This page lists courses held in Jacobs Hall during spring 2018. To see Jacobs Hall course listings from other semesters, please visit our primary course listings page.
This follow-up to the fall 2017 Flexible Hybrid Structures course continues exploring the formal, structural, and functional possibilities of flexible hybrid structures. Students will study systems that take advantage of bending and buckling behaviors as potential form-generating and self-stabilizing strategies for the design of new compliant mechanisms and deployable structures. Working in teams, students will conceptualize a project together and envision a practical end use for their innovative structures. Students will gain the necessary insight to holistically design new types of lightweight structures and to build functional prototypes and demonstrators in larger scale. This course is open to graduate students of all academic disciplines. Previous participation in “Flexible Hybrid Structures I” is not a prerequisite. Prior experience in software programs like Rhinoceros and Grasshopper and/or 3D printing, however, would be beneficial.
Simon Schleicher | 3 units | Class number: 15494
Web Design DeCal focuses on teaching front end web design (HTML, CSS, JavaScript/jQuery) along with UI/UX design principles and theory to students of all majors.
Emily Zhong & Zachary Kirby | Class number: 42332
CS 160 is an introduction to Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Students will learn to prototype, evaluate, and design a user interface. They will be expected to work within a group of four or five students in this project-based course. A project topic will be proposed by each student group, and implementation will be tailored to users’ needs based on interviews with them. The focus of the course is on developing a broad set of skills needed for user-centered design. These skills include ideation, needs assessment, communication, rapid prototyping, algorithmic implementation, and evaluation.
Bjoern Hartmann | 4 units | Class number: 35573 (160), 35761 (260A)
This class introduces computational techniques useful for design and fabrication and explores software compilation of high level 3D designs into simple and inexpensive parts ready for rapid manufacturing. Topics include: fabrication processes, material systems, and modern computational techniques for domain specific design, geometric transformations, and algorithmic preparation for fabrication.
Jonathan Bachrach | 4 units | Class number: 41670 (194), 41669 (294)
Anyone can sketch. Great communicators today should never hesitate to reach for a pen and draw. Sketching is an effective expression of thinking and problem-solving. It is a form of visual communication that can be learned and is a skill that can improve with practice and a little guidance. This course will give participants practice and confidence in their ability to communicate through sketching.
Purin Phanichphant | 3 units | Class number: 37047
This course teaches techniques to conceptualize, design and prototype interactive objects. Students will learn core interaction design principles and learn how to program devices with and without screens, basic circuit design and construction for sensing and actuation, and debugging. Students work individually on fundamental concepts and skills, then form teams to work on an open-ended design project that requires a synthesis of the different techniques covered.
Instructor TBD | 3 units | Class number: 41730
This studio course introduces students to design thinking and the basic practices of interaction design. Following a human-centered design process that includes research, concept generation, prototyping, and refinement, students work as individuals and in small teams to design mobile information systems and other interactive experiences. Becoming familiar with design methodologies such as sketching, storyboarding, wire framing, and prototyping, students learn core skills for understanding the rich contexts of stakeholders and their interactions with technology, for researching competing products and services, for modeling the current and preferred state of the world, and for prototyping and communicating solutions. No coding is required.
James Pierce | 3 units | Class number: 41731
In this one semester, P/NP course, students will attend the weekly Design Field Notes speaker series, which features local design practitioners who share real-world stories about their projects, practices, and perspectives. Talks are scheduled most weeks during the semester; during any off weeks, students will engage in facilitated discussions.
Eric Paulos | 1 unit | Class number: 41580
In this one semester, P/NP course, students will visit a series of manufacturing facilities, in order to learn about various aspects related to commercialization and production of physical products.
Hayden Taylor | 1 unit | Class number: 41581
This class is a 12-week introduction to design theory and design practice, with a focus on human-centered design. The course will have an emphasis on digital design but concepts of physical design will also be covered. The course meets weekly for two hours for discussions, guest speakers, activities developing fundamental design skills, and project “crit” sessions. This class will provide its students with a fun and comprehensive look into all facets of design, experience working on design projects, and potential portfolio pieces.
