Services

For Faculty

 

The Learning Lab partners with faculty who are interested in creative and multimodal assignments and activities. These multimodal assignments and activities often involve unconventional modes of communicating, making, and creating , including data visualization, filmmaking, podcasting, public speaking, 3D modeling, virtual reality, sculpture, dance and performance, and public service, among many others.

We always begin with an initial consultation with faculty to discuss their ideas about the technologies and creative assignments they are considering incorporating into their class. Together, we design a stack of support that is fully aligned with course objectives and goals and that will help their students learn from the processes of making and communicating in a multimodal form.

Some examples of support we often provide include:

  • Workshops in the Learning Lab Studio on multimodal communication, helping students understand the affordances of particular media forms

  • Workshops and resources on technical skills required for multimedia assignments

  • Office hours and consultations for students in courses we support to support their work on multimedia assignments (similar to the Writing Center’s support of academic writing)

  • Support for final capstone events in the Learning Lab studio (screenings of student videos, poster sessions, presentations to community partners, etc.)

  • Visual documentation of all of the above if telling the story of the course is a priority for the instructors and students.

Depending on when the course will run, we can prototype and test possible assignments and activities with our Learning Lab Undergraduate Fellows. We also frequently loop in our Media & Design Fellows: graduate students who support instructional innovation in different disciplines and design new forms of assignments, activities, resources, and other content.

For Graduate students

The Learning Lab provides consultations to graduate students on communicating their research using media and modes that are appropriate given the data they analyze and the disciplinary conversations their work contributes to. The Learning Lab also frequently offers workshops on alternative assignment design to graduate students in pedagogy courses as they are preparing to teach in the College. For graduate students who are interested in developing their multimodal pedagogy and supporting instructional innovation in their home departments, check out the Media & Design Fellows (MDF) program.

The Bok Center also supports the Harvard Horizons program, an intensive ten-week program designed to promote interdisciplinary sharing of PhD students’ big ideas and to teach students how to communicate their research to a non-specialist audience. Scholars receive personalized mentoring and coaching from the Bok Center on storytelling, visuals, and voice to learn to articulate their ideas compellingly. The Learning Lab plays a crucial role in this process, assisting students in creating visual and media assets for their presentations, such as developing customized graphic elements, animations, and videos to help convey the story of their research.

for undergraduate students

We support undergraduate students enrolled in the courses we work with, following the support plans designed in collaboration with faculty. For students, this often involves attending workshops in the Learning Lab studio and participating in our office hours to work on multimodal assignments. Due to limited capacity, our support is restricted to students currently enrolled in the courses we are working with. Undergraduate students interested in engaging with the Learning Lab beyond their courses can explore the Learning Lab Undergraduate Fellows (LLUF) program.

For Student Groups or other projects

In certain instances, the Learning Lab may be able to support non-course related projects if the partnership would contribute to our mission of supporting undergraduate student education. You are welcome to use this form to propose a collaboration and we will respond to you via email.