Teaching The World To Sing (Or Design) In Perfect Harmony

Teaching the World to Design in Perfect Harmony

Donna Tytko

Introduction Professional and Distance Education Office and

In Retrospect I am also a half-time undergraduate student in

In the 1970’s, while I was still in high school, the Language, Literature, and Communication

Coca-Cola produced a commercial with the song department at the same university. I realize that that began with, “I’d like to teach the world to such sweeping generalizations of indifference do sing in perfect harmony”. The camera zoomed not apply to many of the students at Rensselaer. to people of all different nationalities holding A fair number of students—as part of course hands and singing. The song epitomized the curriculum or their own self-motivated theses dreams and aspirations of making a difference and dissertations—are taking Rensselaer’s that many of us from that generation held. motto of “why not change the world” to heart.

Although our lofty ambitions have not changed There are architecture students designing urban the world entirely, certainly great advancements communities that benefit children and the have been made in the last three decades in elderly. Biotechnology students are involved in medical research, race relations, and cancer research and students in graphic design information technology. And like every are using their talents to bring potent messages generation before us there are some who look at about social issues including HIV/AIDS the future generation and scoff at their self- awareness to local audiences and third world indulgence and lack of involvement in world countries. issues.

Thus the goal of this paper is to disclose factors

A Look Ahead that should be considered when technologically

I am not one of the scoffers of the future, “X” facilitating distance education courses in user- generation; perhaps because I play a role in centered graphic design. both worlds. I have a full-time, professional position at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institution’s User-Center Graphic Design

Under the direction of Associate Professor Students progress in the course according to

Audrey Bennett, students in Intermediate Visual Bennett’s user-centered methodology for the

Communication begin the course by researching graphic design process that requires them to

HIV/AIDS on the Internet and querying local collaborate with the audience throughout the

AIDS organizations. With facts, statistics, and design process from conception to production visual images, students present to the class their (Bennett 2003). Using Design Lab Book.pdf—a findings. For a few, it may be redundant, yet downloadable interactive artist’s book designed painful information, having lost someone close by Bennett—students document their research to them from AIDS. For others, it is an eye found on the Web (through books and articles, opener as they learn that in the U.S. over and through interviews with public service

400,000 people have died of AIDS and that organizations and members of their target

800,000 – 900,000 people are living with HIV audience), their thoughts and the feedback they infection. gather from members of their target audience

SF AIDS Foundation (Bennett 2003). Collaborative or participatory

Location Reported AIDS Estimate Estimated designing with the target audience is a relatively AIDS Deaths to d Persons Cases to Date Persons Living Date Living with new concept for graphic design. Just as with AIDS HIV/AIDS technical writing has evolved to user–center (since (since 1981; see 1981) note) designed where technical writers now consider World [1] 2,201,461 21,800,00 not 42,000,000 0 currently throughout (estimated) available the world their audiences’ education, reference, and United 816,149 467,910 362,827 800,000- States [2] 900,000 in reaction to instruction, graphic design is using the U.S. California 129,224 77,658 51,566 107,837- [3] 124,305 in the same format to design images that speak to California San 28,370 19,263 9,107 17,838 in their audiences. In Intermediate Visual Francisco San [4] Francisco http://www.sfaf.org/aboutaids/statistics/ Communication, we took concepts and ideas

Looking more globally, students learn that world- and turned them into designs that cause the wide over 20 million have died from AIDS and audience to linger and take in more information; an astounding 42 million people are suffering information that lingers in their minds. And with HIV/AIDS world-wide. because the graphics are designed with the audience in mind, the result is often an Furthermore, according to “The Guardian”, a emotional impact. The text and the design British newspaper, “…knowing about AIDS and envelopes the audience and instead of acting on that information are two different skimming the poster and moving on, the things, Kenyans are still in denial about the audience is persuaded to stop and then think catastrophe that is destroying their society. Only and hopefully act on getting more information one person in Kenya has publicly died of AIDS. that can lead to healthy life-style choices. The family is to say that someone died of a long

illness bravely borne.”

Designing With Students Globally

My experiences in Intermediate Visual Martin Odondo, an AIDS worker with Action Aid

Communication and as Senior Coordinator in and the American Centre for Disease Control the Office of Distance Education at Rensselaer reported, “They don’t want to say this is AIDS

Polytechnic inspired me to ask the following because AIDS is related to sex, and sex is a question: can graphic design be taught at a taboo.” distance? In the Summer of 2003, I began to consult with Audrey Bennett, Mukkai So is it possible to take education from the U.S.

