curriculum development

My initial experience with teaching was at Columbia College Chicago where the focus of the curriculum is to develop commercial and technical skills in design and programming but allows some level of experimentation at the advanced level. The advanced students experimented with JavaScript and even VRML for creating user interfaces against all usability rules and created simple web games. I also taught numerous technology workshops that empowered faculty to use the web and computer graphics in their classrooms.

At Harold Washington College I led the first Multimedia series classes for the newly funded Digital Multimedia Design program in which the students were trained in designing and programming user interfaces, making computer animation and working with sound and video. The series was extremely successful and in high demand and helped the department expand the curriculum. Experimental work was encouraged and some level of theory was introduced but the students were mainly taught practical skills in design and programming. The three-semester long series started with basic skills in user interface design, proceeded with portfolio development and animation and terminated with a group project in which the students learned valuable project management skills and team collaboration.

I moved on to Northeastern Illinois University in the Fall of 2002 and currently teach two courses. Since the level of the students is higher at the state university level, I have developed a curriculum that combines technical skills with advanced conceptual skills and more theory. The introductory course explores the students' experience with technology across their personal timeline and analyzes technology fear, fascination and fetish. From a technical standpoint, the students learn to manipulate vector and raster graphics for both the screen and print as they explore collage, installation and book-making techniques. The advanced class focuses on the digital self-portrait and later on basic time-based skills through multi-panel or multi-page work and proceed to 2D & 3D animation. The advanced class projects change from semester to semester depending on interests of the group.