I had the opportunity to attend the AIGA Design Education conference in Raleigh, NC in October. It confirmed the appropriateness of the learner-driven approach to design technology we started last spring and have continued in the Intro to Computer Graphics course this Fall. With the expanding range of proficiencies required for professional practice, educators across the country our struggling to adapt their curriculum to best prepare their students for an environment where design aptitude and technical proficiency are just the beginning. There was a lot of talk about “soft skills” and the ability to work effectively across professional disciplines. I guess I’m a bit relieved that my anticipation of this direction has our program at CMC on a good path.
I’ve started getting responses from the recipients of the promotional poster mailing that dropped a couple weeks ago. Several teachers in design programs at Denver area high schools are interested in my visiting with their students to share how the Graphic Design Program at CMC would be an excellent choice for their future. With the tight economy, our low tuition costs are even more attractive, especially when compared to the private, for-profit institutions. I’m planning a visit to metro Denver in a couple weeks to meet with students and faculty at several schools.
We’re also finalizing the ordering of new equipment that we’re purchasing through a federal Perkins grant we applied for last spring. By the end of the year, we’ll have a Wacom Cintique touch monitor installed in the open lab. The natural media tools enabled by this technology will be of great interest to our colleagues in the digital photography program, as well as the graphic design students. Five additional flatbed scanners will also be installed in the classrooms and open lab, to supplement the two scanners we already have. Finally, there will be a Wacom pen tablet installed at every workstation. Several students own their own, and I’ve met very few designers who don’t make great use of pen tablets once they’ve become acquainted with them.
There’s still a lot of time remaining in this semester, and we’re up to our neck curriculum preparation for the spring semester. I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer to fully enjoy the snow!
