Meta campus presentation 
Van is obsessed with creating WOW storytelling moments using emerging animation technology such as AI, game engines, and XR to push the boundaries of storytelling using cutting-edge technology both as a creator and as a teacher to create AHA learning moments. This curiosity led him to pursue many different things, fail, and learn from each uncomfortable experience. Many interests have given him a multidisciplinary background, and his breadth of experiences have given him a unique perspective and teaching pedagogy. He strives to create "Flow" in his learner-centered classes, which foster creativity, grit, and critical thinking. He loves it when his students experience "AHA" moments while mastering demanding project-based assignments. These transformative learning moments lead to confidence in his students, preparing them for success in the new world. This has led him to conducting transformative leaning workshops at Pedagogy conferernce and getting ACUE certified.
He has taught Unreal Real-Time Game development, Unreal Animation, Layout, 2D animation, Intro 3D modeling, Character Animation, Games Animation, Advanced Animation, Directed Studies, Motion Graphics, Story, Acting for animation, Creature animation, and Studio classes.
Recently, he has been focusing on teaching using real-time game engines and AI to help students work smarter and do more. He is honored to be part of the inaugural 2023 Unreal Animation fellowship, where he shares his technical and creative knowledge helping an incredibly talented cohort push the boundaries of storytelling using Unreal! Check out Team Vassey's awesome sequence!
Van's passion for creating AHA learning moments for his students led him into teaching. Over the years, Van has been a guest speaker or has taught at these top schools: AAU, CCA, UCLA, USC, Cal Arts, LSU, LMC, MtSac, SCAD, Ringling School of Art and Design, DSU, and Santa Clara University.
Teaching Philosophy
Van Phan's interest in teaching came from his love for storytelling, animation, and learning. His multidisciplinary background and breadth of experiences have given him a unique perspective and teaching pedagogy. He strives to create “Flow” in his learner-centered classes, fostering creativity, grit, and critical thinking. He loves it when his students experience "aha" moments while mastering demanding project-based assignments. These transformative learning moments lead to confidence in his students, preparing them for success in the new world.
Mastering animation and emerging technology is as much about hard work, having fun, and working smarter as it is about talent. As a teacher, I guide my students' learning by first understanding them and tailoring my instruction to fit their unique situations. In addition to learning the fundamentals of animation, an animator needs to know more than just movement or acting to become great; they need to understand design, digital literacy, music, story, and entertainment and draw from all these disciplines to truly bring their work to life and make it stand out.
Through guiding my students to change to a growth mindset and how to make better decisions, I hope students will gain confidence that will be the impetus to make them great animators, storytellers, and someone who can adapt. As they see improvements in their work, this will motivate them to work harder. Not all students are dedicated and enthusiastic, so the teacher must present the subject in an exciting, manageable, relevant, and engaging manner by structuring the class to be more learner-centered. Ideally, courses should be project-based, engaging, collaborative, fun, and built on prior knowledge.
Learning outcomes should include intertwined theory and practice, improving critical thinking and adaptability. As learning is very challenging, it is important to stress why they are learning and connect the work with how it will set students up for success. Classroom instructions should combine artistic inspiration through viewing inspiring work, followed by technical training taught clearly. Animation students should be shown and told so they can work smarter and harder. Students should actively experience classroom exercises that will reinforce the topics recently touched upon, which are new skills in small steps. The class should be fluid and allow for mastery of learning, allowing every student to learn by varying how information is delivered and the timing of the topics.
A class should have some form of collaboration, with students giving each other feedback and teacher critique and using different learning methods such as students' presentations, Q and A, and physical demonstrations. Students are also asked to plan and research before diving into assignments. Great animation is rarely the work of an individual working alone; students must learn to collaborate and get feedback from peers using Discord to facilitate collaboration and community.
Through guiding my students to change to a growth mindset and how to make better decisions, I hope students will gain confidence that will be the impetus to make them great animators, storytellers, and someone who can adapt. As they see improvements in their work, this will motivate them to work harder. Not all students are dedicated and enthusiastic, so the teacher must present the subject in an exciting, manageable, relevant, and engaging manner by structuring the class to be more learner-centered. Ideally, courses should be project-based, engaging, collaborative, fun, and built on prior knowledge.
