Interaction Design An Application to Offer the Baccalaureate Degree

Submitted to the Office of Brice W. Harris Chancellor of the California Community Colleges

December 18, 2014

Contents Statement of Need ...................................................................................................... 1

Table 1a. Santa Monica College Student Demographics .................................................... 2

Table 1b. Los Angeles County Demographics ..................................................................... 2

Table 2. Job Projections and Gaps for California and Los Angeles ..................................... 4

Table 3. Job Postings by Title .............................................................................................. 4

Table 4. Distribution of Minimum Education Requirements .............................................. 4

Response to the Need................................................................................................. 5

Table 5. Five Year Enrollment Projections .......................................................................... 6

Table 6. Proposed Four-Year Curriculum in Interaction Design ......................................... 6

Table 7. Timeline for Program Planning ............................................................................. 7

Table 8. Classification of Instructional Programs................................................................ 8

Program Management and Institutional Commitment ................................................. 9

Table 9. Ending Fund Balances for the Last Five Years ....................................................... 9

Table 10. Summary of Recent Accreditation Activities, 2004-2016 ................................... 9

Figure 1. Organizational Chart. ......................................................................................... 10

Identified Resources ................................................................................................. 11

Appendix A: Application Signature Page .................................................................. 13

1

Statement of Need High technology is the engine behind California’s economy. Santa Monica College proposes offering a baccalaureate degree in Interaction Design to help meet the overwhelming demand for the skill set in this critical sector of the state’s industry. While student demand for a design degree in this emerging field is robust, opportunities to earn one are severely limited. The appearance of the first iPhone® in 2007 marked a dramatic shift in the fields of graphic and web design. Since then, technology and design are converging like never before with the proliferation of innovations such as e-commerce, mobile apps, smartphones, medical devices, wearable technology, connected appliances, and self-driving cars. A new breed of designer who understands the user and a user-centered approach is required—designers who must consider critically the following questions:

• What is the user’s experience? • How do people interact with their devices? • How does one design a system across a range of devices and contexts,

knowing that these are often the first contact point for a business or service?

In “Silicon Beach,” Southern California, and state-wide there is overwhelming industry demand for highly trained people in User Experience (UX) and Interaction Design (IxD), and the profession is highly paid. The median salary for UX or IxD professionals in Southern California is $115,000, according to a 2014 salary survey by the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA).1

Currently there are no Interaction Design baccalaureate degrees in the UC/CSU system and only two are offered in California at expensive, private schools. SMC is already striving to meet this demand within its Graphic Design Associate’s degree with courses in visual design, user experience, and web and mobile design. But, a four-year degree is required to develop the creative and critical thinking skills students need in this complex field. A baccalaureate program in Interaction Design is the right program at the right time. And Santa Monica College is ideally positioned to offer this program given its current, highly relevant Graphic Design program and its location in the heart of Southern California’s innovative “Silicon Beach”, high tech business environment. The Interaction Design program at SMC will provide an exciting and affordable new pathway for students in the greater Los Angeles community to enter an engaging, well-paid career.

About the College Founded in 1929, Santa Monica College (SMC), a large, publicly-supported, urban community college located roughly ten miles west of downtown Los Angeles, is a primary provider of academic, transfer, and career technical education (CTE) in the greater Los Angeles basin. Today, SMC serves more than 30,000 students, providing one of the state’s most successful transfer programs, as well as innovative and responsive CTE programs for individuals seeking employment and career advancement in the region’s high growth/high demand fields.

1 https://uxpa.org/system/files/public/UXPASalarySurvey2014_Final.pdf

2

For many students, particularly low-income, first generation, and underrepresented minority students, SMC is a gateway to a better life. Over 80% of SMC students enrolled during the fall of 2013 stated a goal of transfer and/or earning an Associate’s degree. SMC strives to create a learning environment that both challenges students and supports them in achieving these educational goals, focusing efforts to ensure that students develop the skills essential to be successful, including self-confidence and self-discipline, critical thinking, global citizenship, sustainable and ethical living, and authentic engagement.2 To fulfill this mission, SMC provides open and affordable access to high quality associate degree and certificate of achievement programs, as well as transfer to baccalaureate programs.

