Description
According to this study, non-compulsory online learning, that is, online learning outside examinations and formal courses, has become an important part of the self-development process of postgraduate and university students. In addition to formal courses and examination-oriented learning, students increasingly use digital platforms to learn creative skills, cultivate cultural interests, and expand fragmented knowledge. However, this voluntary mode of learning often faces problems of low persistence and low completion. The questionnaire results of this study show that more than half of the respondents can complete only a small number of online courses, while fewer than one tenth can complete almost all of them. The interview results further indicate that this problem is particularly obvious in non-compulsory learning because such learning lacks teacher supervision, direct assessment, and compulsory deadlines. The main obstacles include uninteresting course content, fragmented time, insufficient peer interaction, insufficient emotional feedback, and the limitations of screen-based learning experiences. [1][2][3]This dissertation proposes a design research project named the "Multisensory Creative Learning Ecosystem." The project re-understands non-compulsory online learning from the perspective of creative learning, because learning in writing, photography, painting, and other creative practices depends highly on perception, context, inspiration, emotional expression, and multisensory experience.
The study argues that the problem of low completion is not only a motivational problem, but also a problem of experience and embodied design. Existing platforms mainly transmit information through video, text, and audio, whereas creative learning often requires contextual perception, bodily memory, environmental awareness, tactile imagination, and social resonance. Therefore, a more appropriate learning system should connect digital content with bodily sensation, allow learners to record inspiration in real situations, and support lightweight social presence without creating excessive pressure. [5][7][10]
This project adopts a mixed design research method, including questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews, literature review, competitor and case analysis, technology exploration, workshop-
based co-evaluation, and iterative prototyping. The questionnaire identifies key problems such as low completion rate, boring content, fragmented time, and limited interaction. The interviews show that
students are usually more able to complete compulsory courses, yet find it difficult to persist in interest-oriented courses; they value progress feedback, flexible use, interpersonal connection, and autonomous
control over sensory interaction. The workshop further tested the sensory priorities, form, acceptable price, and APP page preferences of the smart hardware.
The research findings support a system direction that combines mobile APP functions with a portable multisensory device. The final selected sensory modules include temperature, airflow, vibration, material, and light. The APP includes functions such as discovery, free exploration, sensory content playback, creative recording, sharing, and personal profile. The hardware is designed as a small portable accessory that can express and reproduce selected sensory parameters. The final proposal is a software-hardware ecosystem for multisensory creative learning. It aims to transform creative learning from passive viewing into embodied participation. It supports learners in discovering creative expressions related to real environments, experiencing other people's sensory descriptions through device feedback, recording their own instant inspiration, and sharing sensory experiences with friends through synchronous co-sensing. According to the data from the questionnaire and interview-based research, this design increased students' expected weekly learning frequency for non-compulsory courses from about once per week to twice per week.
The contribution of this project is mainly reflected in three aspects. First, it transforms the issue of online learning completion rate into a design opportunity centred on embodied participation. Second, it proposes a design framework for multisensory creative learning based on user research. Third, it proposes a lightweight social and sensory interaction mode for voluntary learning contexts. This dissertation argues that multisensory interaction itself can provide a more attractive, more contextualised,and more emotionally resonant learning environment, thereby improving students' willingness to return to learning, continue exploring, and sustain participation. [4][6][7]
| Period | 22 May 2026 |
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