Peter Scupelli is an Associate Professor in Design, Director of the Learning Environments Lab, and Founder of the Dexign Futures Studio in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He was Visiting Professor at Politecnico di Milano (2022-2024). Peter is co-founder of the Global Design Futures Network. He was the Nierenberg Professor at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University from 2019-2022. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate-level design courses. He holds a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction, M.S. in HCI, M.Des. in Interaction Design, and an undergraduate Architecture degree. His work with A12 was exhibited in the Architecture Biennial of Venice; PS1-MOMA, New York; the São Paulo Contemporary Art Biennial; the ZKM museum of Karlsruhe, Germany and many other places. Peter is currently is working on https://dexignfutures.org to disseminate the Dexign Futures course series as an open-source project. Dexign Futures focuses on how to align short-term design action with long-term sustainable vision goals see https://dexignfutures.com for more information. Phone: 4125352699
New design courses are necessary to teach designers the integration of long-range strategic think... more New design courses are necessary to teach designers the integration of long-range strategic thinking with current human-centered design methods for addressing challenges and opportunities of societal-level sustainable futures. Lessons learned from DEXIGN THE FUTURE, the first course integrating “futures thinking” with “design thinking” taught at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Design in 2013, led to the design of a three-semester sequence of courses: first, DEXIGN FUTURES SEMINAR (online) provides students with: initial exposure to concepts; opportunities to analyze and deconstruct existing futures scenarios; practice constructing scenarios. Second, INTRODUCTION TO DEXIGN THE FUTURE provides students with a framework to: explore a variety of societal-level sustainable futures-based themes; develop proficiency with new design methods and research techniques. Third, DEXIGN THE FUTURE is a semester-long project where students take a deep-dive into an authentic, real-world context (i.e., Pittsburgh 2050). Data are leveraged to inform iterative refinements to each course and sequencing overall.
Classroom and lab-based research have shown the advantages of exposing students to a variety of p... more Classroom and lab-based research have shown the advantages of exposing students to a variety of problems with format differences between them, compared to giving students problem sets with a single problem format. In this paper, we investigate whether this approach can be effectively deployed in an intelligent tutoring system, which affords the opportunity to automatically generate and adapt problem content for practice and assessment purposes. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare students who practiced problems based on a single template to students who practiced problems based on multiple templates within the same intelligent tutoring system. No conclusive evidence was found for differences in the two conditions on students’ post-test performance and hint request behavior. However, students who saw multiple templates spent more time answering practice items compared to students who solved problems of a single structure, making the same degree of progress but takin...
How do design educators make change happen to address new challenges? Currently, design educators... more How do design educators make change happen to address new challenges? Currently, design educators are caught between challenges: first, teaching well-established design traditions based on craft and making; and second, training students to situate their artifact making within transitional times in a volatile and exponentially changing world. The tension design educators navigate involves teaching the core of a discipline in relation to an expanding periphery where multiple disciplines interact. The epistemic challenge is how to initiate students into the field’s crystallized knowledge at the same time as fluid, emergent knowledge. Some design educators may yearn for simpler times focusing on mastery of the deep disciplinary cores. Others may discount their own core disciplinary teaching in favor of exploration of the rapidly shifting disciplinary peripheries to meet new challenges and opportunities. We acknowledge both perspectives and further posit that students need exposure to bo...
Global challenges, such as Climate Change and Sustainable Development, require the design of sust... more Global challenges, such as Climate Change and Sustainable Development, require the design of sustainable lifestyles, products, services, and cities that reduce carbon intensity by at least 50% before the year 2030 and 100% by the year 2050 to avoid long-term climate catastrophes. Short-term action is needed to accomplish long-term sustainability goals. We work on the 2030 deadline with every tool available to us: new course development combined with new pedagogy to effectively and efficiently deliver time-based design. We made our courses available online as open source resources within a global network of universities. In this paper, we describe a project called "Dexign Futures" initially developed at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. This open source learning project is being locally adapted and evaluated with three global partners: at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and Georgia Tech University ...
