Program Design
We design site-specific programs that advance organizational goals and objectives and respond to learner needs and interests. Programs cut across content areas, audience type, and learning context.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
What did we do?
Mapping program possibilities
For the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, we co-developed face-to-face and online training for 100 newly recruited volunteers to staff the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils–Deep Time, a 31,000 square foot exhibit that opened in 2019.
Working with a team of in-house educators, curators, and scientists, we developed a pedagogical framework for the training, led a series of on-site design charettes, co-developed training content (for in-person and Moodle delivery), and co-facilitated several training sessions. In addition, we co-facilitated a summer workshop for Smithsonian affiliates based on hands-on experiences featured in the exhibit.
Art Institute of Chicago: Art + Science
What did we do?
For the Art Institute of Chicago, we collaborated on the development of Art + Science, a field trip for middle school students. The program focused on the ways in which each of us is both an artist and a scientist, and on the artistic and scientific elements of museum objects. For this engagement, we conducted front-end research to inform program direction and collaborated on the development of a teacher workshop and a published teacher resource.
Art + Science was funded by a National Science Foundation grant and offers a “public understanding of science” opportunity. A toolkit publication, created by the Department of Conservation and Science as part of the grant, includes coverage of the Art + Science program.
The Big Draw Chicago / The Big Draw Evanston
What did we do?
We founded and executive produced The Big Draw Chicago and The Big Draw Evanston, local versions of The Big Draw, the “world’s largest drawing festival” started in the UK over 20 years ago and now active in cities in countries all over the world. We developed month-long programming in October 2012 and 2013 in Chicago and October 2016 and Evanston, collaborating each festival cycle with dozens of community organizations, public sector agencies, and small businesses to design and execute programming.
Left to right: Chicago Cultural Center; Block Museum of Art (photo credit Sean Su); Museum of Contemporary Art
Festival Posters, left to right: 2012, 2013, 2016
Corporate Training and Instructional Design Projects
What did we do?
We developed corporate training products and instructional design solutions for a variety of clients, including:
- Chicago Jobs Council
- Deloitte (with Socratic Arts)
- Illinois State Police (with Type A Learning Agency)
- Mars Wrigley (with Type A Learning Agency)
- National Restaurant Association
These engagements involved developing pedagogical frameworks, conducting content research, writing training content, and in some cases co-facilitating training sessions.