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"content": "---\ntitle: \"The c/c/c studio\"\ndescription: \"The project plan for the c/c/c studio, a creative code outreach program bringing art, music and code to high school students through the ANU Reimagine Fellowship.\"\ntags:\n - reimagine\n - teaching\n - research\n---\n\nimport YouTube from \"@/components/YouTube.astro\";\n\n_Note to readers:_ this is the project plan for my **Reimagine Fellowship**. If\nyou're just here for the short version, see the\n[elevator pitch](#elevator-pitch). Alternately, if you want to know the \"big\npicture vision\" stuff _behind_ this project, then that's\n[here](/blog/2019/02/07/reimagining-engineering-cs-at-the-anu/). Finally, you can\ncheck out the main [CECS Reimagine](https://cecs.anu.edu.au/reimagine) page for\nmore general information about the Reimagine project.\n\nOr you could save yourself 4000+ words of reading and just watch a 2min video\n😉:\n\n<YouTube id=\"Sv4Y-UPqML8\" />\n\n[[toc]]\n\n## Project Background and Description\n\n### Elevator pitch\n\n:::tip\n\nI want to create the **c/c/c studio**[^ccc-group], an extension/outreach program\nin creative code: using code to make art, music & other cool things. Through\nschool- & community-based workshops and a weekly on-campus studio masterclass,\nstudents will be part of an interactive learning community where they will be\nguided by instructors in creating their own new works of code-based art & music.\nAt the end of each semester the c/c/c studio will host a \"grad show\" gallery\nexhibition/performance of the students' work. This program will attract\nfantastic students who might otherwise not study engineering or computer science\n(either at ANU or elsewhere) and engage the wider community in helping them\n_reimagine_ what it is to be a computer scientist or engineer in the 21st\ncentury.\n\n:::\n\n[^ccc-group]:\n named after the\n [code/creativity/culture](https://cs.anu.edu.au/code-creativity-culture/)\n (c/c/c) research group that I lead, which already has some name recognition\n around the place and will be useful for \"branding\" this activity\n\n### Problems to be addressed\n\nInterest in Computer Science (CS) education is exploding at all educational\nlevels, but there's a lack of support for students in schools[^schools] which\ndon't have specialist teachers or an appropriate learning\nenvironment---especially for \"fun\" student-driven projects which go beyond\ntextbook exercises. At the ANU\n[Research School of Computer Science](https://cs.anu.edu.au/code-creativity-culture/)\nwe're not currently doing very much[^not-doing-much] to engage with students at\na pre-tertiary level, mostly because we're flat-out dealing with the huge growth\nin students at a tertiary level. The c/c/c studio will address that.\n\n[^schools]:\n In this project I'm mainly thinking of later high-school and college\n students (i.e. years 9--12), although there is certainly the possibility of\n tweaking the content to engage younger (even primary school) students as\n well.\n\n[^not-doing-much]:\n I don't mean to throw shade on our existing efforts here---there are some\n great things happening in this area, but there's more to be done for sure.\n\nCS still suffers from a stereotype of being \"for nerdy white/Asian males\", and\nthose groups are certainly over-represented in our undergraduate CS cohort\ncompared to other groups. It's important to point out that increasing the\nrepresentation of under-represented groups in CS is a wicked problem which needs\nto be tackled from many different angles. Still, as the **A** in\n[STE**A**M](https://stemtosteam.org), the arts provide one angle for engaging\nstudents who might not normally consider coding and computer science.\n\n### Existing alternatives\n\nSome ACT High Schools & Colleges already have great non-traditional/creative\nCS/IT programs (I plan to partner with teachers at these schools as\n[early adopters](#early-adopters)). However, even in these cases there's a\nmissing link once students finish High School---where can they go to further\ndevelop their creative practice? The c/c/c studio program will give them deep\nlinks & relationships into the ANU (across both CS and the Schools of Art &\nDesign and School of Music) and an avenue for continuing their creative work.\n\nThere are a few outreach programs\n[advertised on the CECS website](https://cecs.anu.edu.au/study/more-information/outreach-programs-schools),\nhowever the listed programs are dominated by Engineering rather than CS (9 vs 4\nprograms) and of the 4 CS programs I'm involved with 2 of them already. There's\nalso the official [ANU Extension](https://extension.anu.edu.au) scheme for Year\n11 & 12 students in the ACT, however CS doesn't yet participate in this scheme.\nAcross campus, there's the ANU School of Music's\n[Open School of Music](https://music.cass.anu.edu.au/open-school) for school\nstudents, but there's no music technology stream.