Following the 2010 Review of the Faculty of Information Technology this unit forms part of the new Multimedia Development major and the Games Development major established within the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems degree.

04/2014 - Updated Objectives to be compliant with Learning Outcomes format

22/06/2017 - Changes are intended to prepare the unit for transition to Clayton campus in semester 2 2018. The focus is changed to allow the development of a practical demonstration or prototype. The contact hours are change from the tradition 2 lecture and 2 hour tutorial to a 1 hour lecture and 3 hour studio. Year of introduction of the changes is semester 2 2018.

28/11/2017 - Admin: adding reasons for change on behalf of CE - change in workload to increase the hands on activities in the unit.

14/08/2018 - Updating the name of the unit and learning objectives to reflect the advances this the technologies for learning and making which enable student to rapidly prototype their own new technology concepts. Cleaned up descriptions so that they match the objectives. Changed the prerequisites* to enable third year student to enrol without specifying FIT units. Effective Semester 2, 2019.

*Clarification from CE - Students outside FIT would be a great addition to the unit. Education, engineering or art and design students would be benefit from the unit. Students need to be third year as the unit is pretty free form so they need to be able to work somewhat independently.

02/10/2020 Admin: Update to include new assessment and teaching approach fields as per Handbook requirements.

29/03/2021 - Admin: updating Reasons for Change for CE - change scheduled activities from studio to workshop.

FIT3146 Maker Lab is a core unit in two majors in the Bachelor of Information Technology: game development and interactive media. The unit enables students to use technology in a creative way in order to solve problems. The unit is designed to challenge students to think about how people interact with technology beyond the computer screen with tangible objects and whole body interactions. The change in focus of the unit reflects the dynamic nature of how technology is being used in all aspects of life. This unit will prepare student to use technology in a variety of ways beyond the traditional computer programming paradigm. This subject links in with the creative studio units and usability. It seeks to challenges third year students to use what they have learned thought their course including: programming, technical skills, usability and project management. At the completion of the unit students should have gained a variety of skills in addition to a folio piece. The final benefit of the unit is the opportunity to introduce students to creative research topics in the information technology field and to explore the possibilities for further research in Honours, Masters and PhD programs.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

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This unit will enable students to create new artefacts which utilise developments in information technology. The unit will combine the theoretical and technical skills gained in other units into a problem solving context and allow the students to gain the skills needed to create solutions of problems using technology. Students will learn valuable research and communication skills as they explore and create using a variety of technologies that support the making process. Student will have the opportunity to explore new technologies and undertake the prototyping and refinement process in an environment that supports independent learning. Students will have the opportunity to use technology to solve a problem which is of interest.

Technological requirements

(For Clayton Campus ONLY) Please note: This is a bring your own device unit. You will be expected to bring a web-connected device (i.e., laptop or tablet) to class to access specialist software. The applications for your class can be accessed at the website move.monash.edu

Student will use equipment during the Maker Lab but they may need to purchase equipment to complete their assignments.

On-campus

Active Maker workshop for learning in a large collaborative teaching space.

In-semester assessment: 100%

1. Assignment 1: Creating and Technology Matrix (50%)
2. Assignment 2: Prototype and Showreel (50%)

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

New collaborative teaching space to fit all students in the same workspace for the 3 hour active learning workshop

FIT

90 points of any units

Plus one of the following units FIT1045 FIT1048 FIT1051 ENG1003