About
In 2006, Ricardo Mbarkho taught in the Art, Design and Technology Master Classes in the Arab States, an online course developed within UNESCO’s DigiArts programme. UNESCO, in collaboration with the Lebanese American University (LAU), the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA) and other universities in the Arab region, proposed the creation of a master module on art, design and technology for the Arab States.
The project set out to bridge the gap between the academic disciplines of computer science and those of creative practice, in a module combining computing, design and creative practice. A first master class was run on an experimental basis in 2005–2006 and evaluated by a panel of participating universities, with a view to its integration into existing curricula in the region. Its instructional design and its online learning environment were created by the Learning Environments research group.
The initiative followed the workshop on the creation of Art, Design and Technology Master Classes in the Arab States, organised by UNESCO in Linz on September 4–5, 2004, within the Ars Electronica festival. Ricardo Mbarkho was invited to it by Milagros del Corral, Director of UNESCO’s Division of Arts and Cultural Enterprise, in a letter dated July 12, 2004 (see Experts meeting, UNESCO Digi-arts).