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OVERVIEW

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

We have completed an extensive program assessment. This is a routine process that we undertake periodically, as a means to ensure that we are preparing our students to succeed in the professional, digital media marketplace. and meet the NASAD and NCAHIC requirements for accreditation. Our school is due for its 10 year review coming April.

Over 50 individual companies, many of our alumni and all of the faculty were surveyed and interviewed.

This in no way means that our curriculum or facilities are frozen until the next assessment. We will remain nimble and continue to strive to reflect our industry as much as we can with the resources that we have.

HOW TO USE THIS SITE

Document Downloads

These are the full text of the documentation that we will be submitting to the accrediting agencies.

Advising Website

This contains the full detail of our revised curriculum and should be used when advising students.

Action Items

These are things I believe we can do as faculty to address the issues that have been outlined in the assessment and a place for ongoing dialog.

COMMENTS

Comments at the bottom of each Action Items page are welcome. This can be a center for ongoing dialogue and a place to share curriculum ideas and teaching techniques. Don't be shy about expressing differing opinions than those that I have expressed in these pages. In order to comment you will need to set up a Google account using the e-mail address that I have contacted you with. Once you login to Google, you will see a comment box at the bottom of each page.

CURRENT STATE OF THE JOB MARKET FOR OUR STUDENTS

Overall, we have been providing a valuable experience for our students. The easiest metric to point to in terms of program quality is our alumni employment record. And, this has been outstanding... Until now (the Summer of 2010). Where, in the past, nearly all of our graduates have been employed in the field within 6 months, It looks like that number will drop to less than half. More students than ever are looking at graduate school to continue building their portfolio. I believe the main reason for the drop off is the recession. However, there is no guarantee that things are going to return to the way they were because there are other changes in the landscape:

• Due to the many layoffs in the last 2 years, when new jobs do become available, there are more experienced applicants applying for them.

• Experienced Graphic Designers and Illustrators are retraining and adding Digital Media skills to their portfolio, That means more competition in a relatively flat market.

• Continued overseas outsourcing of coding, animation and special effects work. This reduces the number of entry level job opportunities that typically exist in studio production departments.

• There is no evidence that the economy is going to improve in the near future. There is some speculation that we may never see a full rebound because of the "Flattening" of the world markets. These markets include not only manufacturing but services as well... things like design, illustration and animation.

So what can we do? With the information gained from this assessment process, we have a unique opportunity to step up our game and to prepare students to meet the challenges outlined above. The Action Items section of this site details what you can do as faculty. It also provides a means for you to provide input via the comments at the bottom of each page. Any and all ideas, experiences, outlooks, philosophies and even disagreements are welcome. Together we are an "expert system" that can shape our program moving forward.