Krishnamoorthy, and Ron Eglash on their grant and make an impact on people’s attitudes and project (funded by a RPI seed grant) to design behavior and change the tide of disease and an HIV/AIDS campaign in Kenya. Certainly the poverty in a country that’s miles away in both need for AIDS awareness information in Kenya distance and development? The answer comes is present. 2.6 million Kenyans out of a in a surprising mix from creativity, technology population of 29.5 million are living with and history.

HIV/AIDS and yet information about prevention is not readily available according to Kenya AIDS The Kenyan Project

Non-Government Organization Consortium I used the summer semester of consulting on

(KANCO). this grant project to gain insight on how to

develop the technological infrastructure for a

future distance education course in graphic design. The ultimate goal is to facilitate students September 11 state. However, the result can be at RPI and students in third world countries that some Kenyans are not as goal and time completing a graphic design course together. focused as some American students. Part of

students’ experience will be learning how to

The following are some of the lessons I’ve keep on track and on schedule. learned from the summer semester that will be considered in developing future distance E-tools Keeping the Course On-Track education courses on graphic design: One method of keeping distance students

focused and involved is by using e-tools.

Time Difference:

There’s a six to seven hour time difference During the summer semester, LearnLinc, an E- between the U.S. and Kenya. Meeting times tools, web-based, software company donated must be clearly defined and consistent. After server time and provided training to some of the some trial and error, we found a good meeting Kenyan Project participants. During the training time was every Wednesday 4:20 p.m. Kenyan we learned how students are able to time and 9:20 a.m. Eastern Standard time. communicate synchronously though i.p. voice

and text chat, share applications and alter

Culture documents, go on “Web safaris”, give feedback.

Most American citizens tend to thrive on The result can be more involvement from timelines and deadlines. Whether or not we students. enjoy the pressure, Americans’ drive for improvement has enabled us to build super highways, organize health care, and provide public schools. We also live in a culture that is relatively stable. Kenyans are not as fortunate.

Disease, poverty, and political unrest plague their country in numbers that it is hard for

Americans to fathom even in our post chat. The written chat enables participants to

understand those with strong accents.

Synchronized Web Browser

As mentioned earlier, the beginning of the

course involves research on HIV/AIDS.

Students research in teams and then report

back to the class. Through E-tools, the reporting

team directs the web locations for all students

through the LearnLinc page.

Snapshot of LearnLinc application A

Synchronous Communication

Through i.p. (internet protocol) voice, students in

Kenya are able to talk and listen to the course without the expense of long distance telephone connections. Students in the U.S. will better connect emotionally with the Kenyan students After students have “gotten (and presented) the when they can hear them rather than just read facts”, the first step in the design process email. When students spontaneously journal, they proceed to the second step which communicate, it promotes a more free-thinking is “generate an idea”. Students write about their environment. purpose, the metaphor that best depicts their

ideas and lastly records their audience’s Language Barriers: feedback. In step three students write and I sometimes found it difficult to understand the gather the copy. In this step students write Kenyan participants because of their strong about how their audience responded to their accents. By using e-tools, such as LearnLinc; ideas and how they tailored their ideas to better students can communicate in I.P. voice or by fit their audience. Students can summarize

through LearnLinc their findings through to the class. Since the class is linked synchronously, half way around the world? The answer is in students receive immediate attention. One way application sharing. to involve all students is to assign each a In the White Board section of the LearnLinc number. The students known by only their page, students can show their graphics to the number can type in their feedback to the class. All the students see the image regardless presenting student. This may generate more of whether they have the software on their own honest, forthright responses and students that computer and the class can respond with i.p. are normally too shy to interact will find a audio or chat and can also change the image on comfortable way of learning how to give their computer during the critique. constructive criticism. For example, a student may show this graphic:

Another student may come up with text to go

with it. Such as this:

Also, an excellent way to keep students on task is for them to know they will be asked to share their process.

In step four of the design process journal students are creating/finding graphics to compliment their text ideas. This is an exciting stage where the posters or brochures start to Another student may want to see how the text come together. But how can we share graphics looks slanted:

To do this, we may need to take a look at

American history. A century ago, school houses

in the U.S. consisted of all grades (one through

twelve) situated in the same classroom. Since

the students had varied abilities and

experiences, older students helped the younger

ones. Yet another wants to see how the message would look shortened and in a different color: Kenyan students will receive basic software

instruction from U.S. students through e-tools.