SMC students reflect the broad diversity of the greater Los Angeles area community that the college serves. Table 1 provides a direct comparison of SMC enrollment data with Los Angeles County demographics.

Table 1a. Santa Monica College Student Demographics (Fall 2013)

Table 1b. Los Angeles County Demographics*

(2013) Unduplicated Headcount: 30,000; FTES: 10,953 Ethnicity Number Percent Ethnicity Percent Hispanic 11,220 37.4% Hispanic 48.3% White 7,980 26.6% White 27.2% Asian/Pacific Islander 4,140 13.8% Asian/Pacific Islander 15.0% African American 2,760 9.2% African American 9.2% American Indian 60 0.2% American Indian 1.5% Two or More 1,170 3.9% Two or More 2.9% Unknown 2,670 8.9% Gender Number Percent Gender Percent Female 15,690 52.3% Female 50.7% Male 14,310 47.7% Male 49.3% Age Number Percent 19 or younger 9,150 30.5% *U.S. Census Bureau: State and County

QuickFacts. 20 - 24 12,510 41.7% 25 or older 8,370 27.9%

Student, Community, and Employer Interest In the short time since the College announced its intent to apply to offer a baccalaureate program in Interaction Design, SMC has received over 100 letters of support3 from students, alumni, area high school and university leaders, community organizations, political leaders, and high tech and design companies. SMC students and alumni have responded with enthusiasm; SMC’s Design Technology Department collected a survey from students in which 90% of the respondents expressed an interest in an Interaction Design degree. Alumna and successful User

2 These skills reflect Santa Monica College’s Institutional Learning Outcomes, viewable in full at

www.smc.edu/ACG/DistrictPlanningPolicies . 3 Visit www.smc.edu/IxD to view letters of support for the proposed IxD baccalaureate degree.

3

Experience Designer Jill DaSilva states, “When I was looking for Graphic Design and Web Design education, SMC was the only school that offered a quality education without requiring me to go into debt. By offering this four-year program, SMC could be in a position to offer an affordable, quality education with a very high employment rate post-graduation. A Bachelor’s degree would definitely have helped me command a higher salary right out of school.” Locally and statewide, technology and design industry leaders are also enthusiastic supporters of SMC’s proposed IxD baccalaureate program. Disney, Sony, and Rand are among dozens of technology and design sector employers expressing their support for the baccalaureate degree in letters to the College.4 This includes members of the Graphic Design program advisory board who have expressed the need to broaden student skills to include IxD and UX. “The Interaction Design field has evolved so quickly even the tech industry can barely keep up with its growth – the shortage of skilled interaction designers is just overwhelming,” says Steve Vincent, Vice President, Music & Soundtracks for Disney Channel Worldwide. “We need these graduates to continue our symbiotic relationship with the economy of Los Angeles and California.” “California, with its prominence in technology and media, is at the forefront of creating the future, and interaction design is a crucial part of that. We literally cannot educate designers fast enough for the many, many roles they are currently filling, in everything from medical devices to governmental policy…I believe that a baccalaureate level of education is necessary to adequately prepare students for jobs in this area of interplay amongst design, user experience, and technology,” states Dan Saffer, creative leader, interaction designer, and the author of four books on interaction design.5 The need for a baccalaureate level degree in Interaction Design is evidenced by examination of labor market gap analyses and current job postings in the field. Area companies such as Activision, Capital Group, DIRECTV, Electronic Arts, Google, Snapchat, Sony Pictures, Symantec and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, to name a few, are all looking for IxD/UX designers.6 According to Fast Company, “IBM announced on March 27, 2014 more than $100 million in global investments to greatly expand its UX consultation practice, which serves clients in the realm of experience design and engagement. That includes 1,000 new employees and 10 new Interaction Experience labs.”7 Interaction Design, an emerging field, is somewhat difficult to study via traditional labor market sources because it has not yet been assigned a Standard Occupational Code (SOC). However, a gap analysis of related SOC’s conducted by Economic Modeling

