87549 Creative Code
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksDescription
Understanding interaction and the expressive capacity of the digital, made possible through code, is an integral part of contemporary design practice within the digital spectrum. In this subject students are introduced to using code within a design context and learn how to use code to generate, read, manipulate and display digital data to produce dynamic outcomes. Through observing, making and playing, students begin to investigate new modes of expression made possible with code, such as generative graphics and interactive structures. The core theories and skills covered in this subject set a foundation for further exploration.
Students use P5.js (https://p5js.org/) an open source programming and development environment, to build their code literacy, to explore concepts covered in class and to realise their ideas.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Demonstrate a basic understanding of the fundamentals and possibilities of the digital and code as a creative medium and the ability to apply this knowledge to creative projects |
|---|---|
| 2. | Demonstrate an introductory level understanding of programming fundamentals |
| 3. | Employ basic problem solving skills relevant to the design and realisation of code-based works |
| 4. | Create simple generative and/or interactive works using code that successfully communicate concepts and ideas |
| 5. | Understand and apply design fundamentals and sensitivity to visual language within the design constraints and affordances of digital technologies |
| 6. | Have the capacity to reflect on process and outcomes |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Communicate ideas effectively in a variety of ways, including oral, written and visual. (C.3)
- Create designs that respond to their context in formally or conceptually innovative ways. (I.1)
- Advance ideas through an exploratory and iterative design process. (I.2)
- Independent development of high level technical and craft skills for the production, presentation and documentation of work. (I.3)
- Ability to innovatively and critically use a variety of digital technologies. (I.4)
- Employ a range of qualitative research approaches including practice-led visual and material exploration and social and participatory methods. (R.2)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building faculty graduate attribute categories where:
C = communication and groupwork
A = attitudes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critique
I = innovation and creativity.
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs) are linked to these categories using codes (e.g. C-1, A-3, P-4, etc.).
Teaching and learning strategies
Studio sessions will give you the opportunity to discuss questions about the weekly topic/content with your peers and with an expert studio leader, to collaborate on activities directly relevant to key ideas and to develop your skills as a design practitioner with assistance from your studio leader. Studio sessions will provide you with the opportunity to take ownership of the ideas encountered in preparatory reading, research and the lectures. Your studio leader will facilitate discussion and offer expert insight and direction where needed, but as students you are primarily responsible for the mood of the studio session.
This can be a challenging subject as you will be presented with technically oriented material and an approach to thinking about design processes and outcomes that you may have not experienced before. Experimenting throughout the week is integral to developing your understanding of the material covered within studio sessions. This experimentation will be documented through your code diary. This may include thinking or working on material discussed in studio, working through textbook or online tutorials, or playing with your own code or examples from books or others peoples code to generate different outcomes. Exploration & curiosity is encouraged and there is an expectation that students will take an increasing level of responsibility for their ability to learn according to the demands of their own projects and its requirements.
Feedback is given in studio sessions by the studio leader, but also in group discussion format. Some written feedback will be given in ReView, but feedback is primarily delivered face-to-face. It is the student's responsibility to make a record of feedback that has been delivered so that it can be accessed for the development of their work.
Subject materials are delivered through Canvas and in the program of this subject outline.
Content (topics)
- Programming fundamentals
Students are taught the basics of how programming works, with an eye to visual outcomes, in p5.js development environment and programming language. The subject introduces students to two different ways to structure their code, procedural and object-oriented. Fundamentals covered include: variables and datatypes, drawing and typography commands, mouse and keyboard commands, functions, conditional statements, loop statements - Computational design practices
We cover common practices that designers are able to utilise in their practice including:
- generative design (using programming structures to generate differing or complex visual outcomes from the one piece of written code)
- interaction (using programming to listen for mouse and keyboard interactions in order to respond to the user)
- dynamic (using programming to create forms of visual communication that are dynamic, that can change over time, respond to the user, or to incoming data) - Contemporary practices with code are also covered, primarily through reviews of examples by the studio leader
- p5.js development environments
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Code Diary
| Intent: | This assessment task introduces students to the fundamentals of computational programming and the potential use of code in creative outcomes through small-scale experiments that provide a basic introduction to the practices of generative design, interaction, and data visualisation. Students are introduced to processes for the iterative development of code-based projects from sketching on paper to sketching in code, to reflectively progressing and refining their designs. Assessment is based on an iterative design process and its documentation, and the production of refined outcomes as a result of a reflective and thoughtful approach. The assessment provides a means for students to experiment with the ideas that they are introduced to in the class materials. It takes students week-to-week engagement and experimentation into account with students required to demonstrate progress with their experiments in class week-to-week, responding to feedback from their studio leader and peers, and undertaking all preparatory activities each week. Please see the assessment project brief on Canvas for complete details of this assessment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.3, I.1, I.2, I.3, I.4 and R.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: | Please see the complete project brief on Canvas for the complete details of this assessment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Project Prototype
| Intent: | This assessment task builds upon and extends the skills and approaches that students have been learning in class and through the Code Diary assessment. Students are asked to apply their growing knowledge of the communicative and generative potential of code by conceiving, designing and coding a working prototype in response to a brief. A detailed brief will be posted on Canvas. Assessment occurs through concept development in response to the brief and the iterative creation of a working prototype, in code, of their design. Students are also expected to hand in a written, visual and code-based account of their process. Please see the assessment project brief on Canvas for complete details of this assessment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.3, I.1, I.2, I.3, I.4 and R.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: | Please see the assessment project brief on Canvas for complete details of this assessment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.
80% attendance is required at lectures and studio sessions. Records of attendance will be kept. Students are expected to come to all sessions adequately prepared. This means completing preparatory activities listed in the weekly outline and being ready to discuss them in studio sessions or lectures. Students who are not adequately prepared for studio sessions will be marked as absent. The preparatory activities, lectures and studio sessions are an interconnected system where if one part suffers the whole will suffer as a result. The high degree of continuity across the semester means that missing one week can leave you ill equipped to participate in the following week’s session.
Recommended texts
Please see the Resources module on CANVAS.