Developed UX/UI Courses for a New University Microcredential Program

Background

A Canadian university was launching a new User Experience/User Interface Research Methods micro-credential. Due to my previous work in education and technology, a former colleague reached out, inviting me to help create courses and serve as an advisory board member to develop the micro-credential.

My Contribution

As an advisory board member I collaborated closely with academic and administrative stakeholders to shape the new UX/UI RM program. I helped define key courses, specific learning outcomes, and an overall curriculum strategy.

I was tasked with creating three courses: “Code for Designers,” “Digital Accessibility,” and the “UX/UI Capstone Project,” and I designed each to offer a distinct yet practical learning experience.

Code for Designers: This course was designed around preparing UX students to answer ultimately for themselves “To what extent should designers learn to code?” Because learning to code can be daunting and working through something technical remotely can be frustrating I built an early win into the first module. Students use an environment and assets I prepared to arrange elements in a 3D VR scene and then post their working links on the forum — becoming a coder in one day, gaining confidence, and gaining a sense of community.

Digital Accessibility: This course was designed to create opportunities for the students to learn about accessible design in a multi-modal fashion. Students have weekly response documents that are paired with important resources to build their knowledge, and each ends ends with three reflective (journal) prompts. We discuss our answers to the prompts live in weekly 45 min discussion, and I help to connect our discussion to the readings and course learning outcomes. Finally, the students have five assignments, each focused on a practical skill they can use in the real-world including: using screen readers, manual and automated accessibility testing, understanding WCAG specifications, and more.

UX/UI Capstone Project: The capstone project class is an import opportunity for the students to apply their learnings from the pre-requisites to a real client project. This opportunity has many unique challenges for the students: first time working in groups, first time working with a client, and the first time applying skills and applying knowledge from their prerequisite courses. Further, because this course is the final in the micro-credential, and students can use the project in their portfolio there is an added dimension of intensity. I created a series of exercises as assignments that help the students ground themselves in the project, communicate with their team members, understand and articulate the value of their design to the client, and hand-off their work in a professional manner.

Each course I developed meets the requirements of the program and follows a consistent weekly module cadence. However, I designed each course asking myself “what might be the best way to learn this topic or skill?” and therefore each course has a unique format, structure, and exercises.

Project Outcome

I teach the UX/UI Capstone course each year and always begin the course with asking a few icebreaker questions. One such question, “Which was your favourite course in the program so far? Type it in the chat,” and each year both Code for Designers and Digital Accessibility are frequently mentioned. This indicates that despite both courses being electives, they have been a consistent success with the students. Further, when I review the students’ final reflection exercise from the UX/UI Capstone Project course I often read very positive sentiments including “most impact experience in the program”.

Over four years and sixteen cohorts, more than 120 students successfully completed these courses. The UX/UI Research Methods micro-credential continues to thrive, contributing meaningfully to students’ professional development and career opportunities in design. Many students have graduated and found full-filling career in design or design adjacent roles.