This project is a collaboration between students in China and America under the instruction of Tom R. Chambers at Zhaoqing University (Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, China) and Kathleen Ruiz at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York, U.S.A.).

The students at each institution explore the use of Flash to tell a personal story. Click on the links below to view/read their experiences [Note: To be able to understand most of the Zhaoqing University students' stories, you'll have to translate the Chinese language.][Note: Please allow loading time for the Flash movies.]:

Zhaoqing University Cen Ying Jin Chen Cai Yun Chen Hua Ming Chen Jie Ling Chen Li Ping Chen Si Qin Chen Wen Yi Deng Bei Lei Feng Yan Ling Guo Lu Hou He Jing Ya

Zhaoqing University Huang Chun Juan Huang Ting Huang Zhao Sheng Jian Shi Ting Li Teng Fei Liang Jia Ying Liang Yan Ting Liang Ye Zeng Liu Fang Liu Fu Jian Wen Liu Geng Xiong

Zhaoqing University Lu De Chang Luo Ju Qi Yuan Yi Su Yi Wang Lin Qiong Wu Shi Xin Xu Min Yuan Rui Ying Zheng Jie Zhou Fan Zhou Xue Juan

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Zac Autio Cory Bowers Travis Carless Darren Domingos Corey Fukuchi Jessica Giles Daniel Glavin Aracelis Gonzalez Elyse Holladay Wendy Koponen

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Leith MacDonald Richard Morris Jamel Mosely Angela Nakkula Rory Perner Joshua Ricamara Trevor Sayre Jeffrey Sult Hoi Ling Tung Joel Turcotte

The Zhaoqing University students are Freshman [Grade 1] art majors, and this is their first exposure to working with Flash. Their Flash stories ... concepts and mechanics ... are more than adequate and generally creative with an innocence that bespeaks today's youth in China, at least for these first-year students coming straight from the protected environment of "home" and the primary/secondary education system. China's one-child policy leans towards overprotection by the parents which in turn leads to an inwardness and lack of exposure to societal mores for the child/student.

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students are mostly first- and second-year students coming from a variety of disciplines which include art, computer science, engineering, information technology, cognitive science and other areas. According to Professor Ruiz, "For most of the students this is their first encounter with working with Flash. The range of personal stories reflect the ethnic and socio-cultural diversity of the United States."

This process is a beginning for these students to get more involved with Flash production, and it sensitizes them to sequential thinking, generating storyboards and performing tasks as a producer/director in creating a multilayered project.

Go to FLASH STORIES Web page at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Go to the NET STORIES project that many of the above Chinese students participated in as a collaboration with students in America at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.