Second year undergraduate students in Japan studied alternative energy sources for the country's future. They conducted a SWOT analysis, researched facts and opinions, compared new ideas to existing energy, gathered feedback, and designed 3D representations using Google SketchUp over six weeks. The students presented their ideas through an app developed for the iPad to provide an interactive experience for viewers. Their projects were assessed based on design, justification, exercises, and exceptional work. An evaluation found that students were very positive about the transmedia approach to developing skills in design, communication, and higher-level cognitive processes.

1. Google SketchUp for Media
Architecture Communication
Dr. Michael Vallance
www.mvallance.net

2. In 2011 - 2012 second year undergraduate
students studying Information Design at Future
University Hakodate considered alternative
energies for Japan's future. The students
conducted a SWOT (Strengths -Weaknesses -
Opportunities - Threats) analysis, located facts,
sought opinions, compared new ideas with
existing energies, obtained feedback, and
designed a 3D representation. They had 6 weeks
to demonstrate their ideas using GoogleSketchUp.

3. 2011–2012年、公立はこだて未来大学で情報デザインを学
んでいる学部の2年生は、日本の未来に必要な代替エネル
ギーについて考察した。学生等はSWOT (Strengths［強
み］ -Weaknesses［弱み］ - Opportunities［機会］ -
Threats［脅威］)分析を行い、事実を探し、意見を求め、
既存エネルギーに関する新アイディアを比較し、フィード
バックを得、三次元表示をデザインした。Google
SketchUpを使って自分のアイディアを実地説明するため
に、学生には６週間の作業時間が与えられた。ここに示す
ものは、。

4. Context
Japanese have an international image as communications rich (i.e.
technologies) but communication poor. This course seeks to redress
this communications/communication cognitive dissonance.
Digital media policy and the creative application of technologies are
lagging in comparison with other Asian and developed nations.
The course – partly designed, partly emergent – provides a
synergistic pedagogical combination for students to analyze,
articulate, and creatively communicate their images of the future.
See Vallance, M. & Wright, D.L. (2010). Japanese Students’ Digitally Enabled Futures Images: A Synergistic Approach to Developing
Academic Competencies. In S. Mukerji & P. Tripathi (Eds.). Cases on Technological Adaptability and Transnational Learning: Issues and
Challenges. IGI Global: Hershey, USA. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-779-4.ch009

5. Media Architecture
Communication
Aim: to develop 21st century literacy.
Literacy is defined as the development of
academic skills required to source, analyze,
evaluate, manage, understand and make sense of
information in a variety of modes, and
communicate outcomes in multiple formats
(Vallance & Wright, 2010).

6. Media Architecture
Communication objectives
Futures: to consider a problem and use strategic
tools to consider possible solutions
Data: to seek out quantitative data and develop
informed interpretations
Design: to design possible solutions using
particular workflows
Communication: use multiple media to present
solutions to a local and global audience

7. Input
The instructor presents a ‘design for
communication pathway’ process.
The rationale is based upon Dewey's experiential
learning and Kolb's social constructivist
philosophies for effective education.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience & Education. New York Simon & Schuster.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

8. Media Architecture Communication
Pre-production design brief/ Writing a clear proposal through
objectives negotiation and discussion.
Identify needs and requirements Brainstorming solution needs and
design requirements. Organising the
information.
Write a survey, collect and collate data
Input in Excel, interpret data, and present
with meaningful interpretations.
Investigation and analysis of similar Web and library searching, collating
Controlled designs and evaluating existing solutions.
Advanced Google search techniques.
practice Draw and document design solutions. Teamwork. Sketch and digitally draw
Use of pencil and paper then SketchUp designs.
Sharing designs. Upload digital designs to a shared Web
Output Post-production peer evaluation
2.0 site.
Write formal evaluations online of other
designs.
Present designs Develop a short animation for the iPad.
Use of multiple-media and
multimodality.
Report/ reflect on designs Draw an organized ‘mind map’ to
reflect upon the experiences.

9. Input to Controlled
Practice
At each step there are opportunities to undertake
controlled practice. For instance, the topic for this
controlled practice is Future University, Hakodate,
Japan (aka FUN).

10. Output
Students selected partners for teamwork. They
were presented with a scenario: due to the
environmental, social and political negativity
recently aimed at nuclear power, citizens are
becoming engaged in seeking alternatives energy
sources. In order to look further ahead and
consider alternative futures, the students in this
project were tasked to design, justify and present
alternative energy futures.

11. Output
To communicate a convincing futures design to the local
community the students recognized the need to make a
multiple media solution. The use of illustrator software
would result in two or three dimensional images but
these would be static. A movie with drawn animations
would communicate ideas but this was considered un
interactive, in other words, the viewer would have to
simply sit through a film being broadcasted without any
opportunity to engage with the media. The solution was
to use Google Sketchup.

