mindgraffiti

While talking to the Interactive Digital Media Senior Seminar class, I saw an unusual phenomenon. Most of the IDM students were choosing the New Media concentration. If I had been asked to predict the trends of the IDM major just before graduating two years ago, I would have said I expected the students would diffuse across the concentrations at an even split between the three- Computer Science, Visual Imaging and New Media- thanks to diverse interests among the student body.

During the networking lunch for the Off Broadway Tour I met and spoke with Broadcasting, Journalism, Graphic Arts and IDM majors. Not surprising, since these are the majors most interested in touring advertising agencies. Again, I noted that the IDM majors were overwhelmingly New Media concentrations. If I had to order them by popularity (by the non-scientific number of students I met with this concentration), it would be 1) New Media; 2) Computer Science; and 3) Visual Imaging.

The question begging to be answered was, Why? What caused the disparity in interest?

After talking to the students I started to see a trend. Some of the Visual Imaging students were defecting from IDM-VI and switching to Graphic Arts. Also, the IDM-VI major is dying because the Art department prefers to die a slow death through irrelevancy. That explains some of the waning interest in Visual Imaging. (That is sad. The web needs new designers. Too many ugly web sites exist already.)

The best perk from two years of work experience is the way I am viewed by the current students. I do not represent a possible employer (not far enough up the ladder for that!), so I’m not intimidating. Also, I am seen as a recent graduate and therefore relevant to the concerns and experience others want addressed. The last part is important because students talk. And they talk without reserve to their peers.

How does this relate to the shift in attention to the New Media concentration? What did they say? Students are flocking to this concentration because it’s deemed the most useful and the most flexible. They graduate with the largest variety of skills so they aren’t labeled and categorized in a job description too early. Prospective employers appear to think along these lines: “IDM-CS? Oh, you must be a web programmer. (Even if you really wanted to try a career as an Accessibility Expert.) IDM-VI? Oh, you must want to be a web designer. (Even if you really wanted to do Front-End Development.) IDM-NM? (Pause) Please explain what that entails.”

They told me point-blank which professors they most respected and why they were the most influential. These are the ones whom the students would recommend to each other by name, saying “Oh, you should take [this extra class] with [this instructor] if you get the chance. It’s worth it.” The ones gaining time and attention are the same ones who offered “real skills to take away from a class,” “treat us with professionalism and respect,” are “in touch with the real world” and “[they] listen when we are worried.”

To Jody Strauch, Jacquie Lamer, Carol Spradling and Nancy Bernardo: just thought you should know, several students commented on your classes and the help you offered. They are sincere when they say they are taking your advice.