A creative approach to fall 2020

About our approach

Click here to read about the exceptions to fully remote learning.

Artists and designers know better than anyone that creativity isn’t just about your ability to put pencil to paper (or stylus to screen) and reproduce your vision.

It’s about flexibility. And problem solving. It’s about looking at challenges and developing new ways to approach them. Columbus College of Art & Design students embody these qualities of creativity, and so, too, do our faculty and staff. 

In spring 2020, CCAD faculty—full-time and adjunct, and across all of our program areas—were asked to upend their normal way of doing business. To translate intimate, hands-on classes into remote instruction conducted over a variety of platforms. And to do it within a few short days, all the while coping with the emotional and logistical challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed upon us all. CCAD learned from its successes and its failures in the spring 2020 semester. And through the summer, our faculty and staff have worked with one another, and with outside consultants who have expertise in best practices for remote instruction, to craft a curriculum that will more ably and effectively serve CCAD students in their development as artists and designers. Thanks to their work, this fall, CCAD students will experience meaningful pedagogical methods that are specifically tailored for remote instruction.

What does this mean for how CCAD students experience fall semester? 

CCAD will offer a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. 

Those are big words for relatively straightforward concepts. 

  • Synchronous learning = online or distance education that occurs in real-time. Synchronous classes allow students to interact online with faculty and fellow students in the moment, and at a specific time of day and day of the week.
  • Asynchronous learning = learning through online channels without real-time interaction. Asynchronous classes enable students to watch recorded lectures on-demand, which is particularly useful for those who may have limited access to a computer or wifi, who may have to share computers with others in their household, or who may be in a different time zone. Students will still connect and share feedback with classmates and faculty through chats and discussions online.

This combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction will allow students to experience more flexibility in when and where they learn while still experiencing the benefits of collaborative learning with their classmates and instructors. 

Over the summer, we streamlined our approach and made instructional delivery more effective. Our learning management system, GoStudio, will be the place to go for instructors’ documentation of notes and videos, as well as other digital content. Faculty will be asked to post all essential class materials so that students can access that information if needed. And students also will be able to ask questions of them and get support during faculty office hours hosted via video conferencing. In addition, students already registered with Learning Support for disability accommodations will be able to consult with Learning Support staff on their learning needs. If students are not registered but need accommodations, they should contact [email protected]. 

We look forward to seeing students on Monday, Aug. 24, for the start of the new academic year.

Here are some more details to help CCAD students plan for the fall semester:

  • As students look at their schedules for the fall, they can determine which classes are fully online/asynchronous because they will have “EL” in the section code. (For instance, FINE2204/Studio/EL01)
  • Fully remote hybrid (synchronous and asynchronous) classes will have “REMOTE” listed as the building and room number on students’ schedules. (For instance, CORE1028/Integrated/01, MW 12:30PM - 4:45PM; Columbus College of, REMOTE, Room REMOTE) Students should plan to be available online on the days and times listed on their schedule. 
  • A small number of courses will be delivered as hybrid, in-person courses on CCAD’s campus. These exceptions to the fully remote learning plan for fall are listed below and will appear with an on-campus location and days/times on students’ schedules. Please note that the below course acronyms apply to courses offered in that program, not to students’ majors.  
     
    • ADVE classes: All classes will be remote or online. Community and corporate partnerships will continue.
       
    • ANIM/GAME classes: All classes remote or online. Specialized software instructions to follow. Supplies may be provided for specific classes.
       
    • ARTH classes: All classes remote or online. 
       
    • COMC classes: All classes remote or online. Peripheral access (scanners) being considered. 
       
    • CRFT classes: Some classes online or remote. Supplies may be provided for specific classes. The following courses will be held as hybrid, in-person exceptions to fully remote learning: 
      • Ceramics
        • CRFT3203/4203/4303.01 Intermediate/Advanced Ceramics
        • CRFT2203.02 Ceramics Intro 
      • Jewelry
        • CRFT2206.01 Jewelry Intro 
           
    • FASH classes: Most classes remote or online. Supplies may be provided for specific classes. The following course will be held as hybrid, in-person exceptions to fully remote learning:
      • FASH4104.01 Collections-instruction will happen remotely, students can opt to work at home or in designated on-campus areas during limited hours.
         
    • FINE classes: Most classes remote or online. Supplies may be provided for specific classes. The following courses will be held as hybrid, in-person exceptions to fully remote learning:
      • Printmaking - FINE3208/4208.01 Intermediate/Advanced Print
      • Sculpture - FINE2209.02 Sculpture Intro
      • Fine Arts - FINE4101.01 Fine Arts Integrated Studio III - Instruction will happen remotely, students can opt to work at home or in designated on-campus areas during limited hours.
         
    • FILM classes: All classes remote or online. Gear check-out will be available in a no-contact method.
       
    • IDUS classes: Most classes online or remote. The following course will be held as hybrid, in-person exception to fully remote learning:
      • IDUS3306 Honda Research and Development Special Topics
         
    • ILLU classes: All classes remote or online.
       
    • INTE classes: All classes remote or online. Specialized software instructions to follow. Supplies may be provided for specific classes.
       
    • PHOT classes: All classes remote or online. Gear check-out will be available in a no-contact method.
       
    • CORE classes: (First Year) All classes remote or online. Kits to be distributed on campus locally or mailed to non-local students. 
       
    • LIBA classes: All classes remote or online. 
       
    • GRVA (MFA) classes: Instruction will happen remotely. Students can opt to work at home or in designated on-campus areas during limited hours.

CCAD is still considering remote printing and peripheral needs (scanners), among other things. These will be for the convenience of students who opt to stay local. Stay tuned.