Prior research suggests that visual features of the classroom environment (e.g., charts and poste... more Prior research suggests that visual features of the classroom environment (e.g., charts and posters) are potential sources of distraction hindering children's ability to maintain attention to instructional activities and reducing learning gains in a laboratory classroom. However, prior research only examined short-term exposure to elements of classroom décor, and it remains unknown whether children habituate to the visual environment with repeated exposure. In study 1, we explored experimentally the possibility that children may habituate to the visual environment if the visual displays are static. We measured kindergarten children's patterns of attention allocation in a decorated classroom environment over a 2-week period and compared the percentage of time children spent off-task to a baseline condition in which the classroom environment was streamlined (i.e., charts, posters, and manipulatives were removed). The findings indicate that with more prolonged exposure to a static visual environment, partial habitation effects were observed: Attention to the environment declined at the end of the exposure period compared to the beginning of the study; however, the environment remained a significant source of off-task behavior even after 2 weeks of exposure. In study 2, we extend this work by conducting a longitudinal observation of six primary classrooms in which we measured children's patterns of attention allocation in real classrooms for 15 weeks to investigate whether increasing familiarity with the classroom décor would influence attention toward the visual environment. No evidence of habituation was observed in genuine classrooms in study 2. Potential implications for classroom design and future directions are discussed.
Large wall-sized displays are becoming prevalent. Although researchers have articulated qualita-t... more Large wall-sized displays are becoming prevalent. Although researchers have articulated qualita-tive benefits of group work on large displays, little work has been done to quantify the benefits for individual users. In this article we present four experiments comparing the performance of users working on a large projected wall display to that of users working on a standard desktop monitor. In these experiments, we held the visual angle constant by adjusting the viewing distance to each of the displays. Results from the first two experiments suggest that physically large displays, even when viewed at identical visual angles as smaller ones, help users perform better on mental rotation tasks. We show through the experiments how these results may be attributed, at least in part, to large displays immersing users within the problem space and biasing them into using more efficient cognitive strategies. In the latter two experiments, we extend these results, showing the presence of these ...
The creation of crowd-sourced content in learning systems is a powerful method for adapting learn... more The creation of crowd-sourced content in learning systems is a powerful method for adapting learning systems to the needs of a range of teachers in a range of domains, but the quality of this content can vary. This study explores linguistic differences in teacher-created problem content in ASSISTments using a combination of discovery with models and correlation mining. Specifically, we find correlations between semantic features of mathematics problems and indicators of learning and engagement, suggesting promising areas for future work on problem design. We also discuss limitations of semantic tagging tools within mathematics domains and ways of addressing these limitations.
Proceedings of the 22nd European Conference on Pattern Languages of Programs, 2017
Increasingly, computer-based learning systems are used by educators to facilitate learning. Evalu... more Increasingly, computer-based learning systems are used by educators to facilitate learning. Evaluations of several math learning systems show that they result in significant student learning improvements. Feedback provision is one of the key features in math learning systems that contribute to its success. We have recently been uncovering feedback design patterns as part of a larger pattern language for math problems and learning support in online learning systems. In this paper, we present three feedback design patterns developed from the application of the data-driven design pattern methodology on a large educational dataset collected from actual student data in a math online learning system. These design patterns can help teachers, learning designers, and other stakeholders construct effective feedback for interactive learning activities that facilitate student learning.
Proceedings of the VikingPLoP 2017 Conference on Pattern Languages of Program, 2017
Pedagogical design patterns offer high-quality solutions to known educational problems. Design pa... more Pedagogical design patterns offer high-quality solutions to known educational problems. Design patterns are meant to guide teachers' pedagogical decisions to improve student learning in varied learning contexts such as intelligent tutoring systems, traditional classrooms, online learning systems, and so forth. In theory, design patterns are written so that they are applicable to multiple learning contexts, but, in practice, we wonder if pedagogical design patterns intended specifically for one learning environment can be used in other learning environments. We explore this theoretical question for practical reasons. Over the past three years, we applied existing pedagogical design patterns and wrote new pedagogical patterns to enhance student feedback for math problems in an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) called ASSISTments. It was more difficult than expected for two reasons: there are few pedagogical design patterns specifically for ITSs and contextual features for design p...
