Zayed University students take part in SWIPE exhibition
November 17, 2013
Zayed University’s College of Arts and Creative Sciences took an active part in a creative exhibition entitled “Social Change in the Digital Age” (SWIPE), that was organized on Zayed University’s Dubai campus from November 7 to 13, 2013.
SWIPE is an interactive exhibition that uses the iPad technology and presents the work of an interdisciplinary design that was offered during the Fall semester 2013. Under the supervision and guidance of Professors Denielle Emans and Adina Hempel, the course emphasizes social responsibility in professional design practice and showcases to students how design can contribute to positive environmental, humanitarian, and social change in the UAE, all of which falls in line with the Mobile Government initiative.
On her participation in the exhibition, Zayed University student Sherina Abdullah Lootah said: "The exhibition was a great opportunity for my classmates and I to share our ideas and findings with the community through our own designs. It felt great to see that come to life through ebooks because it is very common in the UAE to see people as well as their children use iPads greatly but it is not common to see people, and especially designers, creating ebooks in a new interactive and more interesting way for the people (especially the new generations that depend a lot on iPads)”.
Another participating Zayed University student, Jamila Ibrahim Alhousani, said: “Graphic Design has a great role in social change. We were able to use modern technology for social issues, to make changes in our community. I think "Design for Social Change" is the voice of the community, we were talking about procrastination, technology effects, obesity and other important issues for the community. This kind of exhibitions is very important because it includes all that will better our nation and further advance it”.
On the College of Arts and Creative Sciences students’ participation in the exhibition, Zayed University Professor Denielle Emans said: “Within the University learning environment, exhibitions that use digital technologies such as the iPad, can positively impact student engagement, confidence levels, and attitudes toward learning. Not only are exhibitions an exciting forum for students to share their work, but they also present an engaging medium to teach others about socially and culturally relevant topics. A great benefit of the multi-touch environment is its ability to capture the attention of readers using sound and motion, without sacrificing content related learning. Even further, the increase in professional engagement and internship opportunities that result from a well-developed exhibition, makes it an ideal approach to building professional readiness in students, while encouraging community engagement.”
