Architecture Instruction Media


In Winter 2020, John McMorrough launched “Architecture Instruction Media”, a seminar which addressed how design education might be delivered online.  As a precedent study exercise, students were asked to analyze instructional videos.  John has graciously agreed to share the research and outcomes.  His curated list of precedents, based on four instructional methods: “Declaration”, “Demonstration”, “Depiction” & “Divination” are clickable below.  Student analysis links follow each video.


Declaration – Instruction by Describing





Adult Swim’s “Joe Pera Talks with You” Series

Joe Pera teaches us about iron, among other things, with humorous, narrative-driven content delivery.

Case Study by Frederick Foote.


TED Talks “Starter Pack”. 

Ted Talks are succinct (maximum 18 minutes) lectures on a variety of topics ranging from the environment to self care.

Case Study by Abby Stock.


MIT Open Courseware (MOOCS).

These classes, originally taught and filmed at MIT, have been put online for public consumption.  As such, the form has not been well-adapted to an online environment.

Case Study by Ishan Pal.


EdX Harvard (MOOCS).

Standard lectures delivered by a Harvard professor, with interactive question/answer sessions and interspersed animations.

Case Study by Amlin Eshita.


Demonstration – Instruction by Showing





Khan Academy’s “Algebra I”. 

Conversational and approachable, Sal Khan works out math problems in real time on a digital blackboard.

Case Study by John Vieweg.


Adobe TV Tutorials. 

Theatrically staged, bite-sized series of Adobe tutorials led by Julieanne Kost.

Case Study by Cameron WIlliams.


Bon Appétit “Pastry Chef Attempts to Make” Series. 

Step by step, Claire Saffitz teaches you how to cook.

Case Study by Rhoda Du.


Dan TDM Minecraft YouTube Channel.

Learn and play Minecraft vicariously with YouTuber DanTDM.

Case Study by Anhong Li.



Depiction – Instruction by Reenacting





FutureLearn “Study Techniques” (MOOCS).

A single presenter delivers a short lecture in front of a green screen, interspersed with animated diagrams and other footage.

Case Study by Daham Marapane.


Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell “The Existential Crisis” YouTube Playlist.

Short, playful animations paired with voice narration help explain complex topics ranging from war to climate change.







“The Nerdwriter” YouTube Playlist.

A piece of media is broken up and analyzed into its component parts through the use of graphic overlays and voice narration.

Case Study by Kungang Ding.


School of Life “Self” YouTube Playlist.

Each 3-7 minute video has a unique representational style, ranging from 2D animations, puppets, human actors or collages.

Case Study by Ryan Cohn.



Divination – Instruction by Simulation





Wisecrack “Deep or Dumb” Video Series.

A film is analyzed by way of graphic overlays and voice narration to determine whether it is deep, or dumb.

Case Study by Victoria Yu.


Vice’s “The Therapist” Series.

Live psychotherapy with Dr. Siri Sat Nam Sing, where Pavlovian-like sounds structure the video editing of the series (the bell, in particular, signifies meaningful transitions in each therapy session).

Case Study by Canqi Mu.


Adult Swim’s “Off the Air” Series.

Centered around a topic such as animals (S1E1), “Off The Air” collages animations, found footage and music into a multisensory fever dream.

Taubman College Online Teaching Care Package