Integrated Learning Initiative

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Integrated Learning Initiative at Otis College of Art & Design

Creativity and innovation thrive on contact between different areas of specialization and expertise. The most creative periods of human history have been when conventional boundaries between disciplines and ways of thinking have become permeable or have been dissolved altogether.... This is precisely why the most creative teams are interdisciplinary. Ken Robinson, Out of Their Minds: Learning to Be Creative

Integrated Learning is a unique and newly defined feature, launched in January 2006, of the Otis College curriculum. This initiative provides all BFA students with a series of collaborative experiences that extends beyond the boundaries of their own major, integrates disciplinary skills and knowledge ,and whenever possible, is sited within a public context.

The Integrated Learning courses are strategically woven throughout the entire undergraduate curriculum and are defined by:

A 2-credit introductory Studio course taken within the Foundation year
A 2-credit elective Studio course taken in the Junior year
A 3-credit Liberal Arts elective course taken in the Senior year

Integrated Learning Objectives:
Through collaborative projects students will learn to:

Utilize trans-disciplinary problem-solving skills, working as a team to conceptualize, analyze and define issues and solutions.
Negotiate diverse public spheres.
Plan and propose for a specific context, and when possible implement projects.
Evaluate and critique the strengths and weaknesses of the project.

Click here for Power Point Presentation about the Program. (Note: This file is 22MB and takes a couple of minutes to download)

Course Descriptions

Connections Through Color and Design ILMS100 2 credits
A second semester Integrated Learning studio course introducing Foundation students to contextually-based problem solving using fundamentals of color and design. Students learn Munsell color theory, practical aspects of color mixing such as value, hue and chroma, as well as computer color application.
Skills developed: Solving problems that engage the larger community, trans-disciplinary practice, research, and collaboration. [Pathfinder for students in this class]

Integrated Learning Studio Elective ILMS300 2 credits
An upper-division interdisciplinary studio course offering unique core content that will shift from term to term. This studio will afford students the opportunity to engage with professionals from various fields and expand their notion of problem solving beyond their major in public site real-world challenges.
Skills developed: Application of skills learned in primary discipline to challenges found in related fields.

Call for Proposals for Faculty who may want to teach these courses.
Sample Course Proposal #1 and Sample Course Proposal #2

Integrated Learning Liberal Arts Elective ILML400 3 credits
An upper-division interdisciplinary seminar course affording students a synergistic investigation of special themes. The integrative methodology promotes the ability to work collaboratively and synthesize diverse perspectives.
Skills developed: Advanced researching techniques, critical analysis, creative thinking, articulate expression, and information literacy.

Read a detailed description of the three Integrated Learning studio classes to be run in the spring term of 2007. Partners for these classes are WLCAC (Watts Labor Community Action Committee), the Cornerstone Theatre, the CIty of El Segundo and CLUI (Center for Land Use Interpretation)"

For questions or comments, please contact Marcie Begleiter, Director of Integrated Learning.