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Will Balladares is thrilled with his graduation internship as a User Experience Designer with Engine Digital, an insights-driven, digital agency focused in improving the way organizations reach and connect with consumers across digital channels.
UX Jobs Salary Guide Infographic
Just to provide further evidence that we appreciate infographics (especially about filthy lucre and its availability to workers in our field), here’s a great one presenting a salary guide for UX jobs. It’s hard to see how things could possibly be much rosier:
Loading ...The History of Typography
From Gutenberg to Comic Sans in five minutes? Ben Barrett-Forrest presents an animated history:
What Should You Learn in University in 2013?
Meet Kristen Dillon, an incoming student who has been impacted by the proposed suspension of intake of first year students into the Interactive Design program at Capilano University.
We’re as puzzled as Kristen about the rationale for the programs selected for suspension. Interactive Design is an efficient 2-year diploma program, with 48 students operating in one classroom, delivering
- a consistent 80% employment rate within 6 months of graduation
- great industry internship partnerships with the top creative agencies and top companies in Vancouver
- integration of real Vancouver area digital industry business challenges “incubated” within the program curriculum
- broad support and applicability for other established degree programs at Capilano University (Bachelors of: Visual Communication, Business Administration, Communication Studies, Liberal Studies, Motion Picture Arts)
Degrees of Separation?
Capilano University seems to only want students enrolled in much higher-cost, four-year degree programs. This may be why the Capilano Faculty Association was finally told the rationale for the cuts weren’t about program cost or quality, or student demand, but rather about what belongs in a university. We’re taking action and invite you to visit our issues site saveinte.ca to get more details.
Sound Off!
We’ve shared a little about our story, and now we would like to hear from you. Visit our petition site, and sound off in the petition comments on your opinion of whether a digital technology design and development program like Interactive Design belongs in a university.
Help us Digital Obi-Wan Kenobi’s – You May Be Our Only Hope!
Happy Star Wars Day! We’re hoping the force is also with us as we enter a pivotal 10-day stretch in the 23-year history of our Interactive Design program at Capilano University. Interactive Design is a 2-year diploma program that creates a hybrid front-end web-developer / user experience designer, with digital industry business and community management skills. Our graduates achieve an impressive 85% employment rate 6-months post graduation, as measured through a British Coumbia Ministry of Education quality survey.
Capilano University faces a $1.3 million dollar shortfall in balancing their budget this year. This is not unusual, and in past years, efficiencies were found and small percentage cuts were applied evenly across all programs to balance the budget. If program specific cuts were to be considered, the senior leadership team at Capilano University traditionally would request an in-depth consultation with the impacted program through the University Senate’s Budget Subcommittee by the month of February. For the second consecutive year, this well-established collegial process was not followed, resulting in a hastily drawn-up list of programs being informed between April 23-25 of having first year intake of students suspended, or that they were being discontinued outright. The historic operational methods were designed to allow for discussion and solution seeking from all involved parties at a time when faculty and students were not in the midst of final exams. The students are now largely gone from campus, so their voice and input has effectively been silenced. The impact of the decision on students already accepted to Capilano University programs remains unaddressed.
From the mission statement “Capilano University…is committed to developing new and innovative programs in response to market demand.”
Imagine our surprise of being informed our program was selected for suspension of intake of first year students. The rationale provided was that the BC Ministry of Education was giving the Capilano University senior administration team “hints” about what types of programs would be provided at what Vancouver area universities. Two days later the inquiring Capilano Faculty Association were told the cuts were not motivated by cost, quality, or student demand, but the deciding criteria were “what belongs in a University.”
The shifting rationale, preceded by the blatant disinterest in engaging all members of the impacted programs, has the Interactive Design program greatly concerned about the actions and understanding of the senior administrative team and managing board. We respect the complexity of managing a university, but more strongly feel the senior administration team and managing board do not fully grasp the magnitude of digital design and development technology-based careers in today’s global economy.
We are appealing to the expanding networks of web and mobile designers and developers who received their digital-technology education in a post-secondary environment to help us ensure they understand that these are real careers, and that digital technology literacy and fluency are a key part of a modern post-secondary education.
Get the full story at Saveinte.ca
Please comment on the importance of digital technology design and development careers and sign our petition at http://chn.ge/YmXZ0Q
Join in #saveinte
Help us digital Obi-Wan Kenobi’s, you may be our only hope! Happy Star Wars Day!
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