Kathleen Hsu, Jessica Liu, & Sonali Verma | 2 units | Class number: 37198
Ever wondered how websites are made? Are you curious about how the internet works today and how code plays into the puzzle of web design? We’d like to provide a basic introduction that can fit into any course schedule. No coding experience required! Students will learn the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to gain an introductory understanding of website development. Students will work together on interactive labs during the 1-hour weekly class time with support from the course staff. Homework includes weekly assignments from CodeAcademy, a top online platform for learning to code with great outcomes and minimal frustration.
Ezzy Sriram | Class number: 42650
In this two-semester sequence of project-based courses, students envision meaningful interactions between people and different transportation modalities, looking 10-15 years into the future and addressing elements such as car sharing, public transportation, autonomous driving, and more. The fall course focused on the early stages of the design process, including problem framing and user research, while the follow-on course in the spring focuses on the latter stages: proposing solutions, prototyping, storytelling. The course is taught an expert design instructor, with additional feedback from mentors from the Ford Research and Innovation Center. The courses are structured such that students may enroll in both the fall and spring offerings, or only one, as their interests and schedules dictate.
Instructor TBD | 3 units | Class number: 15542
Global Product Development is a project-based course that aims to educate students about the process of translating a functional prototype into a commercial, consumer-ready product. This course will provide a high-level overview of the many important aspects of product commercialization, including design for manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, intellectual property and regulatory certification, and more. Each class meeting will be divided between lecture, often featuring guest lectures with real-world experience, and project work time.
Emily Au | 3 units | Class number: 15543
Students who apply are encouraged to have prior experience in Adobe programs (Photoshop, Illustrator). Although this is a technical course in that students are taught extensive knowledge of the programs, the class will also cover conceptual and theoretical aspects of design such as color theory, branding, and user interface design. At the end of the course, students will have a portfolio of work showcasing extensive knowledge on several topics and an understanding of various elements of design. This DeCal is designed for students who are technically proficient and are looking to learn design principles in order to apply their technical skills to projects. It is not meant to give you all the tools and knowledge to become a professional designer; however, we will provide an essential foundation to start your career in design.
Jackie Zou | 2 units | Class number: 37196
This course teaches graphic design through the use of Photoshop and Illustrator. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CC will be taught in a series of tutorials complemented with exercises to perform during class and at home. These exercises give students the opportunity to practice the tools, create designs, and exercise their creativity. We will also explore graphic design trends and their applications, and learn to receive and give critiques in order to improve your design work. We hope to make this a fun and rewarding class.
Roya Chagnon, Kiana Aryan, Jessica Kwon, & Crystal Chan | 2 units | Class number: 37197
The PiE Mentorship DeCal provides an accessible introduction to robotics (which in itself, encompasses software, hardware, electrical and mechanical engineering) and is special in that students also learn how to mentor high school students through the two hours of weekly mentorship. The curriculum pushes its students to practice their technical and creative abilities, along with important team building skills. Mentors are able to find their own mentorship style as well, through their time with the high school team.
Yejin Angela Kwon & Scott Numamoto | 2 units | Class number: 42084 & 42085
E 27 is a hands-on introduction to manufacturing and tolerancing that is a required lower-division course for mechanical engineering majors and is open to students from across campus. Students work in teams of 4-7 on a series of practical assignments in which they reverse-engineer manufactured products, study the dimensional variability of manufactured components, and undertake a mechanical design project.
Hayden Taylor | 2 units | Class number: 36269
Bioinspired design views the process of how we learn from nature as an innovation strategy translating principles of function, performance, and aesthetics from biology to human technology. The creative design process is driven by interdisciplinary exchange among engineering, biology, medicine, art, architecture, and business. Diverse teams of students will collaborate on, create, and present original bioinspired design projects. Project teams will have opportunities to learn about team dynamics and how to make a successful team. Lectures will address the biomimicry design process from original scientific breakthroughs to entrepreneurial start-ups using cases studies that include gecko-inspired adhesives, robots that run, fly and swim, artificial muscles, computer animation, medical devices, and prosthetics while highlighting health, the environment, and safety.
Robert Full | 3 units | Class number: 32666 (IB), 32655 (LS)
This course surveys topics related to the design of products and interfaces ranging from alarm clocks, cell phones, and dashboards to logos, presentations, and web sites. Design of such systems requires familiarity with human factors and ergonomics, including the physics and perception of color, sound, and touch, as well as familiarity with case studies and contemporary practices in interface design and usability testing. Students will solve a series of design problems individually and in teams.
