authored “Role-Based Design” in the November/December 2008 issue of TechTrends referring to innovation in instructional design. Do you have any personal examples? Brad: A lot of that idea developed in conversations with Simon Hooper (currently at Penn State) and Charlie Miller here at the University of Minnesota. I would imagine that much of the article develops out of my own tendencies as an architect in terms of holistic understanding of any problem; of Lou Kahn’s idea of searching for “Volume Zero,” an underlying meaning within any project. Joe: In which of the four categories (instructional engineer, architect, craftsperson, artist) do you most place yourself? Brad: Well, I think that most architects would say they want to be better architects (which is why the call it “practice”). Most programs that deal with instructional or educational TechTrends • March/April 2009

technology are strong in terms of developing instructional engineers, but in the end, I’d like to place my self as an instructional artist. And I’d like to be a better instructional craftsman. Joe: Reflecting back on your architectural degree, to what would you most credit its study in your current work? Brad: I view architecture as part of a larger field of design that ranges from graphic design to urban design; the specifics of practice such as an understanding of context, recognizing input from the participants, and overcoming challenges are really comparable on all levels. You need to be knowledgeable, inventive, persistent, and diligent in professional practice. Joe: Your vita says that much of your “current research focuses on the use of technology to aid cognition.” Can you elaborate? Brad: My premise, from early on, has been that technology helps us think. This is an extension of the ideas of Andy Clark, David Olson, and David Jonnasen. It comes from the concept of artists “working in media,” manipulating symbols in what Einstein called “combinatory play.” Joe: You also recently completed a series of Flash training exercises for creativity. How did you incorporate “technology” in the development? Brad: I started teaching a large class on Creative Problem Solving this past semester. As part of the technological support for the class, we built a number of small exercises for the brain, each designed to encourage learners to practice developing divergent ideas. They are time-based fill-in-the-blank challenges that encourage the user to practice coming up with new ideas. The work was designed to replace one limited technology, the teacher (well, me), with an always on and available technology, data-base enhanced Flash animations. Joe: What perspective do you have on the mission or state of AECT? Brad: One of the great discoveries I made over the past ten years has been AECT. I’ve found a lot of colleagues to work with, to interact with, and to socialize with. The organization as a Volume 53, Number

whole has supported my pretty divergent viewpoints on a lot of things, allowing a number of different trial balloons to get a little air time. I think the organization is in a great spot for the future as this field will continue to grow and develop, and I think the inclusion of many different voices in the administration and governance keeps it running well. Joe: Do you serve on any AECT committees? Brad: Not yet, but I’d welcome the opportunity. Joe: Are there any of its “creative” projects that particularly excite you? Brad: I think the summer research meeting is a very interesting venue

and outlines a different methodology of professional sharing and learning. The annual conferences are great experiences as well, as long as we don’t have to go to Disneyland. Joe: And greatest challenges facing its members? Brad: At this point in the century, there are some severe economic challenges to the way we do things in the academy as a whole. I worry that education as a whole will suffer in the coming years, and that ironically, more emphasis will be put on technology as a way to make up for these losses. Now there’s a challenge: Do more with less. A lot less. Joe: Are there web sites that you can refer to as a related bibliography?

Brad: The creativity exercises are visible at http://creativitysystem.ltspaces. com/, which is hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Learning Technologies Program. Examples of work from the Creative Problem Solving class are visible at: http://mndaily.com/2008/12/02/ zumba-fills-mcneal-hall-atrium and http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/Multimedia_Videos/creative_ class.htm. Joe: Thank you Brad for taking this time, especially for your contributions to AECT.

The Journal of Visual Literacy (JVL) is a refereed, scholarly journal. It invites manuscripts that explore empirical, theoretical, practical, or applied aspects of visual literacy and communication. The journal reflects the eclectic nature of the membership of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA). The JVL provides an open forum in which researchers and practitioners can explore the evolving field of visual literacy. Manuscripts pertaining to the effective use of visuals in communication, education, business, the arts, law, commerce, medicine, design, and a wide variety of fields are encouraged.  JVL is published twice annually, Spring and Autumn. JVL encourages interdisciplinary authorship and assures authors of copyright protection for all contributions in both print and electronic forms. For information about submitting manuscripts, institutional or library subscriptions, individual issues, publication and distribution of JVL, contact the editor, link at ivla.org.

