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Designing Purposeful Computer Graphics Projects using the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Real-World Data

DescriptionHow can we make the teaching of computer graphics (CG) concepts more engaging and purposeful? This case study explores the project-based assessments of a second-year undergraduate CG-focused elective course. Throughout the semester, CG skills and knowledge are built alongside a scaffolded sequence of project activities and collaborative studio practice. The course attracts a diverse cohort, including learners from non-programming disciplines, so studio practice becomes a valuable way to combine creative literacy with emerging computational fluency. The projects are motivated by a learner-selected United Nations Sustainable Development Goal and an accompanying statistic, with the graphical and computational challenge to visually convey: (i) What is the issue? (ii) Why does the issue exist? and (iii) How do we bring change? Applying this real-world lens encourages learners to see CG programming not only as a technical skill, but as a purposeful practice with social impact. We present reflections on assessment techniques and challenges, highlighting how purpose-led, data-informed, interdisciplinary contexts can motivate learners, foster creativity, and position CG as a driver for social change.

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