Teaching Philosophy

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I teach introductory and advanced courses to support a Digital and Media Arts associates degree. These courses include design courses in digital illustration and publication design as well as interactive mobile and web media, digital photography, and motion design.  
 
Each project follows this process: introduction, inspiration/brainstorming, research, historical context, ideation, refinement, and ultimately, the articulation and defense of the outcome (critique). I strongly encourage sketching and handcrafted techniques to prevent software from limiting ideas and outcomes. After an iterative process and continuous peer feedback, students state their intentions and make a pitch for the project’s final critique—a stride toward professional preparedness. 
 

This curriculum is created to empower students to explore on their own. I believe that a designer’s best tool, aside from confidence, is a learning community—a network of individuals to interact with and trust. Through collaborative projects, peer feedback, and idea exchange, my classroom becomes a community.  

My goal is to introduce students to the vastness of the design field’s influence, expose them to inventive methods and approaches, and to prepare them to confidently approach professional design challenges and opportunities in the future. Ultimately, my students will leave my program feeling empowered to find a fitting position that utilizes the methods they have learned and fulfills the needs of their extended community.  
 
*Please click each category in the main navigation to see the student outcomes.