Study overview BSc Creative Technology

Source: https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/bachelor/programmes/creative-technology/study-programme/ Parent: https://www.utwente.nl/en/education/bachelor/programmes/creative-technology/

Challenging problems, practical solutions. Learn to convert the needs of end users into working products.

You will use your technological expertise to come up with smart, practical solutions designed to make life more comfortable, easier, better and sometimes even completely different. You will be taught in modern labs by top scientists eager to share the latest scientific developments with you.

Podcast: Creative Technology in 15 minutes\ In this podcast episode, students Nina and Daniel will tell you everything you need to know about their study programme.

Modules Creative Technology

From your first year, you work on real world challenges. You collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, explore and analyse a problem until you understand its core, and then develop solutions that can truly make a difference.

Students before you designed, for example, a rollator for children, a sweatshirt that shows your mood, and an Internet of Things escape room. Just like them, you will create smart technological solutions that look good and have real societal impact.

Overview modules

Year 1EC
Module 1 | Foundations of CreaTe15

The first module is all about getting started as a creative technologist and being introduced to different disciplines. The module consists out of the following courses:

Introduction to CreaTe (Theory & Academic skills; Tools & Hackathon Theme 1; Tools & Hackathon Theme 2): this course offers you theory thatintroduces various aspects typical of the field of Creative Technology and gives basis for Interactive Media and Smart Technology.

Mathematics 1: in this module you have a sprint week in mathematics that you can take at the basic level or the advanced level.

Introduction to Computer Science & Programming: the basics of computer science will be taught to you to provide some foundations for the rest of your year. You are introduced to a programming language called Processes. You'll be taught how to do basic coding in a visual way.

Professional Development: the course in which you are free to pick a direction for your own personal development. You can choose a training, a course or workshops that will help you develop further as a Creative Technologist.

Modules 1-8 have time dedicated to professional development which you will use to broaden and deepen your knowledge and skills in the field of Creative Technology, and develop yourself as a professional. - Module 2 | Smart Environments15

In the Smart Environments module students learn various techniques from different disciplines that are needed to invent, design and realize a (prototype of) a smart environment. It consists out of the following courses:

Smart Environments Core consisting of:\ - Smart Environment Project: in this project you get to design and create a prototype for a smart product. This means a product that can solve a problem by adapting in smart ways.\ - Smart Environment lectures and Programming & Physical Computing:this course teaches you about interactive systems and how to work with an arduino.

Introduction to Engineering consists of Sounds and Circuits (in which you will learn about basics of electrical circuits and sound waves in lab sessions), and Mathematics 2.

Interactive Visualisation: this part of the module focuses on basic techniques like some elementary 3D modeling, and scripting for interaction using Unity3D.

Professional Development: the course in which you are free to pick a direction for your own personal development. You can choose a training, a course or workshops that will help you develop futher as a Creative Technologist. - Module 3 | Living & Working tomorrow15

As an independent creative professional, it is necessary that you develop skills to generate ideas (ideation), explore and tinker. It is also necessary that you can imagine, realize, present and evaluate ideas in the context of an external assignment.

One of the main attributes of a creative engineer is visualising and concretising ideas, both as an independent professional or by external assignment. These ideas need to be presented in a way that allows for tinkering, tweaking, playing and testing - before they are ready for market or production. There are many ways for visualising or realising ideas in such a way that they can be presented to and discussed with others. This process of choosing a representation, tinkering and explorative research is the bottom-line of this module.

Central topic in the module is assignments by external clients. The assignments deal with both technology (smart products, electronics, new media) and design aspects. Students have to make a well-balanced choice in the tools they use for visualising and discussing their solutions (mock-ups, prototypes, simulation, 3D visualisation, movie) and evaluate the work that has been realised (discuss evaluation criteria, produce and evaluate measurement results, discuss their choices in shape and design and used methodology). - Module 4 | Art, Impact & Technology15

Module 4 will close off year 1 but will be a lot of fun as it is focussed on human interaction and art. The primary objective is to develop an installation that has an emotional impact on the spectator / participant by way of making an artistic statement. Practical application or utility is not of primary concern unless it is part of the statement. Further, the students tell the story, both visually and textually, behind the (creation) of their installation and place it in its context, both for the user interaction, and also for the artistic tradition.

Art [&&] Impact Project: this is the project in which you will create an interactive art installation for the Gogbot festival. After the summer holiday you will even have a chance to present your installation at the festival in September.

Design for Experience:in this courseyou will learn how to design a product or interaction in such a way that you convey the experience that you want to create.

Algorithms for Creative Technology:this course tackles the programming part of designing an interactive installation experience. You'll get a series of assignments on algorithms that form a solid basis on algorithmic knowledge and that are relevant in the context of Creative Technology.

Statistics:this course teaches you the foundations of statistics and probabilities. The knowledge learned in this course can be used for predicting and calculate the impact of a product or installation.

Professional Development: the course in which you are free to pick a direction for your own personal development. You can choose a training, a course or workshops that will help you develop further as a Creative Technologist. - Year 2EC
Module 5 | Specialisation15

This module is an elective module. The subjects in these three sub-modules vary, but both will offer you the fundamental knowledge of tools you will frequently use when you carry out your profession.

