On January 27 Adobe declared Illinois State University a Creative Campus. The new distinction puts Illinois State in select company and makes it the only university in Illinois to currently hold the title.
Being named a Creative Campus recognizes Illinois State’s commitment to digital literacy and to teaching creative and persuasive digital communication skills. The University has demonstrated a pledge to achieving strategic goals and student outcomes related to digital literacy, including integration of Adobe Creative Cloud into cross-disciplinary curricula as well as collaborations with other institutions sharing content and best practices.
Adobe Creative Cloud offers a collection of applications that provide a host of digital media and software solutions for faculty and students. While Illinois State has used graphic tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator for years, software now available includes over 40 apps including video editors (Premiere Pro and Rush), web and app prototyping tools (XD), 3D apps, and a mobile and web media creation platform (Spark). Many of these tools are available for the desktop, web, and mobile versions and are all valuable for teaching and learning and providing students with many transferable skills to the workplace post-graduation.
In addition to the University distinction, Professor of Marketing Dr. Hulda Black was named an Adobe Education Leader. Black has used Adobe in many ways since the Adobe campuswide site license was first introduced for the fall 2018 semester. “It’s an essential tool to help students learn and prepare them for their future,” Black said. “Some people think it’s just for marketing or graphic design, but you can use it across the curriculum. With this software, I want to teach the students how to promote themselves. It is more than just a presentation software, it’s an opportunity to teach students how to create presentations succinctly in a more dynamic manner than traditional methods like PowerPoint or papers.”
The Creative Campus distinction comes with additional perks and resources for Illinois State faculty. The sky is the limit on what the University can do to help students learn, be more creative, and be better prepared for the future. Adobe Creative Cloud has been used by Illinois State instructors for digital storytelling by innovative student projects, which include the creation of graphics, posters, web pages, videos, book creation, documentaries, podcasts, and interactive presentations. Students can even create unique resume-style Spark webpages to be part of their career portfolios. With the recognition that comes with being an Adobe Creative Campus, Illinois State is primed to capitalize on its new distinction.
Instructors who currently use Adobe in the classroom are encouraged to complete a short survey to provide the Adobe and University teams with a complete picture of the many innovative ways Adobe CC is currently being used. Results from the survey will be used by the University team of faculty and technology advisors will devise a comprehensive program that will support faculty who want to use Adobe in the classroom but don’t know where to start. Best practice and user groups will provide guidance and share best practices all to help develop its uses in the classroom.
All faculty, staff, and students are currently licensed for Adobe Creative Cloud. Faculty interested in attending workshops on specific Adobe applications should check out the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology’s current offerings. For more information on Adobe at Illinois State, visit this website or contact Dr. Rosie Hauck.