\n\nThere are several great organisations working to increase diversity in CS,\nincluding the\n[Canberra Girls' Programming Network](https://canberragpn.github.io),\n[Code Like a Girl](https://codelikeagirl.org/states/act/) and\n[Robogals](https://robogals.org/locations/asia-pacific-apac/canberra/). However,\nthese organisations are primarily based around computer science/engineering, not\ninterdisciplinary art & code.\n\nIn 2018 I (with\n[Dr. Alec Hunter](https://music.cass.anu.edu.au/people/dr-alexander-hunter) from\nthe ANU School of Music) started the\n[ANU Laptop Ensemble](https://cs.anu.edu.au/code-creativity-culture/lens/),\nwhich attempted to provide a similar open-ended space for creative exploration\nto the c/c/c studio, except specifically for live performance\n([livecoding](https://toplap.org); code-based DJ-ing and VJ-ing). ANU students\ncan also take my\n[COMP1720: Art & Interaction in New Media](https://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/comp1720/)\ncourse as part of a major in either a CS degree or a Bachelor of Visual Arts (or\nindeed as a cross-campus elective in any program). COMP1720 has run successfully\nas a cross-disciplinary \"learn to code\" course for several years. The c/c/c\nstudio will extend this opportunity to school students and other members of the\nACT community.\n\nThe c/c/c studio is an opportunity to act as a force multiplier: harnessing\nthese existing initiatives, partnering with them wherever possible, and building\nbridges between them to open up new possibilities.\n\n## Project Scope\n\n### Solution proposed\n\nThe c/c/c studio will be developed through three stages:\n\n1. In **stage one** (beginning 2020--mid 2020) I will engage with the project's\n [stakeholders](#project-sponsor-and-stakeholders) to form a _c/c/c studio\n advisory group_ responsible for guiding high-level strategy, pedagogy and\n creative direction in the c/c/c studio program. In this stage I will also\n (with input from stakeholders) develop the c/c/c studio curriculum with a\n view to having it approved for delivery as an ANU Extension program in 2021.\n\n2. In **stage two** (mid 2020--end 2020) we will design and run a series of\n creative code workshops (approx. one per month) with our\n [early adopter](#early-adopters) schools and community groups. These free\n workshops will be marketed to specific target groups (as determined by the\n advisory group). Through these workshop we will develop a curriculum of\n different creative activities for different audiences, and also build a\n community (local artists, CECS academics, ANU undergraduate & postgraduate\n students) capable of delivering these workshops.\n\n3. In **stage three** (beginning 2021--ongoing) we will officially launch the\n weekly on-campus c/c/c studio & masterclass. The weekly c/c/c studio sessions\n won't be lectures, or even tutorials---they will adopt a\n [studio-based learning](https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessing-studio-based-learning)\n model, with each student working on their own code-based music or visual\n artwork as a semester-long creative \"work\". The\n [Studio Teaching Project](https://www.studioteaching.org) (a research\n collaboration between UNSW, UQ, RMIT and UTas) has released some helpful\n material for employing this teaching model, which we will make use of in\n developing the c/c/c curriculum.\n\nThe purpose of stages one and two is to design and road-test the details of the\nc/c/c studio sessions & masterclasses, but here are some initial plans:\n\n- ACT High School & College students will apply to participate based on interest\n and aptitude\n\n- the weekly c/c/c studio session will be 2hrs long, held on campus at an\n after-school-friendly timeslot\n\n- the c/c/c studio curriculum will cover fundamental CS topics through both\n computer-based music and visual art, with students able to choose a particular\n creative tech medium for their end-of-year project\n\n- each year's c/c/c studio program will culminate in a public \"grad show\"\n exhibition/performance (held on-campus)\n\n- each session will be small---max 20 students with 1 instructor (Ben) and one\n tutor (we will recruit tutors with the appropriate skills as required based on\n c/c/c studio student numbers)\n\n- students will be exposed to regular guest \"masterclasses\" (3-4 times per\n semester) from artists and other creative practitioners from CECS, the ANU\n School of Art & Design & School of Music, and the local arts community\n\n- initial \"training\" material will also be adapted from the\n [COMP1720 lab material](https://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/comp1720/labs/) and\n tweaked as appropriate\n\nIf the c/c/c studio receives accreditation as an official\n[ANU Extension](https://extension.anu.edu.au) program then graduates of the\ntwo-year c/c/c studio program will receive credit (one course worth) into our\nfirst-year CS program if they come and study at CECS. This is the same as the\nequivalent\n[Discovering Engineering extension program](https://extension.anu.edu.au/study/discovering-engineering),\nwhich gives students credit for a first-year ENGN course if they study\nEngineering at the ANU.