On-demand help in intelligent learning environments is typically linked to better learning, but m... more On-demand help in intelligent learning environments is typically linked to better learning, but may lead to longer completion times. This present work provides an analysis of how students interacted with a summer learning assignment when on-demand help was available, compared to when it was not. When hints were available from the start, students were more likely to delay work, compared to students for whom step-wise hints were only available after the third problem. When hints were always available, participants took significantly more time to complete a mastery learning assignment. We interpret this difference in time to complete the assignment as an opportunity to re-engage in productive math learning.
New design courses are necessary to teach designers the integration of long-range strategic think... more New design courses are necessary to teach designers the integration of long-range strategic thinking with current human-centered design methods for addressing challenges and opportunities of societal-level sustainable futures. Lessons learned from DEXIGN THE FUTURE, the first course integrating “futures thinking” with “design thinking” taught at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Design in 2013, led to the design of a three-semester sequence of courses: first, DEXIGN FUTURES SEMINAR (online) provides students with: initial exposure to concepts; opportunities to analyze and deconstruct existing futures scenarios; practice constructing scenarios. Second, INTRODUCTION TO DEXIGN THE FUTURE provides students with a framework to: explore a variety of societal-level sustainable futures-based themes; develop proficiency with new design methods and research techniques. Third, DEXIGN THE FUTURE is a semester-long project where students take a deep-dive into an authentic, real-world context (i.e., Pittsburgh 2050). Data are leveraged to inform iterative refinements to each course and sequencing overall.
Classroom and lab-based research have shown the advantages of exposing students to a variety of p... more Classroom and lab-based research have shown the advantages of exposing students to a variety of problems with format differences between them, compared to giving students problem sets with a single problem format. In this paper, we investigate whether this approach can be effectively deployed in an intelligent tutoring system, which affords the opportunity to automatically generate and adapt problem content for practice and assessment purposes. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare students who practiced problems based on a single template to students who practiced problems based on multiple templates within the same intelligent tutoring system. No conclusive evidence was found for differences in the two conditions on students’ post-test performance and hint request behavior. However, students who saw multiple templates spent more time answering practice items compared to students who solved problems of a single structure, making the same degree of progress but takin...
How do design educators make change happen to address new challenges? Currently, design educators... more How do design educators make change happen to address new challenges? Currently, design educators are caught between challenges: first, teaching well-established design traditions based on craft and making; and second, training students to situate their artifact making within transitional times in a volatile and exponentially changing world. The tension design educators navigate involves teaching the core of a discipline in relation to an expanding periphery where multiple disciplines interact. The epistemic challenge is how to initiate students into the field’s crystallized knowledge at the same time as fluid, emergent knowledge. Some design educators may yearn for simpler times focusing on mastery of the deep disciplinary cores. Others may discount their own core disciplinary teaching in favor of exploration of the rapidly shifting disciplinary peripheries to meet new challenges and opportunities. We acknowledge both perspectives and further posit that students need exposure to bo...
Global challenges, such as Climate Change and Sustainable Development, require the design of sust... more Global challenges, such as Climate Change and Sustainable Development, require the design of sustainable lifestyles, products, services, and cities that reduce carbon intensity by at least 50% before the year 2030 and 100% by the year 2050 to avoid long-term climate catastrophes. Short-term action is needed to accomplish long-term sustainability goals. We work on the 2030 deadline with every tool available to us: new course development combined with new pedagogy to effectively and efficiently deliver time-based design. We made our courses available online as open source resources within a global network of universities. In this paper, we describe a project called "Dexign Futures" initially developed at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. This open source learning project is being locally adapted and evaluated with three global partners: at the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and Georgia Tech University ...
