INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor: Marcela Godoy
Email: mgodoy@nyu.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday, 10:00 – 12:00, IMA Studio (826) (or by appointment)
Credits: 4
Semester: Spring 2021 – Wednesday 13:15 – 16:15
Room Number: 823
Website: https://wp.nyu.edu/shanghai-toydesignandprototyping
For a quick way to find instructors and fellows go to the IMA Slack here.
Students should set up their own blog: Send me the link to your blog here
Course Description
Toys are not only for kids. Toys are part of our culture, and an important medium to develop essential skills like creativity, problem-solving and socialization. They also can be a great contribution in education, medicine, and business and can improve the quality of life for children and adults alike.
The emphasis in this class is on designing for play and entertainment. Students will be introduced to the underlying essential concepts in designing toys and they will create their own utilizing hand-making craft skills and new technologies. This course will equip the students with a basic knowledge about various design topics, including: brainstorming; sketching; graphic design; concept development; basic mechanisms; 3D modeling; rendering and rapid prototyping. This is a hands on class, and students are required to bring their imagination in addition to being willing to experiment and explore creative solutions for class assignments.
Objectives
- To familiarize students with the design process and conceptual thinking
- To improve creativity skills
- To develop the ability to visually communicate concepts and ideas
- To provide basic knowledge on mechanics and materials
- To prototype original products using both hand-making craft skills and new technologies
Grading
- 10% Class participation (attendance, discussion, preparation)
- 20% Weekly individual assignments
- 5% Project 01
- 20% Project 02
- 15% Project 03
- 30% Project 04
The A student goes above and beyond the expectations and requirements described in this syllabus. This will be measured in a number of ways including the level of participation during the class sessions as well as outside. The A student completes assignments on time, initiates conversations, helps others in need, and asks questions when they run into problems or don’t understand a concept.
Class Participation
Classes begin promptly at the scheduled start time. Please arrive to the Zoom meeting or the classroom early, so as not to be late. This class will be highly participatory with lectures being very conversational. You are invited and expected to contribute to in-class discussions. Evaluation will consider: Attendance, punctuality, discussion, preparation, familiarity with the readings, dedication, and contribution to the team. In addition to working steadily throughout class studio time, students must work outside of class, and this must be demonstrated in the work. Socializing on topics not related to class during class time, lack of energy, and slow progress will result in a lower grade in this area. Attending class while unprepared, working on assignments for other courses, and using your cell phone or computer for purposes unrelated to the class will result in a reduction of your participation grade.
Weekly Individual Assignments / Blog posts
Exercises are defined in the weekly schedule and vary weekly depending on the topics covered in class. All exercises are required, and should be documented on your own documentation blog. Undocumented work will not be considered complete.
Evaluation will be based on:
- Quality of the content: Clear description of the work done step by step, including creative and technical decisions, primary influences and inspiration, key challenges and solutions, overall lessons learned mentioning failures and success, and relevant references and resources.
Note that all images, media and text created by others should display appropriate copyright permissions and accurate citations. It is imperative that if you are inspired by work from other people, you give attribution to these people. There is a fine line between using an existing resource to accomplish your own idea and cheating, and I expect you to be honest about your inspiration and sources. - Consistency: Updating assignments on time.
GRADING EVALUATION SCALE
NYU Shanghai follows the same grading practices as NYU New York. The following grades may be awarded: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, F. In general, A indicates excellent work, B indicates good work, C indicates satisfactory work, and D indicates passable work and is the lowest passing grade. F indicates failure. There are some additional grades—P for pass, W for Withdrawal—which are awarded administratively.