Figure 1. Student 1 image from lighting workshop, ADM, NTU 2024.
When teachers and academics apply student-centred strategies for teaching, one of the most sought-after outcomes is to boost student confidence. The student-centred approach is designed to emphasise self-thinking and innovation, where students engage critically and creatively with their education, enjoying an experience of participation and exploration – a shared experience that increases self-confidence and reinforces the excitement and satisfaction of learning (Axbari 2020).
In this post, I will share the structure of a game technology workshop I offered in late 2024 to students who had no prior game technology knowledge. By applying a teaching method to minimise technological hurdles and focus on creative results, the workshop was a very positive experience for the students. This freedom to explore in a supportive environment empowers students to develop problem-solving skills and the confidence needed to tackle technical challenges with creativity and persistence. Students learn to navigate difficulties, reflect on their mistakes, and experiment further without fear of failure (Bhardwaj 2025). In a study by Hall and Saunders, they found that students who experienced student-centred teaching had increased participation, motivation and improved grades in a first-year information technology course. A survey of the course showed that 94% of the students preferred student-centred learning to conventional learning (Hall and Saunders 1997). When looking at how confidence enhances the learning of creative technology, numerous studies report that students who possess greater confidence are more likely to explore and master new technologies. A study by Rosales-Márquez et al. (2025) demonstrates that students with higher levels of self-confidence are more likely to develop advanced digital skills.
The workshop
At the School of Art, Design and Media, at NTU, Singapore, a three-hour workshop was set up to let film major students explore environment lighting using the game engine Unreal Engine 5. The purpose was to give the film students a positive experience of the lighting and rendering potential of the game engine technology, thus broadening their awareness of digital possibilities that they could consider applying to their own workflows. None of the students had any prior experienced working in a game engine for animation and lighting. The intention was to generate excitement and confidence by placing the students directly into a prepared scene, where they could focus specifically on lighting and light effects, without being distracted by other elements such as environment, structures, and objects.
Initially the students were instructed on how to get the software running, the basic principles of the interface, adding lights, moving the camera view, and rendering static images. As this was a lighting workshop, we focused on lighting specifics, such as light types, colour, fall-off, bloom, atmosphere, and volumetric effects. For the final 90 minutes, the students were left to develop their scene into a dramatic still life. During this free time, students were assisted individually as they discovered specific functions and techniques they wanted to achieve. Students were encouraged to help each other and move around the room. Occasionally, in response to specific challenges that would crop up, the instructor would present helpful information to the entire class on the room projector, but in general this was kept to a minimum as it was very clear that the workshop felt more energetic when the students shared knowledge amongst themselves, with background facilitation of the instructor.
As the students engaged with the creative potential of game engine lighting, and creating lighting effects that were visibly dramatic, the overall ambience of the workshop became more vocal and excitable. It did not take long for the students to feel confident enough to ask questions that went beyond the basics, such as: How do I make light rays? How do I make an object glow? How do I control the sky? At first this phase could be seen as a little chaotic, as students tended to ask questions, instead of working things out for themselves. But as time went by, the students gained confidence, began to understand the game engine software, and their inquiries and activities became more intentional. Once the students engaged with their own scene, the atmosphere became more focused. The students were essentially painting with light, colour, and camera, as they composed their scenes. The interactions involved plenty of reflection and decision-making, as witnessed by tilting heads and relaxed postures.
Figure 2. Student 2 image from lighting workshop, ADM, NTU 2024.
At the end of the class, all students presented their scenes to their peers using their computers This was much more effective than showing the results using the room’s projector, as it allowed students to walk around, which got them moving and generated interaction and discussion. Overall, the workshop was a very positive experience for all involved, and clearly generated confidence with using a game engine to generate lighting for any animation, VR or filmic project.
Figure 3. Student 3 image from lighting workshop, ADM, NTU 2024.
This same teaching approach has also been used for other aspects of animation technology in this same course and other animation courses, such as applying motion capture to characters, blending motions, texture mapping, and creating a VR environment. It would be interesting to apply the student-centred model to more areas, particularly those that tend to be taught traditionally, such as polygon modelling or rigging. The usual rigorous, step-by-step manner of teaching these very technical areas often leaves students with negative memories. If these areas could be chunked up into student-centred, focused confidence-building segments, the learning would likely become more engaging and enjoyable.
References
Images from School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. 2024.
Akbari, O., & Sahibzada, J. (2020). Students’ self-confidence and its impacts on their learning process. American International Journal of Social Science Research. https://doi.org/10.46281/aijssr.v5i1.462
Bhardwaj, V. (2025). Redefining learning: Student-centered strategies for academic and personal growth. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1518602
Rosales-Márquez, C., Carbonell-García, C. E., Miranda-Vargas, V., Diaz-Zavala, R., & Laura-De La Cruz, K. M. (2025, January). Self-confidence as a predictor of digital skills: a fundamental pillar for the digitalization of higher education. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 9, p. 1515033). Frontiers Media SA. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1515033/full
Gray Hodgkinson is an animation researcher, educator, artist and designer with interests in visual research methods, computer animation, VR and games narrative. Gray has been developing animation education and research for over 25 years and up to 2025 was an Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Gray has presented topics on animation and games research and pedagogy in over 40 international conferences and journals. In recent work, Gray has been exploring how game-engines and game design principles can influence how animated narratives are experienced. This real-time virtual design environment opens a vast arena of creative possibilities for the artist, transforming how digital worlds are created and experienced.