May 30, 2024

From Struggle to Success: A Conversation on Navigating a Return to Student Workplace Readiness

Jan Ballard and Erica Holmen

About this video

Description

In this talk, we will explore the challenges faced by design educators in preparing students for the workforce, especially in the post Covid era. We will discuss the skills and knowledge that our design students need to be successful in their careers and how professionals have seen a change in resilience and risk taking — the very skills creatives use in problem solving. We will also examine the struggles that educators face in designing effective curriculum and assessments, and will work how they might create student outcomes that resonate with recruiters, employers, and creative directors. Finally, we will share stories from creative directors who have hired recent graduates to provide practical tips and strategies for educators to develop tools to help their students succeed in their careers.

Jan Ballard and Erica Holmen

Jan Ballard joined TCU in August 2010 as an Instructor in the Design Department, having previously been an Adjunct Faculty member in the School of Art for 25 years. She earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She teaches typography, corporate identity, branding, professional recognition, and the capstone classes Portfolio Enhancement and Portfolio & Marketing. Her scholarly activity focuses on typography, cross-disciplinary collaboration, community service learning, and academic/industry UI/UX partnerships for workforce readiness. The impact of her work has been noted by case studies published in two books, “Teaching Graphic Design History” and “Teaching Graphic Design: Course Offerings and Class Projects from the Leading Graduate and Undergraduate Programs”. Jan’s teaching effectiveness has been recognized by Student Affairs, Student Development Services: Engaged Faculty Award; Neeley Innovative Teachers Guild Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Deans’ Teaching Award; District 10 AAF Award for Outstanding Advertising Educator; Faculty of the Year, College of Fine Arts, Student Government Association; and Wassenich Award for Mentoring. She has been invited to present at TypeCon; Big Design UI/UX; The Information Architecture; National Student Show; University & College Designers Association: Design Education Summit; and American Institute of Graphic Arts:Design Educators.

Erica Holmen earned an M.F.A. in graphic design from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Md., and a B.F.A. in graphic design from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla. In Maryland, she taught graphic design and branding courses at MICA and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, while volunteering at portfolio reviews and as a guest critic. Before becoming a full-time educator, Holeman was a senior designer at Pentagram, the world's largest independent design consultancy. Her diverse professional experience includes working at a non-profit organization, smaller local design agencies, and as a freelance designer.