Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2017 - 46

Why do the learners in our classroom training rooms face away from the instructor?
Overview

Direct Speaking

Monitoring

with the other media. If the projects go up on the wall,
have a projector showcase the projects using software
so they are seen right alongside everyone else's projects.
Students
will experience
the benefits of sharing and colThere are actually
several benefits
that this
innovative format
offers to improve
the by a modeling workflow. Ultimately,
laboration
offered
learning effectiveness when using computers
in the classroom.
illustrated
a few
theI have
design
software
should be a tool within the classimportant advantages here.
room for students to discover inspiration and learn
Other alternatives to address this include
about
embedding the
monitordesign.
in the desk, which is

The fundamental shortcoming that arises
when attempting to incorporate computers
with a traditional layout is that the large
monitor blocks the learner's view of the
instructor and the projection screen.

more expensive, and placing the instructor
behind the learners, which loses much of the
benefit of the 'face-to-face' experience.

* Instructor can speak in direct
proximity to each learner.

* Nowhere to stand where
each learner is not looking
over someones shoulder.

COMBINING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
As technology and design continue to converge, designs
are getting more complicated. The expression and communication of designs is more challenging without some
amount of specialized technology. Currently, an influx
Access
'Follow me'
of new software is helping designers manage
these new
complexities. Design software has opened the door to
easy visualization and has given designers the ability to
easily work in the third dimension. The best software
packages offer plenty of graphics control, as well as the
geometry and visual effects that can quantify and analyze the design.
In the traditional design process, students begin
sketching
their initial ideas and drafting
them in 2D.
* Instructor can walk to each
* Up to 3 other learners
* Learners have instructor's screen
* The projector is not ideal
learner directly without
may be interrupted if the
in same field of vision and
to see screen hints and subtle
Once the
ideation
stage
is
over,
they
model
interrupting any other learner.
instructor
must help a
depth of field
for comparing their deextension lines of the interactive
student one-on-one.
the instructors screen with their own.
interface. Learners must look away

* Each learner's screen can be seen
from the Instructor's station. This allows
instructor to monitor all students and to
catch simple errors quickly.

I have instructed using all these formats and
have found that the learner experience is
superior when computers for each learner are
needed in the classroom.

and change their focus to see
the projector.

* With no way for the
instructor to see all screens,
learners can get more
lost before it gets corrected.
This wastes much more time.

Lecturing

* Learners turn away from their
monitors when the instructor
illustrates concepts on the
whiteboard or on the front screen.
This is a good thing.

* Learners are easily
distracted during the lecture
portions of our training with
an internet capable monitor
in their field of vision.

Whether a professor is lecturing, monitoring, or performing "follow me" exercises, strategic classroom layouts can better engage students.

sign in 3D for presentation. Whether one designs visually, mentally, with cardboard or clay, or in a software
program, design is a 3D task for a 3D world. Drafting
in 2D is an abstract practice, which, while useful in the
documentation stage, can make it difficult for students
to wrap their minds around spatial relationships in the
initial design phase. For example, in a classic drafting
class, a student might build a cube in 2D with a hole
running through it. Rather than having an actual cube
with a hole in it, the result is a simple square with a
few dotted lines to represent the extreme edges of the
tube. Overall, it is an extremely abstract depiction. With
modern design software, designers can easily generate
that same 3D cube with a hole that is easy to visualize and understand, and then have the software generate
2D views from the 3D model.
There will always be a place for drafting techniques
in modern design workflows. The purpose of 2D plans
is to facilitate the description of a 3D concept by distilling the information in a design, allowing those involved
with the project to concentrate on a specific aspect of
the work. For instance, representing something in a top/
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theatre design

& technology

S u m m e r 2 0 1 7

plan view takes away all of the elevation data, making it easier to discern and analyze the relationships of
areas and potential traffic patterns. Both 2D and 3D
have their strengths, of course, and students certainly
can still design while working in the 2D drafting to 3D
modeling workflow. The question is whether teaching
them that technique is the best way to prepare them
for their careers. Is drafting in an abstract 2D workflow
more beneficial for students, or is it less necessary to
begin with 2D now that more and more sophisticated
technology has evolved? When it comes to instructing
future designers, educators should aim to give them the
best head start they can, and that includes giving them
the best available workflow to make them efficient and
successful.
Working in 3D from the initial design stage not
only optimizes a designer's time, but allows the student
to view, from the beginning of the creative process, their
design the way it will eventually live in the tangible
world. Using a tool that generates 2D views from a 3D
model allows designers to complete twice the work in
half the time. Developing a design in this way also al-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2017