iPearl Innovation Studio Instruction Support

The iPearl Innovation Studio team supports instructors and engages with courses in two primary ways: showcasing student work in interactive exhibits and leading workshops in the Innovation Studio. 

Showcasing Student Work 

The Innovation Studio is an exhibition space for sharing student work with a broader audience, as either ongoing exhibits or one-time events. Our interactive projection tables can display digital media (text, video, and audio) and can incorporate physical or interactive creations. Student showcase events in this adaptable space can take many different forms, depending on your content and goals. 

In producing ongoing exhibits, we often consult with courses 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. Exhibits can incorporate a wide variety of media and accommodate large groups and varying amounts of content. Our Exhibiting Guide gives more detail on making exhibit content.

The Studio is also a great space for student showcase events. We have hosted many end-of-semester events for courses to present their work to an open audience. These have included various combinations of slide presentations by students, analog table displays, exhibits using our interactive system, video screenings, and more. If you’re interested in using the space in this way, please reach out to library_innovationstudio@ncsu.edu with your ideas and questions.

Digital Poster Presentations

One specific way of showcasing student work we have developed is a method for hosting 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. We can provide a design template as needed.
 

Innovation Studio Workshops

A librarian speaks to a group of students sitting in chairs around the Innovation Studio's white tables, which have desktop computers on them and informative displays projected from above.

Our team also teaches workshops in areas related to creativity and innovation. These workshops can be tailored to meet the learning objectives of your course, and can be hosted in the Innovation Studio or in the instructor's classroom. 

Futures Thinking

Futures thinking is an interdisciplinary method for considering different versions of the future. Our workshop aims to challenge students to creatively and critically consider many possible futures. We use multiple activities and games, including The Thing From the Future card game (which we developed into an online version), to get students collaborating and exploring different conceptual avenues. Workshop participants also explore speculative thinking by identifying signals and drivers of change that exist now and how they might affect or create possible futures.

Teaching (with) Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Four students sit at a computer in the Innovation Studio, smiling and laughing. Informative text and images are displayed on the table around the computer.

Starting in 2023, we have been exploring generative AI 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.

Recent Collaborations

  • Anthropology 475 (Environmental Archaeology)
  • Graphic Design 400 (Advanced Graphic Design)
  • History 382 (History of Capitalism in America)
  • Parks, Recreation and Tourism 152 (Intro to PRT)
  • Science & Technology Studies 214 (Intro to STS)
  • Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 350 (Feminist Futures)

Request a Workshop

If you’d like more information about how an Innovation Studio workshop could fit into your unit or course, please email us at library_innovationstudio@ncsu.edu.

And if you’re ready to set up a workshop (or two!), please fill out the library instruction request form and choose Innovation Studio.

Librarian(s)