Creative Design 1

In order to analyze my hypothesis, I set up a survey that analyzed the engagement levels of students on a scale of 1-5 on all of the main projects that we had completed over the semester. The graph below shows the corresponding data.

This data showed an overall trend of engagement increase as the semester went on. The projects were arranged in chronological order with the earliest assignments on the left and the most recent ones on the right. The increased frequency of 2-3 engagement levels from students in the first 3 assignments are very clear, contrasting the very high frequencies of levels 4-5 engagement levels in the last 4 assignments. This data aligns with my hypothesis of increased comfortability over time. 

It also introduces another important factor of difficulty level. Arranging this study based on individual assignments allows us to see how specific assignments compare to each other. Projects including "Illustrator Demos/Lessons", "Build a City", "Pear + Pencil Composition", and "Bart Simpson Composition" were some of the most conceptually challenging in the entire course. They pushed students to combine the design skills that they had learned over the entire semester into a cohesive piece. This often resulted in higher quality and effort in students' work.  From the data we can also assume that these assignments are ones that evoke a higher level of  engagement.

I also asked the students which kind of lesson they preferred for learning illustrator software. In the curriculum we included multiple different types of instruction for these lectures either through videos, within the Adobe Software, or accompanied by lecture-based direction form Ms Max. The pie chart below represents the overall answers from students.

This data overwhelmingly shows that the format of teacher-lead lessons works the best for engaging students. From what I had noticed in class, this was unsurprising. Working directly with students in either one-on-one or in front of the whole class, I had noticed a significant increase in the proficiency of understanding with these specific topics. Having a knowledgeable person helping you in real time makes a difference in the willingness to complete the work.