\n\n### Value to organisation/Reimagine strategic alignment\n\nThe c/c/c studio aligns strongly with the goals of the Reimagine project,\nspecifically in **people**, **students**, **education** and **engagement**.\n\nFrom the [Reimagine Project page](https://cecs.anu.edu.au/reimagine):\n\n> We will inspire a new generation of high-potential, creative people to come to\n> engineering and computing with a diverse range of interests, motivations,\n> perspectives and career aspirations.\n\nThis \"new generation\" will not be won over by glossy brochures and fancy new\nbuildings---they will come because they can see concrete ways in which their\ndiverse range of interests can be harnessed and _put to work_ to do amazing\nthings. The c/c/c studio will provide a supportive community in which this new\ngeneration of **people** can learn, create, and share. More than that, it will\nunlock the latent potential in **students** who never knew their diverse\ninterests (especially in the arts & music) _could_ be used in engineering and\ncomputing.\n\nThe c/c/c studio provides a test-bed for new modes of computing **education**,\nespecially the studio teaching model. The Reimagine project's\n\"[big tent](https://www.acm.org/about-acm/about-the-acm-organization#h-acm’s-‘big-tent’-philosophy-embraces-diversity)\"\nCS education philosophy requires us to attract _and nurture_ a broader range of\nstudents in our undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In building a community\nof students who are interested in using computers in the arts & music the c/c/c\nstudio can be _one part_ of that bigger mission.\n\nThe c/c/c studio is an outwardly-focused program. Through the workshops (stage\ntwo) and c/c/c studio (stage three) we will **engage** local artists (whose work\nincludes code/digital techniques) to teach into our studio masterclasses. The\nend-of-semester grad shows (stage three) provide an opportunity to showcase the\ninnovative education & creative-practice going on in the c/c/c studio (and CECS\nmore broadly) and in doing so to make an impact in the ANU and wider Canberra\ncommunity.\n\nFinally, all the activities of the c/c/c studio function as an \"object lesson\"\nfor the breadth of places that an Engineering/Computer Science skillset can be\napplied---a crucial part of Reimagining CECS from a problem-solving to\nproblem-_finding_ institution.\n\n### Target users\n\nACT High School students, as well as students from the wider Canberra region\n(since we could do a travelling version of the workshop). Through the c/c/c\nadvisory group, we also plan (in stage one) to identify and target specific\ncommunities under-represented in our undergraduate CS programs.\n\nAlso, teachers from these schools will be encouraged to partner with us in both\nsupporting their students to participate in the c/c/c studio, and also to\nincorporate creative arts & code activities in their classrooms in general (e.g.\nusing the c/c/c studio curriculum, which will be made freely available).\n\n### Early adopters\n\nIn stage one I will build on my (and others) existing relationships in\nidentifying early adopters. In schools, I will work with teachers from\n[Dickson College](https://www.dicksonc.act.edu.au),\n[Radford College](https://www.radford.act.edu.au),\n[Lyneham High](https://lynehamhs.act.edu.au),\n[Canberra (Boys) Grammar](https://cgs.act.edu.au) and\n[Canberra Girls Grammar](https://www.cggs.act.edu.au). I will also work with\nrelevant community & arts \"special interest\" organisations, such as\n[Robogals](https://robogals.org/locations/asia-pacific-apac/canberra/),\n[Canberra Girls' Programming Network](https://canberragpn.github.io) and SCI ART\nCBR. These groups, with their networks and existing groups of students\ninterested in creative code, can host workshops (stage two) and serve as \"seed\"\npopulations for the first semester of c/c/c studio sessions in stage three.\n\n## Deliverables\n\nThis project will deliver:\n\n- a **curriculum** (including instructor notes) for the weekly c/c/c studio\n sessions, which will be freely released to the public under a creative commons\n licence ([CC BY-NC-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/))\n\n- an annual **c/c/c studio grad show** gallery exhibition and music performance\n (recorded and released on YouTube/Spotify) held on campus (perhaps in the new\n cultural centre) as the capstone for each year's student work in the c/c/c\n studio\n\n- [RSCS's](https://cs.anu.edu.au/code-creativity-culture/) first ANU Extension\n program (see [above](#anu-extension-accreditation))\n\n- stories for CECS/Reimagine marketing, and c/c/c studio \"graduates\" will be\n ideal student ambassadors for the new horizons that creative code opens up\n\nThere'll be lots of other stuff, too: building a community of practice,\ndeepening ANU CS/CECS's relationships with ACT High Schools, strengthening\ncross-campus partnerships in research and teaching, giving our undergraduate\nstudents a chance to mentor these high school students, etc. But that's\nintangible stuff, so I'm not sure if they count as a deliverables.