4 Visit www.smc.edu/IxD to view letters of support from the region’s technology and design industry. 5 See http://www.odannyboy.com/ for more information on Dan Saffer and his publications. 6 All of the aforementioned companies had current postings for these positions in November 2014 on indeed.com. Examples of job postings are given at www.smc.edu/IxD . 7 See www.fastcodesign.com/3028271/ibm-invests-100-million-to-expand-design-business.

4

Specialists International (EMSI) supports the need for more professionals in this field, and at the baccalaureate level of education.

Table 3 indicates actual job postings by job title for positions likely to be filled by IxD professionals, while Table 4 emphasizes the need for baccalaureate-level preparation.

Table 3. Job Postings by Title

Title California Los Angeles Software Engineer* 29,803 1,820 Java Software Developer 6,999 358 User Interface (Ui)/User Experience (Ux)/Interaction (Ix) Designer/Developer/Architect 6,409 685

Web Designer/Developer 5,529 423 Graphic Designer 4,429 554 Software Developer 4,076 403 Totals 57,245 4,243 Burning Glass Technologies Data for Los Angeles and California Job Titles; Nov. 1, 2013 – Oct. 31, 2014 *Interaction Designers are members of software engineering teams who focus on front-end design.

Table 4. Distribution of Minimum Education Requirements

Education Postings % of Total Openings High School Diploma 2,771 3.8% Certificate of Associate’s Degree 907 1.3% Bachelor’s Degree 64,534 89.6% Graduate or Professional Degree 3,780 5.3% Burning Glass Technologies Data for California Job Postings by Minimum Education Requirements, Nov . 1, 2013 – Oct. 31, 2014.

Table 2. Job Projections and Gaps for California and Los Angeles

California Los Angeles Occupation

Title (SOC)

2014 Jobs

2019 Jobs

PSV* Gap

AA/AS Gap

BA Gap

2014 Jobs

2019 Jobs

PSV* Gap

AA/AS Gap

BA Gap

Graphic Designer (27-1024)

28,103 28,971 709 769 2,010 19,873 20,580 239 165 688

Web Developer (15-1134) 18,288 20,619 148 169 768 8,437 9,071 37 26 160

Software Developer,

Applications (15-1132)

101,372 114,681 365 520 1,748 17,365 17,957 23 52 76

Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), Data for Los Angeles Count and California, Nov. 2014. *Post-Secondary Vocational Education

5

Response to the Need In existence for over 45 years, the SMC Graphic Design program is housed in the Design Technology Department which also includes Entertainment Technology and Interior Architectural Design. While most universities house graphic design within schools of fine art, SMC’s Graphic Design program is uniquely located in a technology and design department, acknowledging its emphasis on project-based learning, applied design, and technical skills oriented towards high technology industries. Under the guidance of its advisory board, the program has evolved from a traditional graphic design program to one that incorporates many aspects of interaction design including web design, mobile design, and user experience. Creation of an IxD Bachelor’s degree is a natural progression for the Graphic Design program at SMC, and one that leverages existing student populations, curriculum, and human and physical resources. The College currently offers at least 40 sections of graphic design courses per semester with robust enrollment. In 2013-14, over 700 students successfully completed two or more core courses of the Graphic Design Associate’s Degree curriculum, 200 successfully completed six or more, and 52 were awarded degrees or certificates in Graphic Design8. SMC was by far the largest producer of community college Graphic Design program completers in the region last year. Second largest was Mt. San Antonio College with 16 completers8. Additional contributors include College of the Canyons, Cerritos College, East LA College, Pasadena College and others. Together, area community colleges produced 127 program completers last year8 and thousands of program participants. It is from this population, from area high schools, and from local industry that SMC expects to draw candidates for its IxD Bachelor’s degree program. Santa Monica College is committed to providing access to all students9 and strives to address achievement gaps through the development of innovative programming that connects theory with practice in a coordinated, systematic partnership with industry. As an example, the College is a lead participant in the LA HI-TECH Regional Consortium, a strategic interdisciplinary alliance among K-12 schools, community colleges, public agencies, and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry. Funded by a $15 million grant from the California Career Pathways Trust, the consortium prepares traditionally underrepresented secondary and postsecondary students with a structured career pathway that imbeds technical skill development in traditional classroom instruction and leads to high-demand, high-growth, and high-wage ICT occupations. The proposed baccalaureate program will build upon these efforts and provide another pathway for high school students participating in the LA HI-TECH cohort. Students in this program will contribute to diversifying this industry sector, an acknowledged deficiency that both SMC and many tech companies strive to address.

