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By John Bennett Melanie Marshall teaches graphic arts at a community college in Stockton, Calif. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute and originally considered that institution when she decided to pursue a master’s degree. However, once Marshall figured in the three- to four-hour daily commute, it ceased to be an option. Then a family member informed her that the Savannah College of Art and Design has an online master’s degree program in graphic design. Marshall’s initial response was disbelief. “I said, ‘No, they don’t. Nobody does. I’ve been looking and I couldn’t find one,’” Marshall explained. Nonetheless, she explored the program’s Web site and enrolled even though she said she was a bit uneasy about taking an online course. “Because I teach college, I know I’ll have the interaction with students,” Marshall said, explaining that she was unsure about how that dynamic would translate into an online class. “But it worked out really, really well,” she said. Nick Aponte, who also is pursuing a graphic design degree online, said he actually prefers taking classes online instead of in the classroom, especially when it comes to electronically raising his hand to ask a question. “The feedback is better in the online environment than it is in the built environment,” he said. “I prefer to have my questions well-thought-out and written before I ask them. In a traditional classroom, that’s not usually the case. Your questions don’t always come out the way you want them to.” Aponte said he’s been very pleased with the responses he’s received from professors as well. And the quality of his interactions with his peers is also better, he said, because he receives honest feedback. In traditional classrooms, students are sometimes “reluctant to speak out,” he said. “Online, everyone speaks their minds.” Marshall said a master’s degree was essential to her long-term career goals. “It’s a great program and there was really no other way for me to get a master’s degree,” she said. “Those who want to teach in higher education know that they are going to need it.” However, Marshall said the program also has yielded immediate benefits. “My first class was with Andy Fulp and I was able to take a lot of the things I learned right into my classroom and use them immediately,” she said. Like Marshall, Aponte needed a master’s degree to reach his goal of working as a creative director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising with a minor in creative writing from West Virginia University, but has worked as a graphic designer for more than five years in the Washington, D.C., area. “The degree gives me credibility in the industry. SCAD has a good reputation in Washington and beyond,” he said. Aponte was hesitant to enroll at a college in the Washington area. Like Marshall, he was not excited by the prospect of losing hours each day in the inevitable commute. He was already investigating SCAD’s traditional on-campus graphic design program when he discovered the e-learning site. “In Washington, convenience is a commodity,” he said. “The fact that I’m able to work on my own time is ideal. I get to attend SCAD and do it online. It’s a win-win situation for me.” SCAD offers M.A. degrees, certificates and individual courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels through SCAD e-learning education programs. All courses are taught by SCAD faculty and are offered for academic credit under the authority and accreditation of the college. Degrees and certificates offered are certificate in digital publishing, graduate certificate in digital publishing management, graduate certificate in historic preservation, graduate certificate in interactive design, master of arts in graphic design, master of arts in historic preservation and master of arts in interactive design and game development. For more information, visit www.scad.edu/scadelearning. |
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