IMPROVING THE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE IN A DESIGN HISTORY COURSE USING CANVA, INSTAGRAM AND LINKEDIN

Abstract

The History of Product Design course at Brigham Young University has successfully implemented Instagram into its curriculum over previous years, and these efforts have been studied, documented, and published at past E&PDE conferences. This study aims to re-evaluate this course's presentation tools, improve the current use of social media, and enhance the overall learning experience. First, we assessed the value of using Instagram as an educational tool. Second, we evaluated the differences between Adobe InDesign and Canva as a presentation tool. Canva's advantages over Adobe Suite products include a shorter learning curve, spell-checking, video integration and built-in compatibility with social media products. Third, we assessed the impact of incorporating LinkedIn in our posts to extend the reach of student presentations. The results indicate that Canva decreases presentation building time, focuses student content decisions and increases visual quality. We also demonstrate that using Instagram and LinkedIn as education tools somewhat increases interaction with the larger design community and student attention to content quality.