Worldbuilding For Education

Nathaniel Peters

Figure 1: Students working and a 3D model designed and rendered by an 11-year-old student

Abstract
Worldbuilding For Education (WFE) is my contribution to the
STEM-to-STEAM initiative of incorporating art and design
into the modern day classroom. WFE explores the utility of
worldbuilding, a form of multidisciplinary storytelling and
content creation, as a means to engage students of all ages in
technology and art education. WFE enables educators to work
around multiple interests and learning styles at once, giving them
the ability to simultaneously engage students in topics such as
design theory, social studies, and technical literacy education.
WFE started when I first created a complex world of my own,
recording my progress and strategies to be used as a reference
for classroom application. Then, I implemented an opt-in
afterschool 3D modeling course using Autodesk Maya at Centre
Learning Community Charter School (CLC), a middle school
in the State College Area School District. The course was built
around the activities and techniques of worldbuilding with the
goal of encouraging students to explore art and design techniques,
regardless of their previous comfort level with digital content
creation.

The Theory

Worldbuilding For Education revolves around Research-Based

Narratives (RBN). RNBs are narratives which use real world
facts to enhance the story being told. WFE utilizes RNBs by
challenging students to assemble a collection of interesting facts
they discover during their research, and growing those facts into
stories about their world. By envisioning the final outcome of the
world they imagine, students seek out the knowledge and skills
necessary to render that vision. In the end, students present their
world to their classmates through storytelling and the visuals
they create. RNBs allow students to explore their own curiosities,
while creating an environment for teachers to mold those
curiosities into an effective and engaging educational experience.

The Results

WFE is currently being used to teach 3D modeling and other

digital illustration methods to middle school students at CLC. The
class is comprised completely of volunteer students who show up
two times a week for 75 minutes of instruction after school. The
students, all between the ages of 11 and 14, have demonstrated
a surprising aptitude for understanding 3D modeling techniques,
and seeking out online tutorials to teach themselves more
advanced skills. While some students struggle with the technical
aspect of the software, the nature of RNBs still allows those
students to tell fantastic stories and engage themselves in the
research portion of the class. The faculty attendant for the classes,
Brian Rowan, remarked how the students were eating it up, and
I have been approached about teaching the 3D modeling course as
an elective during the regular school day.
The current iteration of the class is testing out the integration of
more traditional topics into the WFE framework. Specifically,
I am exploring how students react to a project designed around
the United States involvement in the First Barbary Wars.
The students have been tasked to create a world based off of
interesting facts they find while researching the Barbary Wars.
The end result will be a story recounting the events which take
place in their worlds, supported by visuals created in the software
of their choice.

The Future

The next step will be adapting WFE into a standardized school

curriculum. I am working with Brian Rowan to create a lesson
plan for a six-week course aimed to teach students about current
events and space exploration. This course will be implemented in
the 2015-2016 school year, and will feature short 3D modeling
tutorials to help the students visualize their worlds, as well as a
prefabricated world for the students to explore.