OF COURSE | 想当然 Information

Founded by a graduate of NYC's Parson School of Design and Technology, OF Course is a Shanghai-based education platform for "creative coding". Our weChat and BiliBili social media communities have grown to 30,000+ followers at present, and we welcome new students on a daily basis from STEAM-based high schools and fine arts colleges throughout China. OF Course started in 2014 as the first makerSpace in Shanghai, hosting classes in 3-D printing, laser cutting, wearable electronics, and digital prototyping. A municipal grant in 2015 allowed expansion, and we began inviting professors from the Art Institute of Chicago, the School of Visual Arts, NYU-ITP, and other design & tech programs in the US and Europe to teach at bootcamps and workshops throughout the year. In 2016 we opened a small studio staffed with 10 creative technologists to work on Shanghai-area commercial projects for Sony, Alibaba, WildAid and others. The last few years have seen our education offerings expand online. From 2017-2020 we offered courses in TouchDesigner, AR/VR, Machine Learning for Art, UI/UX, Pop-Up Store Design, and a range of other “creative technology” adjacent fields through our proprietary LMS. In 2021, we began collaboration with BiliBili, the “Youtube of China”, to produce a range of courses designed for teenagers and young adults interested in exploring the ever expanding bounds of creative coding. Nearly 30 of these courses, which combine animation, mobile app gameplay, and Articulate 360 based training, are currently available for purchase and study via the BiliBili platform.