Instruction with the Studios

The Studios provides instruction on the skills and technologies found in our hands-on learning spaces in the Hill and Hunt Libraries including the Makerspace, Innovation Studio, VR Studio, Live Capture Studio, and Media-making spaces. From helping to extend existing assignments to include multi-modal outcomes (such as physical prototypes, podcasts, graphics, or immersive media) to adding new activities or teaching particular technologies, we’re here to help.

Here's our menu of instructional offerings.

  • Brainstorming for a Multimodal Assignment 

    Students often get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of possibilities when faced with a large open-ended assignment. This session helps students brainstorm different ideas and scope their project so that it’s ambitious but still possible. 

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Give an overview of resources available through the Studios
    • Lead students through a series of brainstorming exercises 
    • Show students how to request one-on-one help  
    • This session will be most effective if students have already been introduced to their assignment but don’t have firm project ideas in mind.

    Request this instruction session (select "Makerspace or Virtual Reality Instruction")

  • Critical Making with Low Fidelity Prototyping 

    Critical making is a process that combines critical thinking and creative making to explore, critique, and reimagine the world. Low fidelity prototyping uses simple and inexpensive materials to quickly create and test ideas. This session helps students learn how to use low fidelity prototyping to engage in critical making and express their vision.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Give an overview of the concept and practice of critical making
    • Lead students through a brainstorming session around a challenge themed to your course content
    • Guide students through a hands-on activity to create their own low fidelity prototype
    • Facilitate a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of critical making

    Request this instruction session (select "Makerspace or Virtual Reality Instruction")

  • Writing and Recording Your Podcast 

    Students often need assistance understanding the difference between writing a paper and writing for audio production. Turning a 500 word paper into a 2-3 minute podcast is challenging. This session helps students learn how to write for a podcast as well as identify sounds or other media to include.

    In this sessions, our instructors will:

    • Give an overview of the elements of a podcast
    • Share a template for students to base their podcast on
    • Demonstrate proper audio recording techniques using a variety of tools
    • Suggest audio production and editing software

    Request this instruction session (select "Digital Media Instruction")

  • Planning, Recording and Editing a Video 

    Video is a powerful medium to communicate your ideas, showcase your work, or tell a story. However, creating a video that is engaging, clear, and professional can be challenging. This session helps students learn how to plan, record, and edit a video using various tools and techniques.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Give an overview of the elements of a video
    • Share resources for students to plan their script and production timeline, including help from practitioners in the Libraries
    • Make a short video with students using readily available tools 
    • Show students how to edit their video

    Request this instruction session (select "Digital Media Instruction")

  • Introduction to Extended and Virtual Realities 

    In this activity, students are introduced to the capabilities of virtual reality, VR headsets, motion tracking technology, 3D scanning and photography hardware, and other key equipment in the field of human-computer interaction. Using the state-of-the art equipment in the Libraries’ Virtual Reality Studio, students will be exposed to core concepts of virtual reality and immersive media.  

    This session benefits from the Libraries’ deep catalog of VR applications and creation software as well as our dedicated spaces for exploring extended reality. This lesson can emphasize topics of interest to the particular course, curating applications with high relevance based on instructor intention and pedagogy needs. 

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Introduce Virtual Reality, VR Headsets, and associated hardware
    • Familiarize students with Virtual Environments and interactions
    • Survey software, tools, and games with pertinence to course content

    Request this instruction session (select "Makerspace or Virtual Reality Instruction")

  • Scanning and Sharing Objects in 3D 

    3D scanning an object is a great way to bring a physical object into a digital project. Using a few different techniques, students can capture dimensional and texture information to place in a VR/game environment, 3D Print, showcase in a virtual gallery, or further modify via a CAD program. This session teaches the basics of 3D Scanning and helps students understand its strengths, weaknesses, and applicable areas.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Give an overview of 3D scanning technology
    • Demonstrate a basic 3D scan process
    • Give students direct hands-on experience 3D scanning with photogrammetry

    Request this instruction session (select "Makerspace or Virtual Reality Instruction")

  • Creating and Annotating 360° Photography or Video 

    Creating immersive 360° video and photography can be a challenge for students who are new to this media type. Bringing that media into a program like Wonda VR allows students to annotate their environment to share their research, discoveries, or insights. This session helps students understand how to capture immersive photography and annotate it.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Demonstrate 360° cameras and how they capture images
    • Show students how to import media into WondaVR and add annotations

