Meet the Instructors Help

Brad Hokanson is a professor in Graphic Design at the University of

Minnesota and serves as Associate Dean for Research and Outreach
for the College of Design. He has taught an ongoing course on
Creative Problem Solving at the University of Minnesota since 2000
and it remains the focus of his academic work. He has received
multiple teaching awards at the University.

He has a diverse academic record, including degrees in art [Carleton],

architecture [Minnesota], urban design [Harvard], and received his
Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Minnesota. He is a registered architect with a
number of award winning projects, although no longer in active practice.

His research focus is on the development of creativity. Within his courses, he has seen increases in
measured creativity of 50-70%. He has published his research in a wide range of journals and he has
presented the results at various conferences.

He currently is researching the relationship between creativity and achievement in school children,
comparing measured creativity with standardized achievement scores in approximately 2000 students
in a suburban school district.

Visits to Buenos Aires support his Argentine tango habit, and he will be in Buenos Aires in March,
as well as Montevideo, Uruguay on the same trip. We'll try and set up a time to meet in
person!

Marit McCluske is an instructor currently based in the College of

Design at the University of Minnesota, where she recently received her
MFA in Graphic Design. She is an award-winning educator, and was a
teaching assistant for many sections of Creative Problem Solving over
the course of two years. She teaches classes in design, photography
and drawing, and also continues a practice as an interactive designer,
photographer, and illustrator.

Her research and creative work explore the perceptive connections

between auditory, visual, and tactile design elements, and how they can be used in interaction design
to develop creativity, problem solving and other cognitive skills. Her current work integrates design
theory with cognitive and educational psychology to develop meaningful sensory interaction through
emerging technology, applied in learning environments.

When she's not making pictures, coding or rendering video, she's rocking out on her classical guitar,
or outside wandering the great north by bike or by ski.

Jody Lawrence (Teaching Assistant) is a PhD student at the College

of Design at the University of Minnesota. With a background in
architecture, design pedagogy, teaching, and science, Jodys scholarly
interests stem from a diverse integration of disciplines. Currently, Jody
is working on a pilot study to investigate teacher perceptions of
innovation in classroom design. In addition to her academic
endeavors, Jody finds inspiration from her wonderfully creative 9 year
old and exceptionally athletic husband.

Created Tue 18 Feb 2014 4:18 AM PHT

Last Modified Thu 27 Feb 2014 7:12 AM PHT