Student Learning

The rapidly changing landscape of arts, media, and communications impels Columbia to reimagine how it fulfills its mission of “provid[ing] a comprehensive educational opportunity in the arts, communications and public information.” Social, artistic, technological, environmental and economic trends have taken arts, media, and communications practice in radical new directions. Contemporary practice freely crosses old disciplinary boundaries to reach a global audience, create new forms of expression, new products, and new career paths. “Comprehensive opportunity” in contemporary terms encompasses integrated, multidisciplinary learning in a flexible and collaborative learning environment.

Columbia is well positioned to flourish in this new environment. The faculty possess uniquely broad and deep expertise in arts, media, and communications practice and ever expanding connections to practitioners and employers worldwide. Similarly, the college curriculum spans a wide range of applications in these fields and is enriched by the college’s partnerships with the industries. Commitment to the educational and social values in the college’s mission unifies these diverse offerings. Now, however, the college must act quickly and nimbly to better align its programs with contemporary practice. The challengeahead is to harness, and continue to foster the passion, expertise, and creativity of the college’s students, faculty, and staff in order to move the academic programs and student learning outcomes in dynamic new directions.

Columbia’s academic program objective, therefore, is to develop academic programs that advance the college’s mission by responding to the challenges of rapidly evolving professional practice in the arts, media and communications, and by providing a distinct learning experience for creative individuals.

To accomplish this objective, the college will introduce new programs, redesign some existing programs, and phase out others that no longer meet contemporary student needs. The college will emphasize the development of programs that integrate learning across traditional disciplinary boundaries, particularly at the undergraduate level. The college will develop programs that prepare graduates to pursue multiple career paths in the arts, media, and communications now and in the future. In keeping with its mission and educational values, the college will continue to build a dynamic synthesis between student learning in the arts and media and learning in the liberal arts and sciences. Continuing to develop the knowledge and skills of the faculty will be critical to accomplishing these student learning outcomes.

The college will provide a compelling student learning environment that distinguishes it from its competitive peers and that is uniquely suited to preparation for a life and career in the arts, media, and communications. The college will give greater emphasis to using technology to enhance the student learning experience. The principles of student-centered learning will continue to guide the learning experience of students at all levels. The body of work concept will embody student growth as arts, media, and communications practitioners and as well-educated members of society.

The college will extend the reach of the educational opportunity it offers through focused outreach to pre-K-12 and community based arts education and through degree and certificate programs designed specifically for working adults.

The college will pursue strategies for: 1) state-of-the-art programs; 2) distinct learning experience; 3) learning technology; 4) adult education; and 5) community engagement.

State-of-the-art Programs

The college will deliver undergraduate and graduate programs well aligned with contemporary practice and leading edge trends in the arts, media, and communications fields.
The undergraduate and graduate programs will develop highly integrated bodies of knowledge and skills that give graduates a choice of career paths in their area of arts, media, or communications practice and the capacity to flourish as professional practice evolves.
The college will develop a faculty whose expertise and accomplishments align with leading edge practice in the arts, media and communications field.

At the undergraduate level:

The college will give greater emphasis to developing cross-disciplinary programs that build integrated knowledge and skills for arts, media, and communications practice across multiple mediums and communication platforms.
The programs will help students to develop dynamic and critical career skills that will enable them to establish and manage a creative career and adapt to rapidly changing arts, media, and communications practices in a global environment. Students will be able to use their talents individually and will be able to contribute value to collaborations.
The programs will give greater emphasis to helping students develop skills in researching, evaluating, and using information from a wide range of sources to solve problems and power creative production.
The programs will position deep integration of knowledge and skills from the liberal arts and sciences with knowledge and skills of professional arts, media, and communications practice as the keystone of a successful life and career.

At the graduate level:

The programs will integrate aesthetic, intellectual, and applied knowledge and skills developed through individual and collaborative research and creative activities that yield new knowledge and artistic perspectives.
The programs will give graduates credentials for professional advancement and will expand career and leadership opportunities for arts, media, and communication practitioners, e.g., in the areas of management, education, or therapy.

Distinct Learning Experience

The college will create an educational experience in which all students live and work within a creative and engaged community of peers, mentors, and teachers and learn in an environment that incorporates experiences simulating the professional working world.
Undergraduates and graduate students will engage with a faculty who exemplify contemporary practice and innovation in the arts, media, and communications.

At the undergraduate level:

Students will develop and apply integrated knowledge and skills by building a body of work throughout their college experience.The curricula will give students cross-disciplinary experiences and flexibility in curricular pathways.
Curricular and co-curricular activities will provide opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations.
The college will provide many and varied opportunities for undergraduates to cultivate their body of work through active learning experiences such as internships, student productions, faculty/student research or community engagement activities.
The college will provide learning facilities and interactions with peers and faculty that simulate professional practice.

At the graduate level:

Students will learn within a creative community of faculty and peers in their program that exposes them to diverse conceptual approaches to their area of practice.
Students will develop mature knowledge and skills through intensive experience with research, production, and presentation of creative and academic work documented in a thesis portfolio.
The college will provide professional grade facilities and frequent opportunities for students to engage with top-level practitioners within and beyond the faculty.

Learning Technology

The college will develop robust learning technology resources that enhance traditional classroom learning and expand students’ options for when and how they learn.

Specifically:

The college will develop technology resources: 1) for learning environments that simulate professional working environments in the disciplines; 2) that empower collaborative inquiry and creative production; 3) that enhance communication among students and teachers; and 4) that expand student access to learning resources and support services.
The college will significantly expand availability of online and blended courses.
The college will develop and support faculty experimentation with learning technology.
To accomplish these aims, the college will ensure a foundation of reliable, consistent, technological systems and practices.

Adult Education

The college will launch career development degree or certificate programs designed for the interest and needs of adult students. The college will “bundle” existing curriculum to deliver distinct programs for adult learners.
The college will begin with a small number of pilot programs chosen for their market potential and financial feasibility.
More specifically, the college will:
- Offer multi-disciplinary programs organized around an area of practice, e.g., professional writing, digital design, or marketing;
- Experiment with alternative modes of instructional delivery for adult learners;
- Adapt student recruiting and services to adult students.

Outreach

The college will “[actively engage] in the life and culture of the city of Chicago” through community and industry outreach programs that contribute to arts, media, and communications education and practice in the metropolitan Chicago region.
The college will leverage its community and industry outreach programs to develop learning experiences for its students, professional development opportunities for its faculty, and for institutional advancement and recruiting.
More specifically, the college will:
- Focus on outreach and research activities on pre-K-12 and community based arts education, with a particular emphasis on training and support for community based teaching artists;
  Develop community and industry partnerships that foster inquiry and innovation in arts, media, and communications practice;
  Fully integrate its community and industry outreach programs with the college’s institutional and student learning objectives.