Learning outcomes should include intertwined theory and practice, improving critical thinking and adaptability. As learning is very challenging, it is important to stress why they are learning and connect the work with how it will set students up for success. Classroom instructions should combine artistic inspiration through viewing inspiring work, followed by technical training taught clearly. Animation students should be shown and told so they can work smarter and harder. Students should actively experience classroom exercises that will reinforce the topics recently touched upon, which are new skills in small steps. The class should be fluid and allow for mastery of learning, allowing every student to learn by varying how information is delivered and the timing of the topics.
A class should have some form of collaboration, with students giving each other feedback and teacher critique and using different learning methods such as students' presentations, Q and A, and physical demonstrations. Students are also asked to plan and research before diving into assignments. Great animation is rarely the work of an individual working alone; students must learn to collaborate and get feedback from peers using Discord to facilitate collaboration and community.
Teaching style
Using a flip "learner-centered" classroom environment with more group and individual activities and more one-on-one work with lectures kept at a minimum and offloading lectures and materials to blogs. I create blogs with links to sites and videos related to the topic and associated with the issues so we can do more productive work in class. Also, students are paired up and teach each other and work in groups and individually using Discord. This structure frees my time, so I can spend more one-on-one time with my students through one-on-one demos. Advanced students work on more advanced projects to adjust for different skill levels, while slower learners get more personalized instructions and varying learning times as needed.
The class introduces new material in small chunks that build on previous knowledge. To ensure that the students are doing their outside class assignments, they are asked to present what they have learned from the outside class readings. I make class exercises short and tangible so it is easy for me to see if the students grasp what was taught in the lecture and apply them immediately in-class exercises. Students are active in the learning process rather than passive observers. By doing so, I can see if they grasp the concepts by reviewing their work immediately in class, and this lets me know if I need to spend more time with them. For students who do outstanding work, we spend time learning from them with Q and A to learn more about their process. Also, it is essential for students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and build agility to adapt to the future. Grading policies should be fair and relevant to the topic and mimic the production environment. Students are rewarded with the quality of their work and not just effort alone. Classroom assignments should be relevant and challenging, encouraging students to apply what they have learned in lectures and reinforce prior knowledge.
Having been in animation for over 20 years, first as a student and now as a professional and educator, Van has realized that learning is a collaboration between the learner and educator. He has recently incorporated design thinking principles into his teaching and taught a multidisciplinary class, revealing more exciting insights into this research. As much as it is the learner's responsibility to work harder, it is also the educator's to teach efficiently and show their students how to work smarter while inspiring them to work harder. It is not how much the teacher knows that counts but what the student has learned from the class that matters. AHA moments can only be experienced my the learner to have the most impact.
The class introduces new material in small chunks that build on previous knowledge. To ensure that the students are doing their outside class assignments, they are asked to present what they have learned from the outside class readings. I make class exercises short and tangible so it is easy for me to see if the students grasp what was taught in the lecture and apply them immediately in-class exercises. Students are active in the learning process rather than passive observers. By doing so, I can see if they grasp the concepts by reviewing their work immediately in class, and this lets me know if I need to spend more time with them. For students who do outstanding work, we spend time learning from them with Q and A to learn more about their process. Also, it is essential for students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and build agility to adapt to the future. Grading policies should be fair and relevant to the topic and mimic the production environment. Students are rewarded with the quality of their work and not just effort alone. Classroom assignments should be relevant and challenging, encouraging students to apply what they have learned in lectures and reinforce prior knowledge.
Having been in animation for over 20 years, first as a student and now as a professional and educator, Van has realized that learning is a collaboration between the learner and educator. He has recently incorporated design thinking principles into his teaching and taught a multidisciplinary class, revealing more exciting insights into this research. As much as it is the learner's responsibility to work harder, it is also the educator's to teach efficiently and show their students how to work smarter while inspiring them to work harder. It is not how much the teacher knows that counts but what the student has learned from the class that matters. AHA moments can only be experienced my the learner to have the most impact.
Recently, he has been focusing on teaching using real-time game engines and AI to help students work smarter and do more. He is honored to be part of the inaugural 2023 Unreal Animation fellowship, where he shares his technical and creative knowledge helping an incredibly talented cohort push the boundaries of storytelling using Unreal! Check out Team Vassey's awesome sequence!
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