Explore your creativity
Design Connect is an immersive outreach and engagement program run by the Design team at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art and Design (QCAD) . The program is available to high school teachers and students in South-East Queensland and Northern NSW.
Teacher professional development
Enhance your design teaching
Held at our Gold Coast campus, we offer design-focused professional development (PD) days for teachers, covering design thinking, digital tools, and innovative teaching strategies. Our workshops are designed to help you earn PD points while gaining practical skills that you can bring back to your classroom.
Interactive learning
Participate in immersive hands-on workshops that deepen your understanding of design principles.
Earn PD points
Fulfil your professional development requirements while adding to your teaching toolkit.
Innovative teaching methods
Explore the latest trends in design education and technologies and learn strategies to apply them in your classroom.
High school student workshops (Years 10 – 12)
Explore your creativity in Design at Griffith University
We offer interactive workshops for high school students to experience the dynamic world of design through hands-on activities. Held at our state-of-the-art Gold Coast campus, these workshops provide a glimpse into university life, allowing students to meet our industry-informed design teachers and explore our studio spaces. Students engage in mini-design briefs, collaborate on projects, explore various design disciplines, and build their portfolio towards university entry.
Hands-on experience
Dive into design thinking and creative problem-solving.
University taster
Experience a day in the life of a design student at Griffith.
Interactive Workshops
Work on real design briefs, experiment with materials, and develop your technical skills.
Design Futures with Digital Tools
Professional Development for Design, Technology, and Art Teachers.
This workshop series empowers educators in Northern NSW/South-East Queensland to harness 3D printing, and video production for classroom innovation.
Each workshop stands alone but together creates an integrated learning journey—from generating ideas with AI to producing tangible objects and compelling digital content using accessible, classroom-ready tools. All materials provided.
Workshop 1: From Imagination to Object
AI Sketch to 3D Print
Bring ideas to life — from sketch to text to 3D. Teachers will explore a full AI-to-3D workflow: generating product ideas using Vizcom.ai, modelling the concept in Tinkercad, and preparing it for 3D printing. We'll also explore using Adobe Stager for quick rendering and Sketchfab with USDZ exports for viewing 3D objects in AR on iPad — ideal for immersive learning environments.
Workshop Details
Skill Focus: AI ideation, basic CAD, 3D printing workflow, rendering
Perfect For: Product, Design, and Technology teachers and students
Date: Saturday, 16 August 2025
Time: 10am until 3pm with a break for lunch.
Location: Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University Gold Coast Campus
Cost: $85 All materials and a light lunch will be provided.
*Minimum number of participants needed to run the workshop
Workshop 2: Lights, Camera, Prototype
Make a Product Ad with In-Camera Effects
Shoot a slick ad — no expensive equipment required. Using only a smartphone, clever lighting tricks, and household props, teachers will learn how to film cinematic product ads. They'll capture short clips of their 3D printed object and edit them into a polished 20-second commercial using DaVinci Resolve.
This workshop blends storytelling, branding, and media production — perfect for cross-curricular application.
Workshop Details
Skill Focus: Video production, lighting effects, visual storytelling using smart phones and free editing software.
Perfect For: Media Arts, Design, and Digital Technology teachers and students
Date: Saturday, 1 November 2025
Time: 10am until 3pm with a break for lunch.
Location: Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University Gold Coast Campus
Cost: $85 All materials and a light lunch will be provided.
*Minimum number of participants needed to run the workshop
Find out more
For further information about Design Connect, please contact the QCAD administration team.
Expanding my knowledge and abilities
"The full day PD was designed to improve teacher's abilities in photography, focusing on portraiture. I found the PD an educational day, which allowed me to expand upon my knowledge of photography. It had indoor and outdoor sessions to work with different lighting and show what teachers could work with, using different tools."
Danielle Del Prado
Teacher, Queensland Department of Education and Training
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- Location and delivery address
- Brisbane City (South Bank)
- Queensland College of Art and Design
- Griffith University
- 226 Grey Street
- South Bank, QLD 4101
- Location and delivery address
- Gold Coast
- Queensland College of Art and Design
- Griffith University
- Parklands Drive
- Southport, QLD 4222
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