Recognizing the need for flexible scheduling options for many of its students, the Graphic Design program offers classes in traditional timeslots and formats as well as online and in the evening. About 40% of classes are held at night and about 15% are fully online. These flexible scheduling options will be maintained per student demand.

8 Data from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Data Mart 9 In partnership with local industry groups, SMC also plans to offer ten full scholarships to members of the inaugural baccalaureate class to help defray the cost of education for these students.

6

The proposed Interaction Design program builds upon and complements SMC’s existing Graphic Design Associate degree and certificates. The vast majority of the lower division curriculum is in place, enabling current SMC students to enter the upper division portion of the degree program seamlessly. An initial cohort will begin third-year courses in the spring of 2016, with a second, larger cohort beginning the following year.

Table 5. Five Year Enrollment Projections

Academic Year* Cohort Graduation Date Size of Cohort**

2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021

June 2019 June 2020 June 2021 June 2022 June 2023

25 students 40 students 50 students 62 students 78 students

*Academic year when students enter upper division coursework. **Projections based upon a minimum 25% annual growth.

The baccalaureate curriculum is composed of general education and core foundation courses in years one and two. Third and fourth year courses focus on upper division classes and electives including a four-course sequence in Interaction Design, a Senior Design Studio, an industry sponsored class, and an industry internship.

Table 6. Proposed Four-Year Curriculum10 in Interaction Design (120 units)

Required Lower Division Core Courses, Major prep: (40 units) Upper Division Coursework (40 units)

Coursework currently offered at SMC Graphic Design: Graphic Design Applications, Graphic Design Studio, Typography, Publication and Page Design, Digital Illustration, Digital Imaging for Design, Web Design, User Experience, Mobile Application Design Computer Science: Javascript, Internet Programming Additional coursework to be developed includes Research for Design.

Major requirements will include multiple courses in Interaction Design as well as Visual Storytelling, Tangible Interaction, Advanced Research for Design, Technology Project Management, Interaction Design Senior Studio, Special Topics- Industry Sponsored Project, and Internship.

Suggested General Education (36 units): Suggested Electives—Additional Lower Division from the following to total 120 degree units:

Lower Division -Language & Critical Thinking (3,3) -Arts and Humanities (3,3) -Social Sciences (3,3) -Scientific Inquiry (3) -Quantitative Reasoning (3) -Information Competency (3)

Upper Division -Critical Thinking and

Communication (3) -Media Studies (3) -Behavioral Studies (3)

-3 Dimensional Design -Principles of Marketing -Social Media Marketing -Principles of Game Development -Cognitive Psychology

10 The proposed curriculum is subject to change pending Chancellor’s Office and ASCCC guidance on upper division general education requirements as well as local and state curriculum approval processes.

7

Students completing the Bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design at Santa Monica College will achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Analyze, evaluate and design projects from a UX/IxD perspective; • Design interactive systems across multiple device types and contexts; • Employ industry-standard prototyping methodologies and tools in design projects,

including coding in HTML, CSS and Javascript; • Analyze and solve complex, design-related problems; • Communicate ideas clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing; • Work effectively and collaboratively as members of a team; • Develop a professional quality portfolio demonstrating the principles of Interaction

Design.