In e-tools technology, students can share the

same applications. As U.S. students teach

Kenyan students software applications, it helps

both. Kenyan students learn more about

software applications and U.S. students learn

more about sharing technical know-how. The Computer Literacy also learn about cultural differences. And since Teaching graphic design in the U.S. today the subject matter is HIV/AIDS, more awareness requires the use of industry-standard computer will likely occur. software. Software products such as

QuarkXpress, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop Through e-tools and Internet groups like Yahoo have changed how images are designed. The groups, students can also meet “outside of question then becomes: how do we teach class” to continue discussion and training. The graphic design to those who are not literate in result will be high-tech pen-pals with a global- these applications? How can a group of cultural reach transporting the message of students from the U.S. with the software HIV/AIDS awareness. experience and a group from Kenya without the experience be in the same class? Organizing a course with a distance learning computers that can be refurbished and sent to component is labor-intensive. It requires much Kenya. Partnership to distribute good, working more organization and training of the professor computers to Kenya needs to be formed within and teaching assistants. Both need to universities and corporations. understand the e-tools inside and out so that they are able to assist students with any The following is a list of a few of the many computer or application problems. organizations already involved in bringing

computers to Kenyans:

Other organizational issues involve: where the  GSA  World Computer Exchange distance students will meet; insuring they have  Peace Corps  CANAAN FOUNDATION the computer and software requirements, and  City Year  Delta College testing Internet connections. I believe it will take  DHL  area churches a minimum of six months of preparation work  Chinese government before a distance course can begin. In addition, some Kenyans are going abroad to study and are coming back home to improve the lives of Kenyans through making education Internet Access and Computer Availability more available through the Internet:

Now to address a most basic question--how will “Kenyan Ayisi Makatiani, an MIT track star and students in third world countries participate in electrical engineer, has already gone back to Nairobi. He's trying to build his firm, Africa the distance education course if they do not Online, into one of Africa's leading Internet companies. And Nii Quaynor of Ghana, former have computers? I believe we will need to research scientist at Digital Equipment Corp., now runs his country's top Internet provider.” collaborate with community computing centers Boston Globe 7/24/01 or internet providers. Free or low cost courses should be offered to the Kenyan students to The Blended Result assist them in computer skills. With the topic of If we can successfully use existing technologies

HIV/AIDS within the computer training courses, or innovations in information technology to students will learn more about the epidemic and facilitate RPI students and Kenyan students ways to protect themselves. As the lifetime of studying graphic design together the results will an average computer is 2-3 years, there are be:  More communication and employers in Kenya. However, Coke has been understanding about cultural differences. reluctant to provide health insurance to their

 More computer training for Kenyan employees and families due to the high cost of students HIV treatment. Without health insurance,

 More instructional experience for U.S. infected Kenyans will surely die after a long and students. painful illness. Sighted by “Act-up” and  And as each student considers their audience, they will design posters and organization dedicated to bringing awareness of post cards that communicate effectively to their audiences. the HIV/AIDS crisis, “In 2002, Coke provided health care coverage for only 1500 (Kenyan) To Each Their Own employees, neglecting the 100,000 men and By using such technologies as digital cameras, women who bottle and distribute Coke Internet groups, email, and e-tools, we can products…” engage students from all over the world— especially those in third world countries—on Unfortunately to millions of Kenyans, HIV/AIDS bringing American and Kenyan cultures together is the real thing, not some “happy” soft drink. in the joint mission to prevent further HIV This is why Kenyans need not only education infections. but also their own graphic designs of HIV/AIDS

awareness. Through distance courses in If I were to design a poster of global unity, my graphic design, we can do just that. thoughts might turn back nostalgically to that image in 1970’s Coca-Cola commercial. If I did refer to the lyrics of

“I'd like to teach the world to sing

In perfect harmony

I'd like to buy the world a Coke

And keep it company

That's the real thing”

This could produce an entirely different emotion in Kenyans. Coca-Cola is one of the lead Works Cited

SF AIDS Foundation 2002 Report http://www.actupny.org/reports/coke1.html

Bennett, A. (2003). “When Negative Emotions Effect Positive Change.” Proceedings of The International Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. pp 51–-54.

Bennett, A. Design Lab Book.pdf. August 11, 2003.

KANCO Consortium http://www.KANCO.org

The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ http://www.mail- archive.com/[email protected]/msg01295.html http://www.delta.edu http://fpeng.peopledaily.com.cn/200103/03/eng2

0010303_63964.html http://www.transcomm.ox.ac.uk/traces/iss8pg3.h tm

http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packag

es/wiring_africa/part3.htm