Much to be considered when it comes to design education. There seems to be a divide in what is important in early design education, perhaps that found in a one or two-year program.
Industry wants people who have skills. Government agencies want students to graduate with the ability to pay back student loans.
Jobs posted have a myriad of demands and qualifications. Clearly the learning never ends and the skills add as time goes by. Because of the economies down turn designers do a multitude of tasks that may have been done by several.
As a lead instructor of a design department at community college level the task of revising curriculum is not easy. How do we prepare the student who is heading off to a four-year college and at the same time prepare a student for a job in the industry.
Some community colleges get the students right onto the computer and therefore more software experience in two years. Others have a foundation in the arts which promotes an understanding of form and function, yet may not be heavy enough on time to learn complex software programs. The tip of the iceberg we always say, while trying to pack perhaps too much into 15 weeks.
The next few months in class and beyond these are issues I will be researching. Looking for holes in programs and expanding my knowledge of the field, with a focus on education. The questions are bouncing around interrupting sleep. The next few days we begin organizing research and mapping out ideas. This promises to rein in thoughts which scatter like horses when the field gate opens.