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Graphic design is about effective communication. The challenge of graphic design is to create unique and memorable visual solutions to enhance the effectiveness of verbal messages. We live in an age where we are inundated with visual stimuli that affect our daily lives in countless ways. And while basic principles of design and the problem-solving skills involved in creating a design appropriate to the purpose of the message have remained fundamentally the same, the tools of graphic design are changing rapidly with the increasingly important role of technology.
This Report summarizes the results of the computer graphics component introduced into the existing curriculum of Art 250 - Graphic Design I, fall semester 1997. This component was team-taught with Ken Davignon in a fully equipped classroom in the Academic Computing Center. Basic tools of leading software programs were demonstrated and applied to design project assignments. The primary objective was to introduce the computer as an exciting tool of infinite possibilities, without sacrificing the primary focus on design fundamentals and problem-solving strategies.
Project tasks involved putting in place necessary components for a student-friendly computer environment, configuring the overall organization of the computer graphics material, formulating demonstrations for three computer graphics software programs -- Illustrator 7.0, Photoshop 4.0 and Pagemaker 6.5 -- developing project assignments that fostered creative applications of the basic tools of corresponding software programs, and finally, developing a questionnaire soliciting student feedback.
Self-assessment was crucial to this process as well, especially midpoint assessment which prompted new strategies that positively addressed unforeseen difficulties.
Of this particular student audience consisting mostly of seniors, many had little previous computer experience. And while student performance was somewhat uneven, there were actually many good project designs realized. Overall, the results of this technology project suggest that an expanded curriculum is possibly what is needed. Following a science course model, a lab that focuses on technical computer skills and exercises, taught in close partnership with Academic Computing, might be a positive incremental step toward an expanded graphics program at Wheaton College.
Introduction
Graphic design is about effective communication. The challenge
of graphic design is to create unique and memorable visual solutions
to enhance the effectiveness of verbal messages. We live in an
age where we are inundated with visual stimuli that affect our
daily lives in countless ways. And while basic principles of design
and the problem-solving skills involved in creating a design appropriate
to the purpose of the message have remained fundamentally the
same, the tools of graphic design are changing rapidly with the
increasingly important role of technology.
To address this evolving world of graphic design, a computer graphics
component was configured and introduced into the existing curriculum
of Art 250 - Graphic Design I, fall semester 1997. This component
was team-taught with Ken Davignon in a fully equipped classroom
in the Academic Computing Center. Basic tools of leading software
programs were demonstrated and applied to design project assignments.
The primary objective was to introduce the computer as an exciting
tool of infinite possibilities, without sacrificing the primary
focus on design fundamentals and problem-solving strategies.
Summary
of Specific Project Objectives and Chosen Strategies
Objective
#1
Create a student-friendly computer environment for graphic design
exercises. The configuration of a student-friendly computer environment
was determined, and, if not already in place, then set up to include
the following:
1. Storage for in-progress assignments
Student Drop boxes were already in place, but some students in
the class were unfamiliar with this storage service provided on
the Network and were introduced to it our first meeting in the
ACC classroom during a basic tour of the Network.
2. Back-up storage for large computer graphics files
The graphic design course benefitted from the investments Academic
Computing was making to offer state of the art equipment to the
Wheaton community. The multi-media lab in ACC 103 had been upgraded
to include ten stations using Power Mac 6500 computers with built-in
Zip drives. Students were provided with Zip disks at cost which
hold up to 100 MB of information for back-up storage since graphics
files most often require plenty of memory and thus, disk space.
3. Graphic design assignments submission drop box
A course materials folder for the graphic design course served
as a drop box for student work. To foster effective teacher /student
dialogue, students were required to submit their projects (completed
or in-progress), to me weekly via a "graphics assignment
drop box" in my course materials folder on the Network. By
reviewing assignments from my office computer before each class
in the ACC classroom, I could troubleshoot possible problems and
address them individually with students during in-class workday
sessions or during office hours. This system was most successful
with conscientious students who worked steadily on their assignments.
4. Type management system
The course materials folder also served as a storage place for
a set of standard typefaces. The "font folder" simply
acted as a typeface management system to address the problem of
many different constituent users on computers in the multi-media
lab. Graphics students could rely on a standard set of fonts downloadable
from the font folder in case the setup of a particular computer
in the lab had been changed.
