News articles

Creative loft for the digital TU learning house

The "Creative loft" project aimed to design a new concept for TU teaching - a "digital TU learning house" - and to implement part of this in an initial step.

[Translate to English:] Campusschema des TUW Lernhauses

1 of 3 images or videos

[Translate to English:] Dachboden TUW Lernhaus, Bild 1

1 of 3 images or videos

[Translate to English:] Dachboden TUW Lernhaus, Bild 2

1 of 3 images or videos

New and innovative user interfaces were created in pursuit of this goal and docked to the available TUWEL modules, for which existing TUWEL interfaces were used. The project attempted to establish a digital TU learning house as the 'foundation' and then use its multimedia, innovatively interactive and creative loft to demonstrate how digital platforms can promote (individual and group) creativity and creative learning. The approach and implementation were developed and evaluated together with students of Information Technology and Spatial Planning and Development. New interaction mechanisms were integrated in TUWEL in cooperation with the TUWEL team. The digital TU learning house is intended to be modularly expandable so that other floors can gradually be implemented.

Next on the agenda: the roof

To give you a sense of the functionality of the digital TU learning house, the "Creative loft" has enabled methods and tools for design thinking; parallel information sharing with peers, teaching staff and student employees; discussions and personal development with the aid of a corresponding digital infrastructure; teaching staff and students to meet on an equal footing in a common digital space; participation and a sandpit for "creative mess". The room metaphor adds structure to a digital space, i.e. with a stage for presentations; a backstage area for creatively directing a performance or collaboration; a chat room for discussions, ad-hoc coordination and sharing knowledge and an exhibition room for longer results presentations, etc.

But it doesn't stop there: more to come

All project goals were achieved. More specifically, we developed a number of new options in terms of content, approach and technology that appear to be both useful and feasible for a digital teaching and learning environment. By evaluating the modules and modalities that were developed, we determined that some approaches and technologies lent themselves to integration into TUWEL, whereas others needed a plug-in or interface. It was possible to establish a synergy with other TUWEL projects, particularly with the "TU Wien Online Self Assessment", in which innovative interaction modalities could be tested. However, as part of this project, we were also able to identify and work on some important technical and content-based units and ideas for development outside the scope of this project that are to be taken into account in the course of a similar project. These will be recorded separately.