BDI Course Collaborations
We can help faculty learn new technologies and develop course activities that redefine the traditional classroom experience. Our best course collaborations happen when we have time to design and test ahead of the course, and when faculty learn alongside us so we can teach students together. If you are interested in working with BDI for any of your classes, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible.
BDI Course Development
We have collaborated with a number of faculty to develop engaging and challenging course experiences. Throughout the semester, students discourse about the applied technology, debating about ethics, efficacy, and technique. These collaborations are typically planned at least one semester in advance.
- Teaching students how to develop VR simulations of monastic cells, where they could add or remove 3D scanned artifacts.
Collaboration with the MakerLab, Digital Scholarship Lab, and Professor Dar Brooks-Hedstrom - Designing and printing custom stands for a Katsina doll, part of the Anthropology Department's Material Research collection.
Collaboration with the MakerLab, Digital Scholarship Lab, and Professor Javier Urcid - Detecting suitable locations for building shade structures in Waltham; making scale versions and placing them on 3D-printed topography models.
Collaboration with the MakerLab, Digital Scholarship Lab, and Professor Katie Colford
BDI-Optional Course Projects
Faculty often offer open-ended final projects that encourage students to use BDI resources. With a few weeks' notice, we can support your class by:
- Providing an in-class presentation about BDI spaces and introduce students to our regular workshop menu (e.g., 3D printing, photogrammetry, etc.)
- Offering a class tour of our library spaces
- Increasing our regular workshop hours to accommodate your students
Typically, these workshops are Intro to 3D Printing, StoryMaps, and Intro to Photogrammetry
Expert Presentations
Each of the BDI full-time staff are experts in their field with active research projects, We can offer engaging guest lectures about Competitive Robotics, Drones (racing or survey), Research and Design, Manufacturing, Landscape Archaeology and GIS, and more.
Check out this small list of examples for ideas:
- Design Thinking participants will work in groups to redesign a wallet or chair. It's a challenging thought exercise about effective research and design, and can apply to any class with a research component.
- How to get your FAA 107 Pilot’s License or EU license
- Revolutionize your Research for Today’s Digital World
- P-XRF (general or archaeological applications)
- High Performance Computing for the Humanities and Social Sciences
- Machine Learning (basics or specific methodologies, like image recognition)
- An array of archaeological topics tied to BDI fields. Check out Natalie's Scholarworks page for ideas.
- The Art of the Pitch
- Intro to Troubleshooting Theory: Systematic Fault Isolation
- Design a Hackathon
- How to DIY a Drone: How Racing Drones work
- How to Fly a Drone: Intro to flying Acro/Airmode
- Drone Survey and Data Processing for Archaeological Research
- Designing and Implementing your Archaeological Survey
- Maker Movement Applications in the Medical Field
- Digital Tools for Writing Dissertations and Books (that aren’t Zotero/Endnote)
- Designing Digital Datasets for Archaeological or Historical Research
BDI Facilities
With the exception of the Engineering Classroom, faculty cannot book BDI spaces for classes. BDI full-time staff can close labs for class collaboration sessions, at our discretion.