Instructional Design Document

Target Audience:

The target audience for this course is high school students in grades 10–12, typically ages 15–18. These learners are at a developmental stage where they are expanding their ability to think critically and explore abstract ideas, making it an ideal time to introduce complex concepts like sustainability and global responsibility through accessible, creative activities.

Most participants may have a basic understanding of art materials and techniques, but no prior knowledge of either foundational art skills or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is expected. Students may come from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and their exposure to environmental or social issues will vary. The course is designed to be inclusive and adaptable, requiring minimal materials to encourage accessibility and support sustainable practices. Many of the learners will be English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, so the course also supports language acquisition by introducing key vocabulary and concepts related to both art and sustainability in contextually meaningful ways.

Learner Profile:

• Developmental Characteristics:
  High school learners in this age range are typically developing a strong sense of identity and beginning to consider their roles in the broader world. They can engage with complex issues such as climate justice, equity, and sustainability—especially when those issues connect to their personal values and lived experiences.
• Language and Cultural Diversity:
  In an international online setting, learners may bring a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Many will be English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. The course will therefore emphasize clarity, visual support, and contextualized vocabulary to support language development alongside content understanding. Artistic expression offers a low-barrier method of communication for students who may feel limited by English proficiency.
• Media Awareness and Digital Skills:
  These students are highly attuned to visual culture and digital platforms. They are likely familiar with social media, visual storytelling, and meme culture—all of which can be used strategically to increase engagement and relevance.
• Motivation and Expression:
  This age group tends to thrive in hands-on, creative learning environments. Opportunities for self-expression, artistic experimentation, and collaborative digital sharing will support intrinsic motivation and encourage participation. Showcasing their work in digital galleries or exhibitions can foster a sense of global connection and purpose.

Course Type:

The minicourse will be designed as a hybrid between a How-To course and a Problem-Solving course. This structure allows students to learn foundational Art Elements and Design Principles (line, texture, shape, value, balance, emphasis, rhythm, contrast, hierarchy, harmony… ) while also tackling real-world challenges drawn from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The How-To portion provides scaffolding and skill-building opportunities that EFL learners can follow with confidence, while the Problem-Solving aspect encourages higher-order thinking, personal expression, and creative engagement with complex global issues. This hybrid approach directly supports the learning gap identified in my project—the need to link creative expression with global citizenship education.

Course Modality:

The course is delivered primarily asynchronously online, supplemented by bi-weekly live “studio sessions” (or recorded peer-critique videos in low-bandwidth contexts). All audits, prototype builds, and community workshops are completed offline in learners’ local contexts, following detailed safety and materials guidelines provided in each module.

This modality supports the needs of my international, multilingual audience by offering flexibility and self-paced learning. EFL learners benefit from asynchronous access to instructions, models, and vocabulary that they can review multiple times. The structure also supports the reflective and iterative nature of art-making, giving learners time to develop their ideas without pressure.

Optional synchronous sessions will be offered for students to share and discuss their work, which supports community building and adds a collaborative dimension to an otherwise independent experience. This blended approach to interaction ensures accessibility while nurturing connection and feedback opportunities among learners.

The content of this website has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals website

Proposed Learning Activities:

SDG 5: Gender Equality

1. Gender Equality Audit 
Students will survey their school and community to identify gender imbalances in leadership, resources, and participation. They will then develop practical solutions—such as mentorship circles or awareness campaigns—and present their recommendations in a DIY zine.
• Art Elements & Design Principles: Uses color to highlight disparities, line and shape for infographics; applies contrast to emphasize data points and hierarchy to guide reader focus.
• Inspiration: Guerrilla Girls, whose data-driven posters challenge institutional biases and advocate for gender equity.

2. Storytelling for Empowerment
Students will research advocates for gender equality and produce a concise video that raises awareness and inspires action. These videos can be linked in the audit zine via QR codes to showcase real-world examples.
• Art Elements & Design Principles: Leverages movement and space in video composition, color for emotional impact; employs rhythm and emphasis to reinforce key messaging.
• Inspiration: Jen Schwarting, whose multimedia practice explores feminist narratives and cultural critique.

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

3. Energy Consumption Awareness Campaign
Learners will audit the school’s energy usage to pinpoint high-consumption areas, then design and deploy interactive installations at the high-consumption sites—such as LED-powered meters, kinetic sculptures, or light-based displays—that capture and visualize real-time energy usage to prompt behavior change and guide technical interventions.
• Art Elements & Design Principles: Incorporates light and form to visualize data, texture for tactile engagement; uses scale and pattern to draw attention and movement to reflect changing energy levels.
• Inspiration: Olafur Eliasson, whose immersive installations provoke reflection on environmental systems and resource use.

4. Renewable Energy Design Challenge
Building on insights from the awareness campaign, students will design and construct small-scale renewable energy prototypes (e.g., solar ovens, wind turbines) to address identified hotspots and demonstrate how these innovations can reduce the school’s energy footprint.
• Art Elements & Design Principles: Highlights form and structure of prototypes, line in schematic diagrams; applies balance and proportion to ensure functional aesthetics and unity across components.
• Inspiration: Mel Chin, whose work blends ecological science and art to activate environmental restoration.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

5. Community Mapping Project
Students will map local neighborhoods to highlight gaps in green spaces or safe pedestrian routes, then draft and present improvement proposals—such as bike lanes or community gardens—to relevant stakeholders.
• Art Elements & Design Principles: Utilizes space and shape in map layouts, color coding for different zones; uses scale for context and unity to integrate community voices.
• Inspiration: Theaster Gates, whose urban interventions and community-driven projects transform public spaces and engage residents in co-creating sustainable neighborhoods.

6. Sustainable Living Workshop
Using findings from the mapping project, learners will design and host a workshop teaching sustainable practices—like installing rain gardens or establishing compost stations—that directly address local needs. They will collaborate with community experts and refine the workshop based on participant feedback.
• Art Elements & Design Principles: Focuses on texture and color in workshop materials, form in garden design; applies emphasis to highlight key practices and rhythm to guide workshop flow.
• Inspiration: Mary Mattingly, whose community-based environmental art engages participants in ecological stewardship.

Instructional Design Model:

I will center the design of this course on iterative feedback loops—a core principle of the Successive Approximation Model (SAM)—by collaborating closely with students and teachers at every stage. Rather than emphasizing rapid delivery, I plan to launch a structured Year of Inquiry pilot in which each module (zine creation, energy installations, community workshops, etc. ) is tested, reviewed, and refined across multiple academic terms. Throughout this pilot, I will collect artifacts and learner stories to illustrate progress toward our learning outcomes, sharing these examples with future cohorts to guide continuous improvement. To ensure clarity and purpose, Understanding by Design (UbD) will map each iteration back to clear, enduring objectives, while Universal Design for Learning (UDL) will inform every update to keep materials accessible and equitable for diverse learners.

Learning Theory

This course weaves together Social Constructivism, Constructionism, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create a studio environment that is collaborative, maker-centred, and accessible. By combining these three perspectives, the course ensures that learners (1) co-construct meaning through sustained dialogue, (2) ground abstract sustainability concepts in concrete, shareable works of art, and (3) encounter content in formats that respect diverse needs and contexts. The result is a learning experience where making and meaning-making reinforce one another, and every student has a clear pathway to participate, create, and contribute to SDG-focused change.