At the Little U L.A.D Studio, we guide teens in Competencies in the Creative Industry. There are 4 core modules in L.A.D Studio. Each module is pegged to a criteria from the competency Creativity. Students who finish each module successfully will obtain a credit for their MTC Learning Record. The modules repeat in cycles of 2 years. Each module will take up 1 term (or 16 weeks).
Each module has …
1) a required reading list. Students who are unable to read the texts will be given replacement materials to support their learning needs.
2) a project cover sheet. The project cover sheet (and appendixed documents) will be the final evidence uploaded to the MTC portal for the MTC Learning Record. Once accepted by the administrator on the portal, the evidence is equivalent to 1 credit obtained for the competency.
Product Design
Taught by Grace Tan, Program Director of L.A.D Studio
Launched :Term 1, 2024
Criteria : Self-Direction
Skills picked up in this module :
User-Centered Design (UCD) : Understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviours of end-users. This involves techniques like user research, interviews, getting feedback.
Prototyping: Being able to create prototypes by various tools and techniques to recreate a 3-dimensional object that represents the proposed item.
Graphic Design: Being able to use good design principles of typography, hierarchy, framing, balance, proportion, colour to create visually understandable content.
Design Thinking : Approach problems creatively by generating innovative solutions and empathising users.
Communication: Being able to use images, text, and information to effectively communicate your idea so viewers can understand what you are trying to say.
This is an introduction to production design. Students will learn to make a product for a particular group. They will understand what good design is, and use models to create and express an idea.
Final submissions by students of Little U
View the Project Cover Sheet for the full information about this module.
Access is given only to Little U students.
Architecture
Taught by Grace Tan, Program Director of L.A.D Studio
Launched : Term 2, 2024
Criteria : Adaptation
Skills picked up in this module :
Scale drawing: We learn to be able to translate real world dimensions into scaled drawings.
3D building: We learn to build models that represent a scaled version of the actual space.
Structural engineering: We learn how different forces work in a building and build a structure to test these forces out.
Conceptualising: We learn to translate our idea into a building or space.
Communication: We learn to explain the purpose and meaning of my creation so that others can understand it.
Site survey: We learn to identify and represent human and vehicular pathways, geographical features, landscape,views, sun paths, buildings etc
This is an introduction to architecture and building skills. Students will learn to make scaled drawings and models, learn how to understand a site, and apply structural building principles. All these will translate into creating a space or building.
Final Submission Examples
View the Project Cover Sheet for the full information about this module.
Access is given only to Little U students.
Final submissions by students of Little U
A Family House | A Castle-Like House | Between the Waterfall and the Stream | A Modern House |
The final submission was externally evaluated by Daniel Pillai, Principal of WOW Architects. As a Principal in WOW Architects, Daniel is actively involved at the intersections of architectural practice, research & academia. His current repertoire of projects spans across high-end luxury private residential and hospitality developments in Singapore, Vietnam and India. Daniel brings over 20 years of experience in interdisciplinary practice, and his ability to pilot and prototype inquiries across product, interior and architectural design has seen him successfully helm projects of varied scales. As a practicing academic, he has co-authored and led both the Interior Design and Product Design programmes at LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore. He has mentored emerging talents via a research incubator programme, designing for impact by addressing social and environmental issues. Talents from his programme have gone on to win prestigious competitions such as the iF Design Awards, Red Dot Design Awards, INDE Awards and Wallpaper Handmade. Daniel’s research interest questions the notions of luxury and sustainability; issues pertinent as we emerge from a post-pandemic crisis. Prior to joining WOW, Daniel was a practicing academic at the School of Spatial & Product Design (LASALLE College of the Arts) and the Department of Architecture (National University of Singapore).
Artrepreneurship
Taught by Grace Tan, Program Director of L.A.D Studio
Launched : Term 1 Jan-Apr 2025
Criteria : Resilience
Skills picked up in this module :
Self-learning: We learn to find resources to teach ourselves, take ownership of our learning, think critically, and apply problem-solving skills.
Artistic Skill and technique: We identify the skill we want to develop, practice the skill regularly and be able to evaluate our progress to learn
Business fundamentals: We learn the basics of business and entrepreneurship how to develop a business plan
Marketing fundamentals: We learn marketing fundamentals and what is involved in marketing a product. We create a marketing plan and execute it.
Communication: We learn to explain the purpose and meaning of my creation so that others can understand it.
This 16-week course is designed for teens who are passionate about art and want to learn how to turn their creativity into a career. Students will learn the fundamentals of art and business, including art techniques, marketing, branding, and entrepreneurship.
Final Submission Examples
View the Project Cover Sheet for the full information about this module.
Access is given only to Little U students.
Fashion Design
Taught by Elisa Lim
Launched : Term 1, 2025
Criteria : Curiosity
Skills picked up in this module :
- Knowledge of the industry: We learn about the history of fashion, how trends evolve and gain insights of the fashion industry
- Proportions and illustrations: We learn to draw the body figure and garments that represents a proportionate version of the design on the body.
- Conceptualising: We learn to translate our idea visually into a moodboard, illustrating it and eventually into a product.
- Sewing techniques: We learn various sewing techniques and the use of a sewing machine to materialise my design.
Communication: We learn to explain the purpose and meaning of my creation so that others can understand it.
This is an introduction to fashion design and sewing skills. Students will learn about the history of fashion, trends and industry, learn proportions and illustration, learn design processes, learn styling, learn sewing techniques, understand fabrics and materials. All these explorations will be documented in a CPJ (creative process journal) and translated into a craftwork.
Final Submission Examples
View the Project Cover Sheet for the full information about this module.
Access is given only to Little U students.
The full L.A.D Studio Curriculum
| Module | Primary Criterion |
| Product Design | Self-Direction |
| Architecture | Adaptation |
| Artpreneurship | Resilience |
| Fashion Design | Curiosity |
We aim to run these modules throughout the year by Term 2, 2026.
All students may take the modules as many times as they wish. Each student’s experience and assessment will be customised by the educator. This deepens their breadth and depth of the skills learnt and overall thinking in Creativity.
Earning Credits at Little U
Credits : A student who has achieved 10 credits onwards is suitable to apply for diploma and foundation uni programs.
Credits : A student who has achieved 14-16 credits is suitable to apply for university undergraduate programs.
There are 4 levels of achievements in our Little U assessment rubrics : EMERGING, DEVELOPING, ESTABLISHED, APPLYING.
APPLYING : 1 credit. Very strong work for a student applying to a diploma or undergraduate course.
ESTABLISHED : 1 credit. Adequate work for a student applying to a diploma or undergraduate course.
DEVELOPING : 0.5 credit. A credit that is at DEVELOPING requires another piece of evidence to substantiate the claim that the student can earn this criterion.
EMERGING : 0 credits
Find out more about our Specialised Track
