Department Service - 2014
Dept. Service: Photographer Lecture series - 2014
I was able to continue with my "Photography Lecture Series" this year. The photography lectures are designed to introduce students and faculty to contemporary photographers who specialize in different categories such as: photojournalism, multi-media, documentary, wedding, portrait, fashion, food photography, etc. Each photographer speaks about his or her own work, their business plan as well as the ethics behind capturing their images. I was asked to “kick off” the lecture series in February of 2014; video of my talk to the left. To learn more about this lecture series, please click on the button below:
Dept. Service: Student Mentoring Committee - 2014
I continued to work with the Student Mentoring Committee, which strived to increase the level of participation of our students both in and out of the classrooms. Our goal is to create an online setting where students can interact freely with each other as well as with faculty. Throughout our past meetings, we developed the Photography Student Professional Network and several blogs: First Years Focus and Fire, The Blog of Professor Phillips, and the Student Ambassador Blog. I am the author of First Years Focus and Fire. My blog is intended for the use of students who are new to the program. I have found my First Years Focus and Fire blog to be very useful in the classroom. Please feel free to use the navigational link above for details.
Dept. Service: Full time & senior full time faculty meetings - 2014
On a regular and timely basis, I have attended a variety of meetings: FTF/SFTF Meetings, Focus Groups, AIPOD Meetings, Committee Meetings, Pinnacle Project Meetings, Student Mentor Meetings, and Faculty Titling Meetings. During these meetings, I participate in the conversation and offer help when necessary. From time to time, we are also asked to attend meetings that are held by Education Management Corporation (EDMC), the company that owns AIPOD, regarding company policies. I view each of these meetings as a learning experience and an opportunity to learn more about our Photography Department at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division.
Dept. Service: pinnacle project - 2014
This year we were introduced to the idea of the Pinnacle Project, which will be a new way of delivering information to students. Courses will be re-written and there will be more of a “real life” scenario setting associated with each assignment. I participated in several meetings for the Pinnacle Project and was assigned a course to revise, PH136: Lighting I, which will become PHOA113: Lighting I.
Dept. Service: Course revision - 2014
I participated in the Course Revision for "PH136: Lighting". In the beginning of 2014, I participated in revising the course material, the equipment list, and assignments. PH136 morphed into “PHOA113” and with this shift, I remained a reviewer. The biggest shift in the equipment from PH136 to PHOA113 is the lighting kit; moving from 500W Tungsten Light to a 500W Strobe with a 250W modeling light will provide our students with a more contemporary approach to lighting. Towards the end of the review, I re-wrote all of the assignments. I approached this task by providing the students with a real-life situation in the introduction of each assignment. From there, I wrote step-by-step directions to provide a clear technical and creative goal for our students to work towards. PHOA113 has officially launched and I’ve continued to work closely with Doug Barkey, our Department Head, and have submitted Content Alerts when necessary.
Dept. Service: content alerts - 2014
I submitted a number of Content Alerts for the other courses that I have taught: PH341, PH312, PH331, PH350 and PH309. The changes that I have suggested within these content alerts help to maintain the classes and ensure that our students are receiving clear and up-to-date information.
Dept. Service: Enrollment & Retention Committee - 2014
I have been an active participant in the "Enrollment and Retention" Committee. Throughout these meetings, we brainstormed many different methods as to how we could maintain our student population in the lower level courses. We devised a number of new tactics to engage our students more so, including encouraging faculty members to use not only individual video feedback but also group video feedback. Due to our efforts during these meetings, faculty members are also including a video introduction of themselves within each courses' Autobiography Assignment.
Dept. Service: Focus Group Meetings - 2014
In the past, I hosted my own Focus Group meetings where I helped adjunct faculty members learn about our school's policies, ways to improve communication with students, methods of giving feedback, and about any new developments that occurred within our department. I maintained a professional and positive relationship with the members of my Focus Group so that I was able to help them with their specific issues not only during our meetings but also via e-mail and phone calls. I have also found that the adjunct faculty members also feel comfortable enough to me via e-mail or within the Google+ community when needing assistance.
Dept. Service: portfolio reviews - 2014
To ensure that our students are meeting the competencies of each program offered at AiP Online (Bachelors, Associates, Certificates), I have also participated in a number of Portfolio Reviews. The student's portfolio displays their top images which show an understanding of the program's competencies. Reviewing these portfolios is a responsibility that I take very seriously because the result acknowledges the student's "marketability" as a photographer in the real world after graduation.
Dept. Service: Portfolio review - 2014
To ensure that our students are meeting the competencies of each program offered at AiP Online (Bachelors, Associates, Certificates), I have also participated in a number of Portfolio Reviews. The student's portfolio displays their top images which show an understanding of the program's competencies. Reviewing these portfolios is a responsibility that I take very seriously because the result acknowledges the student's "marketability" as a photographer in the real world after graduation.
Dept. Service: faculty titling committee - 2014
During this past year, I attended several Faculty Titling meetings with Karen Antonelli to learn more about how I can advance my title as a professor. Although I am currently not eligible to apply for an "Associate Professor" or "Professor" title, I have learned a lot about the Committee, the Rubric, the Review Panel and overall process of applying for an advanced title. This PPAR will mark my second year of teaching full time at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division and I look forward to the completion of my third year so I may apply for the Associate Professor title and later down the road, to the completion of my fifth year so I may apply for the Professor title.