Project Timeline SMC proposes the following timeline for development of the IxD degree program.

Table 7. Timeline for Program Planning

Curriculum Planning Program Management Accreditation Approval

Spring 2015 Phase I: Develop required coursework for major in consultation with Advisory Board and secure local approval for degree.

Create work group of enrollment, counseling, instructional support, and administration. Negotiate with bargaining units. Recruit students.

Develop and submit substantive change proposal for May 7, 2015 Committee on Substantive Change meeting.

Summer 2015 Develop instructional support resources as needed.

Prepare for implementation. Recruit.

Fall 2015 Phase II: Following the guidance of ASCCC, develop and approve upper division general education.

Ongoing recruitment. Ongoing professional development for faculty and staff. Begin admissions and enrollment processes.

Submit Self-Evaluation Report to ACCJC.

Winter 2016 Move into newly remodeled Academy of Entertainment Technology site.

Spring 2016 Begin offering upper division coursework to first cohort of students at junior level standing.

Comprehensive Evaluation Visit, March 2016.

An emerging discipline, Interaction Design has not yet been assigned a federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code, but a review of available CIP codes identified six that could be used to catalog programs in Interaction Design:

8

Table 8. Classification of Instructional Programs—Interaction Design related disciplines

09.0702 Digital Communication & Media/Multimedia 50.0102 Digital Arts 50.0404 Industrial and Product Design

50.0409 Graphic Design 50.0411 Game and Interactive Media Design 50.0499 Design and Applied Arts, Other

A search of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for baccalaureate degrees in these CIP codes at all California public universities generates a list of degrees in Graphic Design and related fields, but none in interaction design. Thorough review of the curriculum for each program identified by the CIP Code search reveals overlap only at the lower division level. While several individual courses are being offered in Interaction Design, no degree programs were identified emphasizing coursework in Interaction or User Experience Design—two core components of the IxD baccalaureate degree. UCLA’s Extension program and CSU Fullerton’s Extended Education program offer certificates in the field, but no degree. Other programs emphasize interactive multimedia or human-computer interaction, but these distinct and narrower terms refer to art and science approaches respectively, rather than a primary focus on design. A parallel search of degree offerings in the UC and CSU systems conducted via assist.org provided similar findings, and curricular analysis again showed more traditional design degrees emphasizing art, aesthetics, and theories of design. Few, if any, employ the applied CTE approach of SMC’s proposed degree, and none merged the focus on interaction design with a significant technical component.

Santa Monica College’s President/Superintendent, Executive Vice President, Dean of Instructional Services, and Transfer Center Director have been in direct communication with regional UC and CSU campuses regarding this proposal. The College received confirmations of support and of a lack of conflict from CSU Northridge, CSU Los Angeles and CSU Dominguez Hills. CSU Long Beach, an hour south of SMC, indicates interest in developing a program in this area in the future, though no program currently exists, making a direct comparison of curriculum impossible.

UCLA is located just a few miles from the SMC campus. President Chui Tsang and Dean Jennifer Merlic met with UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh, and Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Pat Turner to discuss the College’s proposed IxD degree. Chancellor Block expressed their support for the program in a letter to President Tsang, stating that “The program will not conflict with offerings at UCLA; on the contrary, we believe the degree will complement our offerings in different aspects of design and that there will be significant demand.”11

11 A copy of Chancellor Block’s letter is available at www.smc.edu/IxD.

9

Program Management and Institutional Commitment Santa Monica College recognizes that successful implementation of the baccalaureate program in Interaction Design will demand significant resources and is prepared to make that commitment. The passage of Senate Bill 850 provides an exciting opportunity to address head-on today’s crisis in the rising costs of higher education, and SMC is ideally positioned to help ensure the success of this critical pilot program. Potential benefits to students and the community are significant. Evidence of SMC’s ability to make these benefits a reality include its long history of fiscal stability, good standing with its accreditor, and internationally-recognized success in providing top quality, innovative instructional programs. SMC has a history of strong fiscal management resulting in a stable fiscal environment. For the past five years, there have been no fiscal findings in audits of the College’s financial statements, and the College maintained a general fund balance above the level recommended by the Chancellor’s Office during this financially volatile period.

