This workshop supports the development of effective note-taking strategies, a core component of successful design professionals in any context. For this assignment, you will report on a professionally relevant event within or beyond the campus community. During the workshop, you will take notes based on your observation of an event, and craft a brief report about that happening.
This workshop requires you to observe a professionally relevant event (see below), record detailed field notes about that event, and craft a report that summarizes the key details from the event and contextualizes the event itself. Observation and reporting strategies are core to the success of designers, whether their primary working context is industrial or academic.
During this workshop, you will complete 3 tasks.
The deliberately vague standard I set for selecting an event is that it be professionally relevant. But that could mean a lot of things. You might watch a TEDTalk on a topic related to writing or design. You might watch a YouTube video that teaches a design tool. You might listen to a podcast that examines a topic relevant to design, or a problem within an industry that designers must understand and resolve. You can attend an event that features a speaker who discusses a topic relevant to work you hope to do or in an industry where you hope to work.
Although you are welcome to report on a live event, for the purposes of this workshop, I recommend that you observe something recorded. That way, if you see that your notes are not very detailed after a first watch/listen, you can complete the process a second time.
As long as you can explain in the opening of your report how the event is relevant to your professional development interests, you have a lot of freedom to define what that means.
Select an event that runs at least 20 minutes. However, do not use an event that runs more than 45 minutes for this assignment.
Retrieve the NoteTakingTemplate document from the workshop folder on Canvas Files. Pay attention to the key details and organization of the note-taking spaces on that form. Use that form or construct your own, but be sure to incorporate all elements of the template because each is key to your work.
If you choose to record your notes by hand (rather than on a computer or other electronic device), either emulate the structure of the template as you go, or pre-print pages for your use. If you print pages beforehand, note that you will likely only need one copy of page 1, but you will need several copies of page 2.
As you watch/listen and record, emphasize capturing details for the left two columns of the form: key moments (with approximate time stamps), and description of those moments. Although you might add some interpretive notes as you go, be sure to record as much detail about the event itself now. This is absolutely essential for live events, because you may not be able to revisit the event itself afterward.
Capture details about the scene/setting, the actions that unfold, important things said (and by whom), and so on.
Detailed, comprehensive notes require a lot of space to record. Your field notes ought to fill several pages for an event of 20+ minutes. If you complete one watch/listen of the event and record only a page or two of notes, play the event through a second time to record more detail.
When you feel that you have assembled a good set of notes, read through them carefully, adding details when you think of details to add, and clarifying anything that might be confusing to you later. Now is also the time to interpret the moments of the event, using the understanding that comes with knowing how the event unfolded and ended what the key moments really were. Now is also the time to reflect upon the significance of the event, its moments and details, and how the whole connects to your own work.
Take time to develop each element of your field notes. Each element is important to your understanding of the event and its significance. If you rush through any of it, your lack of knowledge and reflection will show later.
Craft a detailed but brief report about the event that summarizes the key details and contextualizes the event itself. Include the following content elements.
When you craft your summary report, do so in the Discussion forum on Canvas dedicated to this workshop.
Post your summary report in the Discussion forum on Canvas dedicated to this workshop. Attach your field notes as a single file in JPG or PDF.
This section describes the standards by which your work will be evaluated for this workshop. Attend carefully to these details. If you do so, you will earn full credit for the workshop.
There are 50 possible points for this workshop. You will earn points according to this standard.
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