In 2022 the Department of Education in Victoria worked with DATTA Vic to develop a series of Minecraft Design challenges.

Station Ideation

This first was Station Ideation, a ground-breaking design challenge based in Melbourne’s new Town Hall Station, part of the Metro Tunnel rail line which will open to the public in 2025. Using Minecraft: Education Edition, students were some of the first to travel through this newly released world. But even though the competition is over, teachers can still use the resources to get your students engaged in authentic user-centred design.

On your journey through the station, the Metro Tunnel design team will invite your class to join them in transforming a space to meet the needs of all future passengers. As they explore there will be so much to be inspired by, including creative design solutions that showcase history and culture and support passenger wellbeing, station accessibility, time management and station sustainability.

This activity is aligned to the Victorian Design & Technologies curriculum Years 5/6 and Years 7/8.

CHALLENGE RESOURCES

• Online teacher PD recording to get you started
• Presenter slides from Microsoft’s Troy Waller on Using Minecraft in the Classroom
• Project Overview (with Minecraft Links)
• Year 5/6 Teachers Resource
• Year 5/6 Student Resource – Digital Portfolio
• Year 7/8 Teachers Resource
• Year 7/8 Student Resource – Digital Portfolio

STATION IDEATION DESIGN PROCESS VIDEOS

• Investigate
• Generate
• Produce

3 more Minecraft City Design Challenges!

Following the success of Station Ideation, DATTA Vic was asked to develop 3 more challenges that students could create using the Mini Melbourne Minecraft Map

Again these come with editable, structured student digital portfolios and embedded design process videos.

Grow Melbourne – Students engage in urban agriculture design

Energise Melbourne – Students create renewable energy sources for the city

Healthy Melbourne – Students redesign the city to encourage more active and healthier lifestyles

Minecraft City Design Challenge – Teacher Notes