A significant amount of my life has been dedicated to exploring things, driven by curiosity. Through teaching I want to share with others and fuel their own curiosity. Instead of boundaries between academic disciplines, I see threads that connect things together. Sometimes these connections are obvious, sometimes they are opaque. This connectedness gives meaning to the world at large. We experience the world both by what we have experienced before, but also the potential that something new provides us.
I believe students learn best by application of theory to experience. Nothing is more real and tangible than a finished work. A student solves a math problem and gains some satisfaction from seeing a result. A student creates a piece of music, tinkers with it until they have the overwhelming feeling that it is done (at least for now). In my Writing for Media class, I have used the term “inscribe” to mean writing, which opens more possibilities. Students make a game that tells a story. They write a script and create a short form video based on it. In my Audio Production class, it is entirely about making – audio narratives, aural experiences and more. Creating is a universal experience, regardless of the task. This satisfaction is valuable because we have earned it through our work.
My background is media and design. I see design thinking as a life skill that all can benefit from. Making is a central belief of the Design discipline, but it must be noted that Design borrows from many other disciplines. It is a way of working that suits us as human beings the best. It is part of my core. Each of my classes is a form of studio, where constraints (tasks at hand with clearly defined goals) and lead to outcomes (by which we demonstrate mastery).
When they work this way, students are only occasionally reminded that I teach the class. I help and guide along the way but leave it to them to work within the constraints and use information to find their own way. It has been my experience that they invariably do.
Feedback is a critical part of our classroom experience ‑ the most important part. It must be timely and well considered. It must come not only from me, but also from peers. A fellow student’s compliment, or a piece of constructive insight is valuable. We’ve been taught to look to an authority to be arbiter; instead, we are arbiters. What students contribute to a class discussion is as important (perhaps more so) than what I say.
Things are changing rapidly. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has promise to extend our reach, but there is also concern that it will diminish our understanding. The first answer is sometimes not the best. We must face change, not ignore it. By engaging we can shape outcomes. Not everything is inevitable. We face new tools and worry we will be replaced. We won’t be replaced, because we as humans are more unique and interesting than any machine we can make. Is the copy as good as the original? Andy Warhol’s screen prints were copies, but they are really his originals. He used technology to reproduce them, but a human hand guided the process of making. The irregularity of the ink on canvas is evidence of this. It makes each print unique.
This is the message I want to share with my students. They can shape the world around them by applying the knowledge they have learned. This is their footprint in the sand. No one may ever read that great paper they wrote but its value to its creator lies in the writing. It is something they have made and can go back to reference it and revel in the making. I have experienced this myself with my innumerable projects – my music on Bandcamp, my little films. What I want to share with my students is what has worked for me for these many years. What we make reflects the self we want to share with others.
Hal Meeks 9/23/26