Developing learning experiences for future design professionals

As an Assistant Professor at West Virginia University, I returned to my home state and alma mater in 2009 to aid the evolution of a graphic design concentration within the Department of Art & Design. While the program's roots were in print, the teaching at WVU also had sensitivity to community needs along with deep understandings of place.

Those attributes lended well to expansion into new courses that focused on user experience and the web. I taught a number of design courses at the university and developed courses in web design and motion graphics, as well as a service learning course which partnered students with local non-profits to develop digital design projects that advanced the organizations' missions and made a local impact.

The best part of teaching is getting to watch your former students make their way in the world. Students from my short time as a professor at WVU went on to careers at a number of agencies and at companies like LinkedIn and Audi.