Abstract:

If you want to thoroughly learn a subject, teach it to someone else. This is a concept that many teachers have utilized in the “see one, do one, teach one” method to enhance student comprehension. At East Tennessee State University’s Department of Digital Media, upper-level project-based animation courses are repeatable for credit. This paper details the methodology used in the classroom where repeating students serve as mentors to students taking the course for the first time. This process gives first-time students additional resources for project feedback and advice as they work on their animation projects. Repeating students learn through teaching the less experienced students and helping solve unforeseen problems in addition to their own project production requirements for the course. This paper details the required mentoring methods implemented in the Character Animation course at ETSU. This method enhanced the classroom experience, gave students a high level of satisfaction, and has even introduced a few students to potential future teaching and mentoring opportunities. The paper will also show the difficulties and unforeseen issues that arose in utilizing this method.

Keywords:

Animation, Mentor, Project-based, Motivation.