#cirriculum

I have to say that a big part of the problem was the order in which I took a number of the courses. This was alluded to when I mentioned taking a portfolio course near the end of my education. However, this has more to do with the way in which two other courses were scheduled for me.

IMHO, no one should take Fundamentals of Design or Color Theory before they have been properly prepared for those courses. Courses for Drawing and Perspective and even Life Drawing should be put taken beforehand. I would also argue that Mixed Media should be taken, as well. Also, no one should delve into FND112 VH or FND111 YB without first being introduced to design applications. There was a course for that, but it wasn’t even available when I started taking courses with AiPOD. I had to wait a full year plus for that and the first [mandatory] course I took, Strategies for Online Learning, was eventually taken out of the curriculum. (No offense to my instructor, but that was a pretty worthless course.) Additionally, students need to be taught just what a thumbnail is, preferably during that FND113 XT course.

The general idea should be getting students to receive their design education through a more natural schedule and one that makes the most sense. The courses assigned to students should be scheduled in such a way that the things they learn will build upon each other. To me, it is unreasonable to ask a student to jump into Adobe Illustrator and make full compositions if:

They have little experience drawing, let alone drawing figures and complex objects.

They have been out of practice drawing, like I largely was, for various reasons.

They have little or no experience with Illustrator and/or other important design programs they will use throughout their academic career.

Now, if I think about this even more, I have an issue with how a number of my courses were set up. My Digital Illustration course should have been the culmination of what I learned on the other courses I listed in this post. What I was assigned to do for my FND112 VH final should have instead been an assignment in G230 P01. Another course could have involved the creation of apple/fruit vectors and spot illustrations. In fact, that could have been part of the curriculum for FND111 YB. For both of those courses — or at least for FND112 VH — there was a big jump to go from learning basic skills, using basic shapes, and making abstract compositions to making fully representational ones at the end with little direction. My art and the art of many others would have been much more awesome at certain points if everyone was sufficiently prepared. There would be portfolio-quality works ready for consideration, sooner.

That’s not all. There should have been more of a focus on web design. Yes, while there was a course for that — I learned quite a bit from it — and there were workshops for HTML and Dreamweaver, perhaps the G150 P03 course could have also introduced some bit of coding. Nowadays, it is important for graphic designers to be well-rounded, and adequate skill in coding can be an important tool for self-promotion.

My Suggestions for Internships

Above, I mentioned on issue with the school setting up employment or at least helping its students find internships before graduation. The thing is, there was a program set up for students a year ago…but that was a good time after I graduated and I was still waiting to receive my diploma. There are now internship counselors and internship courses. None of that was even available to me when I was earning my diploma. These things should have been there years ago. Regardless, I still think there are catches to this program the school does have, though.

What about Self-Marketing?

Again, I have to say this is one of the hardest things for people to do, but I think this has a lot to do with internships and web design, as I mentioned earlier. As people make connections to established artists, they may be given quite a few tips to getting their work recognized, building their skill, and building a brand. I feel the school should help with this. Although a few instructors gave me a few helpful links, I needed more from the school. I think students need their work examined more thoroughly by instructors (in terms of building a portfolio) and on a regular basis, especially if those instructors head industries their students hope to enter upon graduation.

Just One More Thing…