Table 9. Ending Fund Balances for the Last Five Years Santa Monica College

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 $24,097,578 $27,092,235 $19,785,682 $15,784,905 $20,022,320

Santa Monica College is rated Aa2 by Moody’s Investor Service and AA by Standard and Poor’s Rating Services. The ratings include a stable outlook, which reflects the College’s improved funding environment and the College’s continued ability to serve a large number of non-resident students.

Accredited by ACCJC, SMC has a sound accreditation history. The College received its initial accreditation in 1952, with reaffirmation occurring after each evaluation visit since.

Table 10. Summary of Recent Accreditation Activities, 2004-2016 Santa Monica College

Date Action Result

March 2016 Comprehensive Evaluation Visit Pending

March 2013 Midterm Report submitted Accepted by ACCJC

March 2010 Comprehensive Evaluation Visit Accreditation reaffirmed

August 2009 Substantive Change proposal to offer more than 50% of course units via Distance Education

Accepted by ACCJC

June 2006 Substantive Change proposal to provide instructional services at Compton College for two, five-week summer intersessions to ensure uninterrupted instructional services

Accepted by ACCJC

March 2004 Comprehensive Evaluation Visit Accreditation reaffirmed

10

Santa Monica College’s ability to implement innovative instructional programs quickly and effectively is well established. Recent examples include development of the nation’s first Associate’s degree in Recycling and Resource Management (RRM), initially funded via a 2010 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and now institutionalized with District funds. During the first year of the program, the Earth Science department awarded over 60 departmental certificates in RRM and placed over 30 students in RRM related internships, paid and unpaid. The program continues to thrive and over 30 students have earned the Certificate of Achievement and AA degree.

A second example is SMC’s highly successful “Promo Pathway” program, a three-year partnership with industry trade organization PromaxBDA. The program, now under the umbrella of the LA HI-TECH consortium, is designed to diversify the entertainment promotions and marketing workforce, and includes major television and cable companies including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, Time Warner, Telemundo, Disney, Lifetime, Style Network, and others as partners. In 2013, 100% of the students successfully completed the program and became eligible for program certificates. Fifty-five percent of all program students are currently employed in the industry. Other students have continued on in industry-related paid internships or are studying to complete the Associates Degree developed as a result of that program.

Administrative guidance for the Bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design will be provided by SMC’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Instructional Services, Dean of External Programs, and Supervisor of Admissions and Records. Four full-time and several adjunct faculty, under the guidance of a dedicated advisory board, will provide discipline expertise and, together with a full-time dedicated counselor, counseling and academic advising services. The college will draw from its broader faculty12 to develop and offer appropriate upper division general education coursework. Additional support includes both technical and clerical staff.

Figure 1. Organizational Chart - Human Resources Supporting the Proposed IxD Bachelor’s degree.

12 SMC currently employs 311 full-time faculty, 266 of whom possess Master’s degrees and 61 of whom possess Ph.D. degrees, providing the College with a large pool of faculty who meet the anticipated minimum qualifications to teach upper division courses.

