2.3- Educational Methods


Overview

An important component of my scholarship focuses on innovative educational methods. These methods have a practical application in my classroom and have also resulted in journal publications and conference presentations on inter-disciplinary design courses, design education strategies and innovative CAD workflows. Additionally, I am the proud recipient of the 2017 Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, RIT’s highest honor for excellence in teaching. This award is a huge milestone in my career as educator and it validates the effectiveness of bringing applied design research into the classroom. My educational methods follow the following key principles:

- Design is a creative, iterative, problem-solving process.
- Design needs to address relevant needs around users, society and environment, which are worth investing time, effort and energy into them.
- Design is a practice-based discipline and engaging in interaction with industry and other disciplines is a key component for understanding feasible application and impact.
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Publications

“Statefulness and Tangible interaction in Design Education”
Industrial Designers Society of America International Conference and Education Symposium – 2017
Atlanta, GA. Alex Lobos & Tim Wood. Peer-reviewed conference proceedings
 
Concursos de diseño: beneficios desde afuera y desde adentro
Véritce Review Magazine – 2017
Universidad Rafael Landivar, Guatemala.
Invited magazine article
  
“Benefits of Video Presentations in Product Design”
International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education – 2014
Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 208-213.
Peer-reviewed journal article

“Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Packaging Design”
The International Journal of Designed Objects – 2013
Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 1-16.
Lorrie Frear, Alex Lobos & Sandra Turner. Peer-reviewed journal article

“Carbon Neutrality in Design Education”
Industrial Designers Society of America International Conference and Education Symposium – 2013
Chicago, IL. Alex Lobos, Cong Yao & Jongsoo Gang. Peer-reviewed conference proceedings

“Using Videos for Final Presentations in Product Design”
Canada International Conference of Education – 2013
Toronto, ON. Peer-reviewed conference proceedings

“Class Blog: a case study on using collaborative online tools to enhance learning outcomes in interdisciplinary courses”
Tenth Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning – 2011
Niagara, NY. Alex Lobos & Sandra Turner. Peer-reviewed conference proceedings

“Meaning of Design Awards and their Influence in Business and Education”
International Journal on Design Principles and Practices – 2010
Vol. 4, No. 3, pp.165-178.
Alex Lobos & Deana McDonagh. Peer-reviewed journal article
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Presentations

Invited speaker: “Diseño Industrial en RIT”
Colloquio de Diseño (virtual). Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú – 2013
           
Invited presenter: “Educational Futures: Faculty Showcase”
Rochester Institute of Technology, NY – 2012
Alex Lobos & Callie Babbitt.
           
Peer-reviewed speaker: “Collaborative, cross-disciplinary, project-based courses for Innovation and Sustainable Design”
Autodesk University. Las Vegas NV – 2011
Adam Menter, Dawn Danby & Alex Lobos

Panelist: “Technology in The Classroom Idea Exchange”
RIT Faculty Institute on Teaching and Learning. Rochester NY – 2011

Peer-reviewed speaker: “A model trans-disciplinary curriculum for sustainable design of electronics”
Electronics and Sustainability Symposium. Champaign IL – 2011
Callie Babbitt, Alex Lobos, Ana Maria Leal-Yepes and Sandra Turner
http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/symposia/2011/
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Media Mentions                    

Industrial design professor combines passions at RIT

RIT University News – April 12, 2018

Research fuels ideas and creativity that power RIT designers
RIT Research Magazine – Spring 2018
 
New Horizons for Making and Learning
Autodesk. Ed. Akshay Sharma – 2017

Improving Product Design
RIT Research Magazine – Spring/Summer 2017

RIT and Autodesk focused on designing for success
RIT Athenaeum – April/May 2017
 
Sustainable Design Education: an educator’s perspective
Autodesk – 2015

Ten Faculty to Watch
RIT Athenaeum – October 09, 2014

Transdisciplinary Sustainable Design
RIT Educational Futures Showcase – 2012
 
90-second laptop disassembly among top projects in international E-waste design competition
RIT News – 2011
           
Student teams win American Packaging Corp. and Kraft design challenge
RIT News – 2011

Industrial Design team wins first place in international design competition
RIT News – 2010

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Student examples

MFA ID - Thesis projects 2016-17
Advisors: Alex Lobos and Mindy Magyar
 
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Shahd Zubier
Project from: Graduate ID Studio
Honorable Mention: 2018 International Housewares Design Competition
1st place: 2018 Gaia Dinnerware Competition 

 

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Brendan Babiarz
Project from: Junior ID Studio
1st place: 2015 International Housewares Design Competition


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Evan Cincotta
Project from: Junior ID Studio
3rd place: 2015 International Housewares Design Competition 
 

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Autodesk research project - 2016
Sustainable Design with Fusion 360
PI: Alex Lobos
Graduate Research Designers: Lara Goulart, Andrew Magee, Mariana Pinheiro, Trupti Pomaje