UC Forward Transdisciplinary Studio
This was one of the most unique courses I've ever been in. In this honors seminar we took a hands-on approach to trans-disciplinary collaboration. We were tasked with created the basis for the University of Cincinnati's first official mobile application. During the first few weeks we were sorted into teams for tackling this challenge: marketing, campus life, interface design, and accessibility, among others. I was placed in the Project Managers group, which gave me a unique perspective on the project. It was the job of myself and fellow project managers to ensure that deadlines and goals were met and to make sure that the project came together cohesively at the end. It was a great excercise in leadership, as we were tasked to motivate the teams and there was little direction or goal-setting given by the teachers of the class. The project was almost entirely student-driven. The trans-discplinary aspect of the project was also eye-opening and a valuable experience going down the road; in real life, engineers don't work with just engineers. They work with business majors, industrial design majors, marketing majors, and all sorts of other people from many different fields. It was good to get some experience in such a hands-on environment.
At the end of the quarter the project managers were responsible for putting together a process book to pass on to the next class. Below are some excerpts from that process book. The entire process book can be downloaded here.
At the end of the quarter the project managers were responsible for putting together a process book to pass on to the next class. Below are some excerpts from that process book. The entire process book can be downloaded here.