11

Identified Resources Jamie Cavanaugh13, tenured Associate Professor of Graphic Design at SMC, is providing discipline leadership for the baccalaureate program in Interaction Design, along with tenured faculty colleagues Zeny Baduel, David Javelosa, William Lancaster, and Design Technology Department Chair, Chris Fria. Adjunct faculty members Theo Alexopoulos, Marc Fischer, and Jonathan Wang will also participate in development of the program. In design education, and CTE programs in general, industry experience counts heavily in faculty qualifications. In addition to Master’s degree level academic preparation, SMC’s-full time Graphic Design faculty possess rich industry experience and are already teaching courses included in the proposed curriculum. Many of the program’s adjunct faculty are professionals currently working in the industry. Their presence enriches the learning environment for SMC design students and is an integral part of the Graphic Design program and the Design Technology Department.14 The department plans to bring in additional industry professionals as adjunct faculty to build even greater connections between SMC students, local industry, and the IxD program to ensure that students are immersed in the latest concepts and approaches. The College is committed to supporting Professor Cavanaugh as the lead faculty member for the IxD degree program with reassigned time to dedicate to the task. IxD faculty will receive financial support for professional development using existing CTE categorical funds, and are also eligible for existing conference and travel funding, sabbaticals, and fellowship opportunities. Relevant activities include the Interaction Design conference from ixda.org; UX Week; Smashing Conference; An Event Apart; boot camps and courses through General Assembly, Treehouse, Lynda.com; and externships within the industry. Robust student support services are also critical for program success. The IxD program will be housed at the College’s Academy of Entertainment Technology (AET) located just a few minutes from the main campus. This self-contained site has a student services office staffed by an administrative assistant trained to handle student requests and provide information, as well as a full-time counselor well versed in the existing programs who will receive additional training on the proposed bachelor’s degree to provide student counseling support and to work in conjunction with program faculty in providing students with effective academic advising services. SMC’s Supervisor of Admissions and Records will lead development of upper division enrollment procedures. The AET campus also has a full technical support staff on site including a dedicated Information Systems Administrator and three lab support staff for the open computer lab. SMC’s Dean of External Programs is located on site and will provide administrative leadership for the day-to-day operations of the program.

Last year, the Design Technology department moved temporarily from its home at AET to allow for a full remodel and expansion of that facility. Renovation is scheduled for completion in January of 2016 and will provide ample infrastructure and capacity to house the new IxD baccalaureate program—a natural fit with other programs already planned for the facility including the Design Technology department, the Film and 13Professor Cavanaugh’s credentials are available on her website at www.jamiecavanaugh.com/about/. 14More information regarding the Design Technology department and its faculty is available at www.smc.edu/IxD.

12

Broadcasting programs, and the public radio station, KCRW. A campaign has been initiated to rename the facility with a title more inclusive of its resident programs.

Architect’s image of the facility scheduled to open in 2016 and identified to house SMC’s IxD program.

This high tech facility will provide the IxD program with:

• 4 Windows-based computer classrooms • 3 Macintosh-based computer classrooms • An open computer lab with over 80 Windows and Macintosh workstations • 7 private editing bays for students • Multiple collaborative spaces for students to gather, interact, and test projects • Adobe Creative Cloud software suite • Student access to Lynda.com and Digital Tutors online tutorial libraries • An on-site tutoring lab for Math, English, and general education course support

Additional software and equipment used in the industry will be purchased for the upper division curriculum for the IxD program including Omnigraffle, Axure, or Balsamiq software applications; approximately 30 Arduino microcontroller boards; a 3-D printer; and other hardware for student projects. In a fall 2013 exit survey of graphic design students, 85% answered affirmatively when asked “If the cost was reasonable, would you consider purchasing a laptop computer that was preloaded with software for use in your program courses?” The college therefore proposes to work with manufacturers and software providers to develop a purchase/lease program providing students with affordable access to the tools of their chosen trade while simultaneously offsetting the College’s costs of purchasing and maintaining computers for classrooms and labs.

With its brand new facility, momentum in IxD curriculum, faculty well-versed in the field, funding for faculty professional development and for software and hardware needs, strong connections with and support from the high tech and design industries, “Silicon Beach” location, student interest in the field and the degree, and membership in the innovative LA HI-TECH consortium providing outreach to area high schools, Santa Monica College is perfectly positioned to implement the baccalaureate degree in Interaction Design quickly, efficiently, and successfully.