Branding a University Media Department/Premises for discussion and consideration

Premises contributed by faculty members

1. Media producers are, primarily, storytellers (digital story telling has become pervasive). This university is committed to telling stories that can make an eternal difference, not just entertain.
2. The customers (students) are experiential, participatory, image driven and community driven (as described in the literature of Tim Elmore).
3. We must provide proof of the brand with delivery on the promise.
4. Every media school must focus on a niche, that is, one thing that school can better than any other.
5. A media school’s brand must be professional and intentional.
6. In light of current trends, fluctuating job markets and an unpredictable economy, a media school’s academic structure must be flexible and able to change more quickly than demonstrated by historical precedence. One example for how this can be accomplished is in the naming of things. A flexible name for a class might trim six months off of the approval process to integrate new ideas. These increasingly flexible names evolved over 16 years for an interactive class: 1) Intro. To Photoshop, HTML, Flash and Browers 2) Weaving Websites. 3) Intro. to Interactive Media. 4) Digital Storytelling One
7. Change is a constant. Anything not changing is has died.
8. Modern media departments require adaptability and flexibility. It’s how you design the “frame” that matters. Content can change when the name of a course is flexible, i.e., “Dance Forms Class” allows variety within its structure.
9. Peer-to-peer and professional mentor relationships and apprenticeships are essential.
10. Academia should be structured on content and use “spiral structure” allowing a teacher to cover ideas once, and then circle back to a deeper level in order to cover more ideas.
11. Training is essential for production work and is dependent on the amount of time and resources available. This is the reality of content creation.
12. Students want to do the work, that’s how they want to learn
13. A hybrid approach to learning is more effective. It can be achieved by integrating classes through joint projects and team teaching. Silo learning is over. It’s necessary to cross-teach concepts and understand what each other faculty are teaching.
14. If recruiting is an over-arching objective, we must entice new students by showing them what they can expect of their college experience. Universities must meet the needs of continuants.
15. It’s necessary to define “apprenticeship” in terms of modern learning.