In addition to duties in my home department of Theatre & Cinema, I serve a dual appointment as a member of the Graduate Faculty for the Master of Applied Arts in Digital Media Program (ADM).
Each semester I teach one or more graduate courses in Digital Media, advise and mentor graduate students, and serve on thesis committees. Additional duties for the graduate program have included curriculum revision, development of new courses, providing research and marketing for the program, participation in various orientation activities, chairing thesis committees, and supervision of graduate Teaching Assistants.
The following table provides a summary of my graduate advising activity for the Master of Applied Arts in Digital Media Program 2008-present.
Undergraduate Academic Advisement is a primary responsibility of all faculty at my current institution. Students are required to meet with their faculty adviser each semester prior to course registration to select classes and assess progress toward their major.
During my first semester of employment I prepared for this duty by reading the course catalog, but found the prerequisites for the courses in my department to be confusing. In order to get a better grasp on the curriculum, I set about creating a visual aid. Using the copy machine to enlarge each class description, I created a flowchart with different colors of yarn to indicate prerequisite pathways to upper division. Initially intended for my own use, students and other faculty also began using the chart for reference. Eventually it led to much needed curriculum changes.
Flowchart of course descriptions from the undergraduate catalog. Colors of yarn indicate prerequisite pathways to upper division.
Detail of 200 level course descriptions.
Often my advisees arrive unprepared for their appointments, and do not make any decisions about the classes they want to take before coming to see me. After an initial consultation, I send them away with this form I created, and give them the task of choosing a schedule that fits their needs. We then meet a second time to assess the choices they have made prior to registration.