Carisa Harris-Adamson | 3 units | Class number: 39345
Too often, enamored in our brilliant ideas, we skip the most important part: building products consumers will want and use. Precious time and effort are wasted on engineering perfect products only to launch to no users. This course teaches product management skills such as reducing risk while accelerating time to market, product life cycle, and stakeholder management.
Ken Sandy | 3 units | Class number: 37260
This course provides hands-on experience in designing assistive technology using user-centered design. Students will be walked through the design process and be taught technical skills (such as 3D modeling, 3D printing, laser cutting, arduino, electronics and project management) to allow them to prototype a novel solution to a disabilities-related challenge. The class will start with a one-hour lecture/workshop, followed by a hands-on project section. The class will culminate in a final assistive tech project with EnableTech, working with a community member to solve a real challenge they face on a daily basis. No prior experience or major is required for this course.
Francisco Peralta, Rachel Thomasson, Carl Canteenwala, & Drew McPherson | 2 units | Class number: 42442
This is an upper-division elective on the processing of materials in manufacturing. The class places a strong focus on giving students opportunities to practice material and process selection to meet functional requirements. The class contains a substantial term-long project in which students work in teams to identify a product need, and then design and prototype a mechanical assembly to meet that need, using a rational approach to choose appropriate materials and processes for manufacturing several of the key components in their designs. Students receive feedback on their designs from panels of industrial engineers, including Cal alumni.
Hayden Taylor | 3 units | Class number: 36519
iACME will provide opportunities for students to tackle real-world engineering problems. Student teams will apply to work on specific industry-initiated projects. Teams will be selected based on prior experience in research/internships, scholastic achievements in ME courses, and proposed initial approaches toward tackling the specific project. Selected teams will initially meet with the industry client to discuss scope of project and expectations and then meet monthly thereafter for design “check-ins.” Project design, implementation, design/prototype analysis, and oral/written communication will be discussed with all teams through interactive, weekly lectures.
Grace O’Connell & Lydia Sohn | 4 units | Class number: 42349
This course aims to develop the interdisciplinary skills required to design, develop, and build outstanding customer experiences using technology. It offers students a chance to deeply understand an industry and the potential opportunities for applying technology solutions in that industry by using systems modeling techniques. It then engages students in a hands-on development project to learn and apply systems and design thinking to create new customer experiences in that industry. In spring 2018, we will focus on the food industry, tackling issues in food supply chain transparency, safety and accountability; food service and preparation; food waste; farming; and food personalization and customization. Technologies that will be considered include IOT, blockchain, robotics, machine learning, and more.
Sara Beckman & Andy Dong | 3 units | Class number: 42122
Critical Making will operationalize and critique the practice of “making” through both foundational literature and hands-on studio culture. As hybrid practitioners, students will develop fluency in readily collaging and incorporating a variety of physical materials and protocols into their practice. With design research as a lens, students will envision and create future computational experiences that critically explore social and culturally relevant technological themes.
Eric Paulos | 4 units | Class number: 37390 (NWMEDIA), 36912 (ME)
Throughout the two-year Fung Fellowship program, a diverse cohort of undergraduate students participate in a cross-disciplinary, experience-based curriculum that integrates design thinking and an immersive community experience. Fellows work in teams to develop technology solutions to address the real-world public health challenges facing at-risk populations. This course provides a space for the Fung Fellowship cohort’s continued teamwork and project-based learning, in the final semester of a four-semester series.
Jaspal Sandhu & Jennifer Mangold | 3 units
Eat.Think.Design is a team-oriented, project-based course designed around the case-based and learning-by-doing models. The critical elements of the human-centered design process – discovering, ideating, and prototyping – are learned through didactic sessions and a 10-week project students work on in teams. Working with community partners on a public health issue related to food, the student teams apply human-centered design skills to the problem, and design and pilot (when possible) a solution with and for their community partner.
Kristine Madsen & Jaspal Sandhu | 3 units | Class number: 38369
What does innovation have to do with body movement, staging plays, socially engaged art, and business model design? This class, jointly taught by faculty from Theater and Dance Performance, Art Practice and Business, exposes you to perspectives on innovation from each discipline, and then allows you to practice collaborating among disciplines to take on a meaningful, high-impact challenge of interest to you.
Sara Beckman, Lisa Wymore, Sean San Jose, & Takming Chuang | 4 units | Class number: 31034 (TDPS), 22397 (ART), 17247 (UGBA)