Smart Technology (systems, signals, smart environments)\ In the Smart Technology specialisation, you will learn about systems, signals and smart environments. You will be thought the processes behind filters, amplifiers, step responses, sensors, and control systems. This theory will then be applied in lab sessions where you will be able to work with these concepts. Additionally, you will receive the mathematics which is necessary to understand systems and signals. A Smart Tech Hackathon will mark the end of the specialisation. In this hackathon you will build installations in small groups with the knowledge you have acquired during the specialisation.

Interactive Media (internet, games, visualisation)\ In the Interactive Media specialisation you will learn what is needed to animate movies and games. You will work with concepts such as the analysis and synthesis of sound, game theory, and 3D visualisations and animations. Additionally, you will learn to use virtual reality and augmented reality. All the acquired knowledge in this specialisation will be combined into a final project. In this project you will create an interactive experience or 3D game in pairs.

Humane by design\ Humane by design is offered by VU Amsterdam. This specialisation focuses on raising awareness of the consequences of technology for people and society as a whole. - Module 6 | Interaction Design15

Which factors should you consider in the interaction between people and technical systems? In this module, you will learn designing for User Experience through Human Computer Interaction, realising, and evaluating low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes of an interactive system. - Module 7 | Hands-on AI15

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are very present in our daily and professional lives. Understanding them and being able to use them in your designs, prototypes and installations is what we aim at with this module.\ We choose a hands-on approach, you will learn by doing, for example programming with Python on a dedicated hardware (touch-sensitive patch). - Module 8 | Data: from the Sources to the Senses15

Module 8 centres around the Hybrid Worlds project, in which you will build an installation that showcases the interplay between the physical world and the digital world using an interactive data physicalisation. You will, for example, might come up with an interactive installation, such as a table-top screen that can display a three-dimensional, colour-lit bar chart presenting the migration flows in a given country.

You will draw on all the knowledge and skills you acquired in previous modules. The goal is to use and process data from various sources, and to present them in a physical, interactive installation. - Year 3EC
Modules 9 & 10 | Electives30

Modules 9 & 10 are electives, these are your options:
- Do a pre-master’s course to prepare for a master’s programme.\
- Spend half a year (a semester) studying at a university abroad.\
- Do an internship at a company, and discover your added value as a Creative Engineer.\
- Is your ambition to teach? Choose the Education minor and get a second-degree teaching qualification, which will allow you to work as a teacher at high-school level.
Or choose another module at UT (view all minors). - Modules 11 & 12 | Bachelor's Assignment30

In the second half of your third year, you get to choose from a number of electives in the fields of human technology interaction, ethics and professional conduct. You will also take (compulsory) subjects, including Academic Writing and Reflection. These are designed to help you to successfully complete your graduation assignment. Throughout these last six months, you will be busy with your graduation assignment, solving a current issue in a scientific way.

Before you start, we will discuss with you the research question you want to focus on. You can carry out your project at UT, in the business world or, for example, at a government organisation. Upon completion of your graduation thesis, you will receive your bachelor’s diploma and you can officially call yourself Bachelor of Science (BSc).

Courses Creative Technology

Curious which courses are part of the modules? You can download the course information below.

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First time at university

As a first-year student, you will face a lot of new experiences. We’d like to explain a few of them to you.

You complete modules

During your three-year bachelor's programme, you will take 12 modules (4 modules per year). Each module, you will address a theme that is hot in society, business or industry. This theme will bring together all the components of your study: theory and practice, research, designing solutions, self-study and teamwork.

A fixed part of every module is the team project, in which you and your teammates apply the knowledge you have acquired to a current challenge and design a workable solution. This learning method is part of the Twente Education Model (TOM): an innovative approach to studying that you will only find at the University of Twente.

Study credits - how do they work?

Student workload at Dutch universities is expressed in EC, also named ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), which is widely used throughout the European Union. In the Netherlands, each credit represents 28 hours of work. You need to acquire 60 credits each year.

Your programme assigns fixed numbers of hours to each assignment, project report or exam. In the first year, you need to get at least 45 out of 60 points to be able to continue to the second year.

Did you get 45 EC or more? Then you can enter the second year

Our aim is to get you in the right place as soon as possible, which is why we use the principle of a binding recommendation. You will receive a positive recommendation if you have obtained 45 or more of the 60 EC in the first year. A negative recommendation is binding and means you have to leave the programme. Under certain circumstances, we may give you a positive recommendation despite a low score. For example, if we are confident that you are in the right place.

Do personal circumstances such as illness or problems interfere with your study performance? Student Affairs Coaching & Counselling (SACC) is there to support you.

Study adviser

As a student, you can always contact a Study Adviser. Study Advisers know all about your study programme and can guide you through your academic career. You can also contact your Study Adviser for advice and guidance on how to tackle your studies, study planning, the choice of subjects and your study progress. Private matters affecting your studies, such as motivation, doubts and falling behind due to personal circumstances, can also be shared with as Study Adviser. For example, in some situations, you might want to discuss with your Study Adviser whether you need extra help from a UT psychologist or a student counsellor from Student Affairs Coaching & Counselling (SACC).