12. Google SketchUp
3D design - information design students should be developing in 3D
nowadays, especially given the employment opportunities that is
going to transpire as augmented reality applications proliferate and
become ubiquitous ( see Nakashima, 2010)
Free!
Animations can be created to demonstrate the design
User can control the exported file and scroll around the design.
Nakashima, H. (2010). Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments. Session 2, Keynote Lectures: “Future Technologies I: Communication” Our
Common Future, Hannover, November 3, 2010.

13. Google SketchUp
Students used the data gathered in the free
practice tier to design their alternative future
energies.
The students had to supplement their design with
a justification in the form of a report. This is typical
of any new design proposal. It has to be justified
and the rationale of development outlined.

14. Designs

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33. Designs

34. The Apple iOS development tool called XCode was used to
create a means of demonstrating the designs in a multi-modal,
mobile, transmedia manner. Programming was undertaken
using Objective C. An App template was developed for
content.
A unique application has been programmed for
Apple’s new mobile iPod/iPhone/iPad technology. The
content for the application has been developed by
second year Information Design students.
The context of the content is Alternative Future
Energies. Merging the designed content with the
application program onto portable iPads will enable
students to consider the further use of emerging
mobile IT in strategically creative ways.

36. Presentation
Independent of the course an iPad app was developed so
that the images could be viewed. Traditional PowerPoint
slide type presentations were rejected. Where is the power
and what is the point? (Tufte, 2006). The App enabled
students to insert their images, add some text (about 50
words) and include an audio summarizing their design. The
user can swipe the app to move to and for images. Also, the
images can be rotated, zoomed in and out (pinching), and
viewed statically. This gives the user an interactive feel and
can independent control the presentation experience. A
number of iPads were set up in the university library for
visitors to experience.
Tufte, E.R (2006). The visual display of quantitative information. Graphic Press: Cheshire, Connecticut.

37. Presentation

38. Assessment
The projects were assessed in stages using
rubrics as score guides. The final design on iPads
were scored by another class of students. Again a
rubric was used and the scores provided by the
students were added into the final course score.
Weighting was design 30%, justification report
30%, input exercises 30% and exceptional work
(undefined but felt intuitive by instructor) 10%.

39. Assessment
Criteria
Team interaction/ teamwork/ project management
Project process
Creativity
Presentation –communication/ English
Presentation - Media
Analysis/ understanding/ reflection

40. Evaluation
The survey was designed using a neo-Bloomian taxonomy developed by Vallance and Martin (2011). The survey
statements coincided with established categorisation of cognitive processes (Anderson et al., 2000). Survey
participants (N=40) indicated a high level of cognitive recognition.
Looking at the post-course data, and combining SA and A.
(1) remember – recognizing, recalling;
I used some knowledge from previous lessons (89%).
(2) understand – interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing,
explaining;
I had to explain something to another student (92%)
(3) apply – executing, implementing;
The project increased my digital and media literacy skills (88%).
The project will help me communicate better in the future (97%).
(4) analyze – differentiating, organizing, attributing;
I analyzed something (94%).
I had to solve a problem (89%).
I learned about different viewpoints (92%).
(5) evaluate – checking, critiquing;
I disagreed with another student (61%).
I had to make a decision (97%).
I recommend the project to next year’s students (100%).
(6) create – generating, planning, producing.
I had some new ideas (89%).
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruicshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., & Pintrich, P. R. ... Wittrock, M. C. (2001) A taxonomy for
learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman.
Vallance, M. & Martin, S. (2011). A methodology for determining relationships between cognitive processes and the knowledge dimension when
implementing tasks in virtual worlds. In Proceedings of the First International Virtual Environments Research Group (iVERG) conference.
Immersive technologies for learning: a multi-disciplinary approach. Teesside University, UK. (pp.76-86). ISBN: 978-1-257-01934-2.

41. Evaluation

42. Conclusion
The survey regarding the academic benefits of integrating design and
communication reveal that students are very positive about the
transmedia approach.
Google SketchUp engages students in a formal design procedure,
develops 21st century literacy skills, and achieves a high level of
cognitive recognition.
Implementing the new mobile technologies of the second decade of
the 21st century may indeed be a catalyst for change in pedagogy and
learning. Of course, as mobile technologies (hardware and software)
are becoming ubiquitous in both learning and community spaces the
best use can only be assessed through research and practice.
The challenge for researchers worldwide is to determine how
communication processes alter, how learning benefits and how
teaching changes when multiple-media-enabled mobile IT is
commonly available. This challenge is primarily due to something I
call transmedia communication.