    Request this instruction session (select "Makerspace or Virtual Reality Instruction")

  • Experimenting with Generative AI 

    Starting in 2023, the Innovation Studio team has been exploring generative AI (artificial intelligence) and how to bring it into the classroom. For example, we have been figuring out student access to tools such as Midjourney AI, exploring pedagogical approaches to these new and provocative tools, and drafting versions of workshops that challenge students to use them creatively and reflect on their profound implications. We have worked with a few courses thus far, with each engagement different than the previous one. We hope to launch a general workshop soon; in the meantime, if you’d like to explore this new world with us, please reach out via our email or form below.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Provide a hands-on activity with one or more generative AI tool(s), such as the image-generating tool Midjourney
    • Support students’ use of these tools and their products for course projects
    • Make space for critical reflection on generative AI, its benefits and challenges, and the broader implications of its ongoing development

    Request this instruction session (select "Innovation Studio")

  • Making Exhibits for the Innovation Studio 

    The Innovation Studio is an exhibition space for sharing student work with a broad audience. Our interactive projection tables can display digital media (text, video, and audio) and can incorporate physical or interactive creations.

    We collaborate with courses to develop work for the space, often meeting with studetns early in their projects to discuss the Innovation Studio’s context, goals, and audience. Making an exhibit gives students the valuable experience of communicating their disciplinary knowledge to a general audience.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Introduce the Innovation Studio, its goals, and the unique technology that drives its interactive exhibits.
    • Advise students on what makes a good exhibit, including specific best practices for writing and media production.
    • Give clear instructions for how to submit work for exhibition, and how to get support throughout the process.

    Request this instruction session (select "Innovation Studio")

  • Digital Poster Presentations 

    The Innovation Studio is available to showcase student work in the form of digital/hybrid poster presentations on the Innovation Studio’s tables. On each of our 4 projection tables, we can show 4 posters, for a total of 16 at a time. We can also easily swap sets of posters, to accommodate larger groups with multiple sessions. Posters can be shown without the cost and hassle of printing, and can be made hybrid by leaving space in one’s design to place physical or interactive components on the table as part of the display. When submitting poster files for display in the Innovation Studio, the best fit is a 2:1 aspect ratio, and it is important that they are high resolution (1920x960px or higher); PNG files are preferred. Innovation Studio staff are available to talk courses through this process, and we can provide a design template as needed.

    In this session, our instructors will:

    • Introduce the Innovation Studio, its goals, and how a digital poster presentation works in the space.
    • Advise students on what makes a good poster, give design guidelines, and share ideas and approaches for incorporating physical and interactive elements.
    • Give clear instructions for how to submit poster files for exhibition, and how to get support throughout the process.

    Request this instruction session (select "Innovation Studio")

About Instruction with the Studios

Who can schedule library instruction?

We work with anyone that teaches courses at NC State University, including graduate students.

Do classes meet in the library?

The class can meet wherever is best and most convenient for you and your students. This could be one of the Studios, a classroom in the library, your own classroom or online.

When should I schedule a session?

Schedule as soon as you begin to think of an instruction idea or implementation for your class.

What do I do if I need content that you don’t currently offer?

If you require or prefer instructional content and materials that we do not currently have listed here, that’s okay! We can also collaborate with you on constructing new materials or help connect you to parties that may be more in alignment with what you need.

Can I request more than one library instruction session in a semester?

Yes! You can request multiple sessions from different spaces, though we tend to limit it to one session in each space per course so an English 202 course could visit both the Makerspace and VR Studio, but only one time in each space.

Can you do any of these instruction sessions virtually?

Yes! The Studios team can offer many of these instruction sessions entirely virtually and can work with you to adapt our sessions to online or hybrid classes.

Can students reach out to librarians for help after an instruction session if they have follow up questions?

Yes, please do! The easiest way to get help is request a technology consultation. This helps Studios specialist pair you up with the right expert to help solve your problem or get your project off the ground.

Is there any cost when collaborating with the Studios? Do students pay for materials?

There is no cost for any NC State affiliates to use the Studios. The Studios has a collection of materials and supplies to facilitate courses in the Makerspace, VR Studio, Digital Media Production Spaces, and the NC State Gaming and Esports Lab.