\n\n## Project Sponsor and Stakeholders\n\n- **Sponsor**: [Tony Hosking](https://cecs.anu.edu.au/people/tony-hosking), RSCS\n Director\n\n- **Owner**: Ben Swift\n\n- **Consultations**:\n - [Alec Hunter](https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/hunter-at), ANU\n SoM, previously the convenor of the Open School of Music program\n\n - [Charles Martin](https://charlesmartin.com.au), RSCS Lecturer and creative\n code practitioner\n\n - [Geoff Hinchcliffe](https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/hinchcliffe-gb),\n ANU School of Art & Design\n\n - [Genevieve Bell](https://cecs.anu.edu.au/people/genevieve-bell),\n [3Ai](https://3ainstitute.cecs.anu.edu.au) Director\n\n - [Bruce Fuda](https://au.linkedin.com/in/bruce-fuda-99172732), Computing\n Education Specialist, Australian Computing Academy\n\n - **Jo Prezzi**, CS educator, Lyneham High\n\n - [Madeleine Parker](https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-parker-928644102/),\n SCI ART CBR Community Co-ordinator\n\n - **Helen Kaye**, [ANU Extension](https://extension.anu.edu.au) Coordinator\n\n## Success Metrics\n\nWe will judge the success of this program using the following metrics, both in\nabsolute terms and also trends over time.\n\n- **Participation**: how many students participate in the workshops (stage two)\n and c/c/c studio (stage three)?\n\n- **Creative outputs**: we'll have an end-of-semester concert and gallery\n show---are the things the students are making any good?\n\n- **Curriculum uptake**: is the curriculum developed for the c/c/c studio\n sessions used by HS teachers to run similar groups in their schools?\n\nAttaching numbers to this sort of thing is fraught, but here are some indicative\ntargets:\n\n| stage | activity | target |\n| ------ | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| two | workshops | run one workshop per month, with at least 10 students each time |\n| three | c/c/c studio | 10 c/c/c studio (ANUExt) enrolments 2021, of which 75% graduate at end 2022 |\n| three+ | CECS enrolments | 2 c/c/c studio graduates (in year 12 in 2022) enrolling in CS at the ANU |\n\n## Business Readiness\n\n### Physical space\n\nThe c/c/c studio (stage three) will require a room for one 2-3 hour session\nevery week in an after-school friendly timeslot (perhaps 4pm-6pm). This room\nneeds to have one computer per student (either a lab machine or personal laptop)\nwhich can run a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari). One of our\ncomputer labs in Building #145 should do the job.\n\n### Personnel\n\nThe c/c/c studio's open-ended studio teaching model _does_ require a range of\nexpert instructors with a mix of creative and technical skills. In addition to\nmy own expertise in this area, Dr. Charles Martin (another creative code\nresearcher) has recently been employed as a Lecturer by the RSCS, and will be an\nasset to the c/c/c studio program. There are also several academic creative\npractitioners across campus at the ANU Schools of Art & Design and Schools of\nMusic. it will be necessary be opportunities/needs to buy out small amounts of\ntheir time to contribute to the c/c/c studio masterclasses (stage three).\n\n### Admin\n\nWe will require public liability insurance for any students who come onto campus\nfor the c/c/c studio sessions.\n\n## Key Activities\n\n| What? | Who? | By when? |\n| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------- |\n| assemble c/c/c studio advisory group | Ben, others | stage one (early 2020) |\n| develop relationships with [stakeholders](#project-sponsor-and-stakeholders) | advisory group | ongoing |\n| run in-HS workshops | Ben + tutor(s) | stage two (mid 2020) |\n| c/c/c studio ANU Extension program | Ben + guests | stage three (beginning 2021) |\n| c/c/c studio grad show | students | stage three (end 2021) |\n\n## Cost/Time Commitments\n\n**Ben**: 2 days/week (40% FTE) for 3 years (beginning 2020-end 2022). This\nincludes:\n\n1. managing the c/c/c studio advisory group\n2. building relationships with High Schools and recruiting students (from stage\n one)\n3. developing the curriculum (from stage one)\n4. running workshops (~monthly from stage two)\n5. delivering the weekly c/c/c studio session(s) (weekly from stage three)\n\nThe 0.4fte buyout associated with this fellowship will be used to cover 100% of\nmy service component (currently 0.2fte) and half of my teaching component\n(currently 0.4fte). For 2020, this means:\n\n- giving up my role as student experience convenor (service)\n\n- handing [COMP2300](https://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/comp2300/) over to\n [Charles Martin](https://charlesmartin.com.au)\n\n- moving from being the only lecturer to leading a two-lecturer teaching team\n for [COMP1720](https://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/comp1720/) and .