UA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & CREATIVE ACTIVITY CONFERENCE
2014

* Second Place / Humanities

The Carrie Project
An Accelerated Learning Opportunity
(poster presentation)


Kerstin Brown
Jess Dupuy
Samantha La Manna
Katelyn Lair
Bria Robinson
Casey Straughn
Shannon Warren
Parker Williams

Fashion Design  & Fashion Retailing
(Class of 2014 & 2015)

Dr. Marcy L. Koontz, Faculty Advisor

By definition, an accelerated learning experience is “an intensive method of study employing techniques that enable material to be learned in a relatively short time.”  When this type of experience is coupled with creativity, commitment, and courage, extraordinary things can happen. 

This poster presentation focuses on the "Carrie Project," a unique accelerated learning opportunity in the CTD 340 Portfolio Design class that lasted 20 days during the first part of the fall 2013 semester.

Apparel design students  were asked the simple question, "What if, Carrie Bradshaw, the main character on the television series Sex and the City, was an undergraduate student at The University of Alabama?" Working as a team, a storyline was quickly developed, local retailers were recruited, and locations were scouted  for the editorial photo shoots. Active engagement in the learning process, using higher-order thinking skills, was a main requirement as well as the ability to talk, write, relate and apply knowledge in a very fast-paced creative situation. The project culminated in the creation of a print catalog featuring a visual storyline and large format posters.