E-textile Learning Scaffolds: Supports for Novices Learning E-textile Concepts and Techniques

Electronic textiles (e-textiles) combine the conductive properties of metallic threads with increasingly small computers and microcontrollers to create textiles that are interactive. E-textiles enable new opportunities such as devices that are strong yet flexible, and the ability to use more accessible crafting tools and materials. They also allow technology to blend into the textiles we have in our lives, such as those on our bodies and in our homes. In education, e-textiles are incorporated into curriculums for how they can increase participation in physical computing, while also enabling new creative and expressive applications. Yet blending the fields of physical computing and textiles is not simple, since each has its own culture of terminology, design and prototyping practices, tools, techniques, and methods of documentation. The goal of this thesis is to support beginners in learning the hybrid craft of e-textiles with e-textile learning scaffolds. Rather than building e-textiles from scratch, e-textile learning scaffolds are activities for supporting novices as they learn e-textile concepts and practice the tacit aspects of the craft. One central research question runs throughout the projects in this thesis: "How can we scaffold e-textile ideation and experiential learning with tangible objects and activities?" This thesis contributes five studies, each providing a tangible scaffold or activity, or scaffolding recommendations, for teaching e-textiles in courses or workshops. The design of these learning scaffolds focused on how they could be accessible to educators by prioritizing reproducibility, re-use, and low-cost.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Information Technology (Digital Media)

Grantor dc:publisher

Carleton University

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Jones, Lee

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © 2022 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.22215/etd/2022-15425

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/42676