\n\n**Tutors**: depending on how many students attend, we will need to employ one\n(or more) of our undergraduate students to help deliver the workshops (stage\ntwo) and support the students in the c/c/c studio (stage three). Exact hourly\nrate depends on qualifications & experience.\n\n**Artist honoraria**: some of the guest artists who give masterclasses in the\nstudio won't have institutional affiliation, and paying them for their time is a\nway of respecting their contribution & expertise. Exact hourly rate depends on\nqualifications & experience.\n\n**Equipment**: computational art & music supplies, including:\n\n- portable music PA for running music workshops in schools\n- high-resolution monitors for display of digital artworks\n- software licences\n- studio supplies\n\n**Grad show budget**: (stage three) for venue/catering/equipment (e.g. fancy\nprojectors, etc.)\n\n## Risk, Challenges and Dependencies\n\n<table>\n <thead>\n <tr>\n <th>Risk/challenge</th>\n <th>Who's accountable?</th>\n <th>Mitigation steps</th>\n <th>When?</th>\n </tr>\n </thead>\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <td>\n some viewpoints (e.g. diversity-wise) aren't represented in the design of the c/c/c studio\n program\n </td>\n <td>everyone</td>\n <td>create an advisory group with several different perspectives</td>\n <td>end 2019</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td>ANU art/design/music folks feel like we're treading on their turf</td>\n <td>Ben</td>\n <td>give ANU SoM and SoAD a voice in the advisory group</td>\n <td>end 2019</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td>high-school students don't attend the on-campus c/c/c studio sessions</td>\n <td>Ben, CECS Marketing, school/community partners</td>\n <td>\n get buy-in from <a href=\"#early-adopters\">early adopter schools</a>, get them to\n support/encourage their students to attend\n </td>\n <td>end 2020</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td>\n c/c/c studio doesn't meet the requirements for official{\" \"}\n <a href=\"https://extension.anu.edu.au\">ANU Extension</a> accreditation\n </td>\n <td>Ben, CECS education committee</td>\n <td>\n talk to <em>Discovering Engineering</em> people, and if it doesn't work it's no big deal\n </td>\n <td>2020</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td>\n <em>too many </em>students want to participate\n </td>\n <td>everyone</td>\n <td>\n raise the bar for the portfolio-based admissions procedure, get more ANU students to share\n the teaching/tutoring load\n </td>\n <td>2020+</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td>students have wide range of different abilities/familiarity with the material</td>\n <td>Ben, tutors</td>\n <td>\n keep class sizes small so we can tailor material to each student, encourage peer-assisted\n learning at the different stages\n </td>\n <td>2021</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td>project relies too much on Ben's particular mix of skills and interests</td>\n <td>Ben, others</td>\n <td>\n get artists from the Canberra community to deliver studio masterclass material, train up\n other CECS people (e.g. tutors) to share the workload\n </td>\n <td>2021</td>\n </tr>\n </tbody>\n</table>\n\n## Notes for readers\n\n- Some of the nomenclature is still TBC, e.g. code vs technology, art vs music\n vs creativity, etc. Part of the initial phase of the project will be\n workshopping these terms to see which ones best resonate with the potential\n audiences, and also which best capture what _actually_ goes on.\n\n- If things go well, I intend to continue (and grow!) the program past the end\n of 2022---in fact I see it as an ongoing part of our teaching, research and\n outreach here in CECS.\n\n- I know that this document is a website; it's not using the official MS Word\n template. Mostly that's because this way I can easily share it with potential\n partners (e.g. when I'm meeting with teachers to talk about how they and their\n students can get involved), make it readable on mobile, make it accessible\n (e.g. to screen readers for people with vision impairment), embed videos, make\n sure everyone's always reading the latest version, etc. But if you **really**\n need it as a `.docx` then I can convert it when it's finished 😊\n\n## Footnotes\n",
"createdAt": "2026-05-13T23:14:59.641Z",
"description": "The project plan for the c/c/c studio, a creative code outreach program bringing art, music and code to high school students through the ANU Reimagine Fellowship.",
"path": "/blog/2019/03/20/reimagine-fellow-project-pitch",
"publishedAt": "2019-03-20T00:00:00.000Z",
"site": "at://did:plc:tevykrhi4kibtsipzci76d76/site.standard.publication/self",
"tags": [
"reimagine",
"teaching",
"research"
],
"textContent": "The project plan for the c/c/c studio, a creative code outreach program bringing art, music and code to high school students through the ANU Reimagine Fellowship.",
"title": "The c/c/c studio"
}