Nancy Richardson Design Center Courses Open to everyone, our courses give you a competitive edge

Learn to apply design thinking tools and decisions making strategies to discover, construct and individualize your college experience and future career. (AUCC 3C)

Credits: 3
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: CSU Online

Learn the principles of design thinking in practice with opportunities to work on real-world issues for companies like the Food Bank of Larimer County, Defy Colorado, and Target Corp. (AUCC 3B)

Credits: 3
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Learn the essentials of Rhinoceros 3D to build models and explore the prototyping labs 3D printers, laser cutters, and plotter machines.

Credits: 2
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Gain skills in Photoshop and Illustrator in a course that will benefit all of your future creative endeavors.

Credit: 1
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn the basics of woodworking and construction by exploring the various machines that the Wood Lab has to offer. Discover the factors that make wood different than other material options.

Credit: 1
Offered: Fall (odd years)
Instruction: Face to Face

Create your own textile designs and patterns with Illustrator and other creative software, and get the opportunity to print on fabric in our Prototyping Lab.

Credit: 1
Offered: Fall (variable even & odd years)
Instruction: Face to Face

Explore the possibilities of augmented and virtual reality in our Ideation Lab and VR Computer Teaching Lab with unique classroom capabilities.

Credits: 3
Offered: Fall (even years)
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Learn how to create an impactful visual story using sequential art techniques to prototype a graphic novel.

Credit: 1
Offered: Fall (odd years)
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Communicate object function and detailed construction plans by learning how to illustrate the specifications of your ideas and designs.

Credit: 1
Offered: Fall (even years)
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Create your own projects in embedded computing technology. Learn to add interaction, connectivity and sophistication to your designs using Arduinos and Raspberry Pis.

Credits: 2
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face

Use best practices for participatory design with community partners to promote “iterative tinkering” and equitable relationships.

Credits: 1
Offered: as needed
Instruction: Face to Face

Explore transferring your digital creations to tangible products through various printing techniques. Learn eco-UV and cyanotype (blue print) printing methods before moving to screen printing and woodblock printing.

Credit: 1
Special Offering Fall 2023!
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn the Basics of 3D animation using open source software (e.g., Blender) to explore product mockups and computer generated imagery in narrative expression.

Credits: 3
Offered: Fall (odd years)
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Build on your wood working skills and create original furniture designs with wood using more complex techniques and the CNC router. If you have prior experience with woodworking techniques, reach out to us for an override.

Credits: 2
Offered: Fall (even years)
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn skills for facilitating effective learning in one of our design thinking courses.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face

Design for community partners of your choice, solving real problems by fabricating solutions in the labs. Internship opportunities available following course.

Credits: 3
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face

Foster the development of your professional skills and perfect your utilization and understanding of 21st century skills in the workplace.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: every Fall
Instruction: Face to Face

With a team, investigate areas of special interest in interdisciplinary and collaborative topics related to design thinking.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: as needed
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn to apply design thinking tools and decisions making strategies to discover, construct and individualize your college experience and future career. (AUCC 3C)

Credits: 3
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Learn the principles of design thinking in practice with opportunities to work on real-world issues for companies like the Food Bank of Larimer County, Defy Colorado, and Target Corp. (AUCC 3B)

Credits: 3
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Learn how to design, iterate, prototype, and engineer with paper using your hands and tools from the prototyping labs. You’ll learn to fold, joint, connect and construct functional objects and products as you’ll push the limits of what paper can become.

Credit: 1
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn diverse communication techniques to display information and data and meaningfully communicate your ideas towards intended audiences through the use of Adobe creative suite.

Credit: 1
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

Explore basics of metal fabrication to bring your designs to life. You’ll learn form and joinery techniques on the MIG, TIG, and Plasma machines in our Metal Lab.

Credit: 1
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

Use best practices for participatory design with community partners to promote “iterative tinkering” and equitable relationships.

Credits: 1
Offered: as needed
Instruction: Face to Face

Create interactive experiences and serious games using design thinking strategies and digital game development engines (e.g., Unity).

Credits: 3
Offered: Spring (even years)
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Explore design thinking principles and processes through the exploration of low-tech prototyping. In this class, you’ll learn to use all equipment in our prototyping lab, and apply those skills to create low-tech/low-fidelity prototypes based on specific user needs.

Credits: 3
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

After learning the basics of Rhinoceros 3D software, stretch the limits of 3D modeling as you dive deeper into model creation and test your ideas in the prototyping lab. If you have experience in another 3D Modeling program and laser cutting, reach out to us for an override into this course.

Credits: 2
Offered: Spring (even years)
Instruction: Face to Face

Take your printed textile design to the next level by learning to use the long arm quilter, CNC embroidery machine, seam welder, laser cutter and sewing machines. IDEA 310F is recommended, but you may reach out to us for an override if you have yet to take IDEA310F.

Credits: 2
Offered: Spring (variable odd & even years)
Instruction: Face to Face

Build on your metal fabrication skills and create original designs with metal using more complex welding techniques and the CNC mill.

Credits: 2
Offered: Spring (odd years)
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn skills for facilitating effective learning in one of our design thinking courses.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

Utilize all of our labs and your design thinking skills in a semester-long project designing and building a tiny home.

Credits: 3
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

Partner with the United States Department of Defense to work on a semester-long national security problem.

Credits: 3
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face & CSU Online

Foster the development of your professional skills and perfect your utilization and understanding of 21st century skills in the workplace.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: every Spring
Instruction: Face to Face

With a team, investigate areas of special interest in interdisciplinary and collaborative topics related to design thinking.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: as needed
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn the principles of design thinking in practice with opportunities to work on real-world issues for companies like the Food Bank of Larimer County, Defy Colorado and Target Corp. (AUCC 3B)

Credits: 3
Offered: every Summer
Instruction: During the first 4-week term via hybrid online and CSU Online, and Face to Face during the second 8-week term

Explore transferring your digital creations to tangible products through various printing techniques. Learn eco-UV and cyanotype (blue print) printing methods before moving to screen printing and woodblock printing.

Credit: 1
Offered: every Summer
Instruction: Face to Face

Learn skills for facilitating effective learning in one of our design thinking courses.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: every Summer
Instruction: Face to Face

Foster the development of your professional skills and perfect your utilization and understanding of 21st century skills in the workplace.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: every Summer
Instruction: Face to Face

With a team, investigate areas of special interest in interdisciplinary and collaborative topics related to design thinking.

Credits: 1-6
Offered: as needed
Instruction: Face to Face

Experience first hand how design thinking facilitates understanding of our environment and the identification of ill-defined societal problems in both design and non-design contexts.

Credits: 3
Offered: every Spring

Take with CSU Online

Explore designing and conducting human-centered research and co-design methods common to innovation frameworks.

Credits: 3

Explore developments in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies and how they are shaping the future.

Credit: 1

Learn how virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technology helps us to better understand diverse human perspectives.

Credit: 1

Learn how inclusive design principles and theories aid in immersive learning and therapeutic experiences.

Credit: 1

Explore and analyze how immersive virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies impact and aid in the understanding of complex information.

Credit: 1

Learn how to create virtual worlds using the Unity game engine to provide hands-on experience in application prototyping.

Credit: 1

Explore concepts of hand-fabricated and digital/computer game development and the benefit of games when tackling  social change and civic engagement.

Credit: 1