At the University of Oklahoma Polytechnic Institute (OUPI) on the OU-Tulsa campus, part of the Gallogly College of Engineering, students in Dr. John Hassell's Cloud Computing course recently took a creative approach to learning technical concepts by stepping away from the computer and into the world of zine-making.
During the class, Bethie Seay from the OU-Tulsa Library guided students through the process of creating a collaborative zine. A zine is a small, self-published booklet that combines writing, artwork, and personal expression to communicate ideas in a creative and accessible way. The exercise offered students an opportunity to understand complex ideas through discussion, illustration, and collaboration. By translating technical terminology into accessible, creative content, students engaged with course material in a different way while developing communication and teamwork skills.
“Creating the zine in a cloud computing class was honestly so unexpected and really refreshing. We walked in ready for tech talk and instead found ourselves collaborating with markers and paper. It was very fun. It brought the class together and, honestly, made the concepts stick in a way that felt personal and memorable,” said Sanaa Byron, a student ambassador.
“Cloud computing certification prep involves a large amount of highly specific material: services, tools, settings, and acronyms that students simply have to master. This exercise was an attempt to marry that intensely detailed side of the subject with a more creative mode of thinking. Rather than only defining and memorizing concepts, students had to interpret, simplify, visualize, and communicate them through narrative and design. That kind of creative application, taking deep technical knowledge and making it clear to others, is exactly what industry asks. And the students had fun with it, which never hurts,” said Dr. John Hassell, OUPI Cloud Computing course instructor.
The completed zine was created during a single class session. The success of the activity has inspired plans to incorporate similar experiences into future Cloud Computing courses, providing students with additional opportunities to explore technical concepts through innovative, collaborative learning.
