Technology Pathways

By embedding 95 innovative Micro-WIL opportunities strategically into relevant curricular areas including our New Media + Sound Arts (NMSA), and Design + Dynamic Media (DDM) programs and through targeted non-curricular engagements, this initiative helps equip students with the practical skills needed for the evolving demands of the creative tech industry in BC and connect industry with future workforce.

Technology Pathways is a research-wide collaboration at Emily Carr University, drawing on faculty expertise and specialized equipment from the Basically Good Media Lab (BGML), the Wearables and Interactive Products Lab (WIP Lab), and the Interaction Design Lab. These collaborators bring extensive knowledge in areas of creative practice, technical expertise, production facilities, and innovative technologies, supporting students and faculty in advancing curriculum design and applied research in emerging technologies.

Curricular Engagements include bootcamp and hackathon modules in the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters across 4 courses taught at Design and Dynamic Media and New Media and Sound Art.

In Fall 2024, a curricular bootcamp module focusing on leveraging computational tools to create immersive and interactive art, and short video prototypes that speculate on future technologies and their role in society was delivered to students enrolled in NMSA 300 and INTD 200. Students used equipment kits that allowed them to experiment with sensors, virtual environments, and digital media tools, developing strong foundational skills in interactive media and speculative design. NMSA 300 is taught by Peter Bussigel and INTD 200 is taught by Haig Armen. Bootcamp module design was done by Peter Bussigel.

In Spring 2025, a curricular hackathon module focusing on challenges set by industry partners in collaboration with ECU faculty are delivered to students enrolled in INTD 310 and INTD 319. Students in INTD 310 will delve into the emerging field of gameful design through hands-on, project-based learning to design meaningful user-centered digital and spatial experiences using industry-standard tools like Unity, Blender, and Spline3D working with experts from Electronic Arts and Buffalo Buffalo. Students in INTD 319 will explore various ways of generating interactive visualizations of large ecological data sets by applying principles of information design, effective storytelling, and interaction design. Students will gain core technical and conceptual skills to work in data science, interactive media, and visual communication by developing strong proficiency in visualization tools like P5.js, and JavaScript library for creative coding. INTD 310 is taught by Siddhant Singh and INTD 319 is taught by Haig Armen.

In addition, Technology Pathways will involve a day-long hackathon event designed for senior students in Design + Dynamic Media programs. This event will introduce the students to the world of creating interactive digital media through Augmented Reality (AR). Guided by industry mentors from YumeBau and Blackbird Interactive, students will get hands-on experience with Unity, Blender, and Figma, grasping the basics of building 3D experiences to visualize and communicate complex concepts and ideas. With pre-scanned architectural spaces and prefabricated assets provided, students will focus on creativity, storytelling, and design innovation, crafting activations for industries like mass transit, clothing, recreation, hospitality, and cosmetics. This hackathon event is led by project partner, Edward Madojemu with support from technician Sean Arden.

Technology Pathways is a collaboration with DigiBC and is funded in partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable and with support from the Government of Canada.