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT AWARDS Win a Design and Development Division Award

Each year the awards listed below are sponsored by • the instructional events (activities that constitute the the Design and Development Division of AECT. Don’t materials or system) miss this opportunity to be recognized for your work, • the directions for using the materials or events present that work at the conference, and receive a $100 • performance data and/or attitude data regarding the efrebate on your conference registration fee—submit your fectiveness of the instructional material or system (this nomination(s) as soon as possible! information must be provided in order for the nominaWinners of AECT Design and Development Dition to be considered) vision Awards will be recognized at the D&D/RTD Please discuss these items in your cover letter. To be Luncheon and will be invited to deliver a presentation considered for the award, send the material or system that at a joint session with other winners. The first author was designed (or a description of the material or system), of each winning entry will receive a $100 convention along with a cover letter to: registration fee rebate (courtesy of the programs in Dr. Monica W. Tracey Instructional Technology and Distance Education at Associate Professor Nova Southeastern University). Information about each 383 Education of the awards, including how to submit nominations, is Wayne State University detailed below. Please note that you may nominate your Detroit, MI 48202 own work as well as the work of others. [email protected] 313-577-1700 Nominations and accompanying materials must be received by June 15, 2009, with the exception of those for the Robert M. Gagne Award for Graduate Outstanding Book Award Student Research in Instructional Design, which are due June 30, 2009. Books nominated must bear a copyright date of 2008, 2009, or 2010 and should be relevant to the field of instructional design. Anyone (readers, authors, or publishers) who is aware of a book believed to warrant Outstanding Practice Award an award is encouraged to nominate it. The nomination This award will be given to those individuals or groups procedure is outlined below: that have designed exemplary instructional materials • Nominations will be by signed letter. Electronic subor systems. The materials or systems must have been missions of letters are appropriate. You may include designed no earlier than 2008. In assessing the quality a short statement providing your rationale for nomiof the work submitted, judges will examine: nating the book.

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• Complete bibliographic information should be in-

script, page proofs, etc.. Manuscripts that do not concluded IN YOUR LETTER OF NOMINATION:  form to these guidelines will not be considered. author(s), name  of book, where published and by whom, date of publication, and ISBN number if Robert M. Gagne Award for Graduate known. • You may provide as enclosures:  copies of reviews, Student Research in Instructional Design promotional literature, or other informational mateThis award, which will include a $250 check to rials which help to describe the nature and quality of the winner, as well as the $100 rebate on the conferthe book. ence registration fee, will be given to a graduate student Send five copies of the nominated book and all of the who has made a significant contribution to the body above material to: of knowledge upon which instructional design pracDoris U. Bolliger, Ed.D. tices are based. The work must have been completed Assistant Professor no earlier than 2008, while the nominee was enrolled as College of Education, Adult Learning and a graduate student. You may nominate any individual Technology (including yourself ) for the Robert M. Gagne Award. University of Wyoming Nominations should include one unbound hard copy Dept. 3374, ED 322 of the single piece of work (journal article, dissertation, 1000 E. University Avenue etc.) being nominated, and a brief cover letter. Send Laramie, WY 82071 these materials to: [email protected] Dr. Gary J. Anglin 307-766-2167 137 Taylor Education Building University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0001 Outstanding Journal Article Award [email protected] Articles nominated must have been published no 859-257-5972 earlier than 2008 in a regularly published journal, and *Note: Nomination deadline for this award is June should be relevant to the broad field of instructional 30, 2009. design. Anyone may submit a nomination. The nomination procedure is outlined below: Nova Southeastern Award for • Nominations will be by signed letter. Self-nominaOutstanding Practice by a Graduate tions are welcomed. If you desire, you may include a short statement providing your rationale for the Student in Instructional Design nomination. This award, which includes a $100 cash award, • A complete bibliographic citation should be included will be given to a graduate student who has designed in the letter. • Send one copy of the nominating letter and one PDF exemplary instructional materials. The materials must have been designed while the nominee was enrolled as electronic copy* of the article to: a graduate student and no earlier than 2008. NominaDr. Tiffany A. Koszalka tions must include the materials that were designed 335 Huntington Hall along with a cover letter describing why the materials Syracuse University are exemplary, and should be sent to: Syracuse NY 13244 Dr. Michael Simonson [email protected] Nova Southeastern University 315-443-5263 1750 NE 167th St. *Note: PDF copies of published manuscripts will be North Miami Beach, FL 33162 accepted as long as they retain the original published [email protected] format. Do not send a PDF file of a submitted manu1-800-986-3223 ext. 2-8563 Volume 53, Number 2

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