Prior research suggests that visual features of the classroom environment (e.g., charts and poste... more Prior research suggests that visual features of the classroom environment (e.g., charts and posters) are potential sources of distraction hindering children's ability to maintain attention to instructional activities and reducing learning gains in a laboratory classroom. However, prior research only examined short-term exposure to elements of classroom décor, and it remains unknown whether children habituate to the visual environment with repeated exposure. In study 1, we explored experimentally the possibility that children may habituate to the visual environment if the visual displays are static. We measured kindergarten children's patterns of attention allocation in a decorated classroom environment over a 2-week period and compared the percentage of time children spent off-task to a baseline condition in which the classroom environment was streamlined (i.e., charts, posters, and manipulatives were removed). The findings indicate that with more prolonged exposure to a static visual environment, partial habitation effects were observed: Attention to the environment declined at the end of the exposure period compared to the beginning of the study; however, the environment remained a significant source of off-task behavior even after 2 weeks of exposure. In study 2, we extend this work by conducting a longitudinal observation of six primary classrooms in which we measured children's patterns of attention allocation in real classrooms for 15 weeks to investigate whether increasing familiarity with the classroom décor would influence attention toward the visual environment. No evidence of habituation was observed in genuine classrooms in study 2. Potential implications for classroom design and future directions are discussed.
Large wall-sized displays are becoming prevalent. Although researchers have articulated qualita-t... more Large wall-sized displays are becoming prevalent. Although researchers have articulated qualita-tive benefits of group work on large displays, little work has been done to quantify the benefits for individual users. In this article we present four experiments comparing the performance of users working on a large projected wall display to that of users working on a standard desktop monitor. In these experiments, we held the visual angle constant by adjusting the viewing distance to each of the displays. Results from the first two experiments suggest that physically large displays, even when viewed at identical visual angles as smaller ones, help users perform better on mental rotation tasks. We show through the experiments how these results may be attributed, at least in part, to large displays immersing users within the problem space and biasing them into using more efficient cognitive strategies. In the latter two experiments, we extend these results, showing the presence of these ...
The creation of crowd-sourced content in learning systems is a powerful method for adapting learn... more The creation of crowd-sourced content in learning systems is a powerful method for adapting learning systems to the needs of a range of teachers in a range of domains, but the quality of this content can vary. This study explores linguistic differences in teacher-created problem content in ASSISTments using a combination of discovery with models and correlation mining. Specifically, we find correlations between semantic features of mathematics problems and indicators of learning and engagement, suggesting promising areas for future work on problem design. We also discuss limitations of semantic tagging tools within mathematics domains and ways of addressing these limitations.
Proceedings of the 22nd European Conference on Pattern Languages of Programs, 2017
Increasingly, computer-based learning systems are used by educators to facilitate learning. Evalu... more Increasingly, computer-based learning systems are used by educators to facilitate learning. Evaluations of several math learning systems show that they result in significant student learning improvements. Feedback provision is one of the key features in math learning systems that contribute to its success. We have recently been uncovering feedback design patterns as part of a larger pattern language for math problems and learning support in online learning systems. In this paper, we present three feedback design patterns developed from the application of the data-driven design pattern methodology on a large educational dataset collected from actual student data in a math online learning system. These design patterns can help teachers, learning designers, and other stakeholders construct effective feedback for interactive learning activities that facilitate student learning.
Proceedings of the VikingPLoP 2017 Conference on Pattern Languages of Program, 2017
Pedagogical design patterns offer high-quality solutions to known educational problems. Design pa... more Pedagogical design patterns offer high-quality solutions to known educational problems. Design patterns are meant to guide teachers' pedagogical decisions to improve student learning in varied learning contexts such as intelligent tutoring systems, traditional classrooms, online learning systems, and so forth. In theory, design patterns are written so that they are applicable to multiple learning contexts, but, in practice, we wonder if pedagogical design patterns intended specifically for one learning environment can be used in other learning environments. We explore this theoretical question for practical reasons. Over the past three years, we applied existing pedagogical design patterns and wrote new pedagogical patterns to enhance student feedback for math problems in an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) called ASSISTments. It was more difficult than expected for two reasons: there are few pedagogical design patterns specifically for ITSs and contextual features for design p...
On-demand help in intelligent learning environments is typically linked to better learning, but m... more On-demand help in intelligent learning environments is typically linked to better learning, but may lead to longer completion times. This present work provides an analysis of how students interacted with a summer learning assignment when on-demand help was available, compared to when it was not. When hints were available from the start, students were more likely to delay work, compared to students for whom step-wise hints were only available after the third problem. When hints were always available, participants took significantly more time to complete a mastery learning assignment. We interpret this difference in time to complete the assignment as an opportunity to re-engage in productive math learning.
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