5. Interfacing computer software programs -
To keep pace with current trends in the professional design world
as well as make the system as user-friendly to students as possible,
three software programs that easily interface with one another:
Adobe Illustrator 7.0, Adobe Photoshop 4.0, and Adobe Pagemaker
6.5, were made available for each student sitting in front of
a monitor for hands-on learning during demonstrations and work
sessions in the ACC classroom. (We deviated somewhat from the
original proposal by substituting Pagemaker 6.5 for Quark Xpress
because of the easy interface the Adobe programs have with each
other). These programs were chosen because of their specific and
overlapping capabilities: Illustrator is obviously an illustration
program, Photoshop is an image manipulation program and Pagemaker
is a page layout program.
Objective #2 Configure team teaching strategies and prepare
for effective technical support
The proposal was designed to capitalize on the expertise of Ken
Davignon, a computer systems specialist with a photography and
graphics background, as well as the facilities and equipment in
ACC. This project was truly a collaborative endeavor in organizing
the computer graphics material that was presented. Ken performed
technical demonstrations of each computer software program, while
my primary role was to facilitate student progress in applying
the tools of the computer software to the student's conceptual
goal in each assignment. During in-class work sessions, both Ken
and I offered technical support to students as they learned to
apply the tools of each program.
In order to provide effective technical support to students, a
working knowledge of the software is obviously necessary. Both
Ken and I had experience with another illustration program, Freehand.
Therefore we committed time to develop a working knowledge of
Illustrator 7.0. I also refamiliarized myself with the most recent
upgrades of Photoshop and Pagemaker, since my experience was primarily
with earlier versions of each. Ken was enormously helpful, generous
with his time and a stack of manuals.
Objective #3 Develop three principal computer assignments
in keeping with the substantive goals and timetables of the graphic
design curriculum.
Technical skills important for students to develop were determined
and are outlined below:
1. Accessing software and graphic design materials on the Network
2. Learning basic tools of each program
3. Scanning-in images
4. Integrating type and image - how to layer elements
5. Combining techniques between the software programs
With the above technical skills in mind, project assignments were
developed to foster creative applications of the basic tools of
a corresponding computer program, the first project utilized image
construction tools in Illustrator, the second project required
image manipulation in Photoshop and the third project involved
creating a progressive series of layouts in Pagemaker that incorporated
elements created in both Illustrator and Photoshop. It was an
important consideration to develop interesting design problems
without overwhelming students attempting to experiment with new
tools and yet remain true to curricular goals of the course.
Objective #4 Oversee completion of student assignments.
The computer assignments were introduced to the class two weeks
before our scheduled time in the ACC classroom so students could
complete necessary preliminary studies before attention would
need to shift to technical computer skills. Unfortunately, problems
arose when some students came to class unprepared because it became
difficult to apply newly learned technical tools to design projects
without the foundation of preliminary exploration. A mid-point
ad hoc assessment discussion with Ken was useful in formulating
new strategies to help students resolve assignments satisfactorily.
Expanding the timetable and postponing the last set of demonstrations
by a week, following tutorials more closely in walking students
through the tools of the final computer program, and scheduling
individual meetings with students to address their particular
difficulties (whether technical or conceptual), seemed to prove
helpful to the class as a whole.
Objective #5 Prepare questionnaire to gather student feedback
information and engage in follow-up assessment activities.
The student evaluation questionnaire, formulated specifically
for the computer graphics component, was designed to gather different
types of data -- feedback on the student's assessment of their
own performance, student feedback on the organization of the computer
graphics segment of the course, and student feedback on the effectiveness
of the instruction. The student self-assessment data was very
useful in understanding the responses to questions pertaining
to the course component and the instruction, which overall were
positive. In fact, this student group, which consisted mostly
of seniors, many of whom had little previous computer experience,
expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for computer graphics and
actually produced many sound project results.
Self-assessment discussions, especially mid-way through the component,
were crucial to the final outcomes of this project, since they
prompted new strategies (described above under objective #3) that
made a difference in facilitating greater success in realizing
course goals.
Final
Comments on Assessment
The results of this technology project suggest that an even greater
expanded curriculum is possibly what is needed. Emphasis on design
fundamentals is essential . Students want more computer experience.
And these technical skills are important, particularly in light
of the second transcript requirement. Yet within the existing
parameters, a trade-off took place. Students with little computer
experience sacrificed attention to the most important focus on
the problem-solving design process in order to come up to speed
in mastering basic computer tools. Ideally, it would seem that
following a science course model, with a lab attached to the course
that focuses on technical computer skills and exercises (taught
in close partnership with Academic Computing), would be the next
logical step toward an expanded and pedagogically solid graphics
program here at Wheaton College.
Last updated
on 1/26/99; 2:01:08 PM
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