Mission Statement

Comprised of a dynamic grouping of disciplines—graphic arts, interactive design, digital arts and illustration, animation, 3D design and digital video—the Graphic Design department offers students the technological training and design skills needed to enter a highly competitive industry. Committed to empowering students, our program provides a multi-disciplinary design education, prepares students to be future designers, and  strengthens links to the professional and university communities

Program Description

The goal of the Butte College Graphic Design program is to prepare students for entry level positions in the Design industries. Students who successfully complete the program and plan to earn a four-year degree will have a solid foundation for application to the design school of their choice.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests "Employment of Graphic Designers" is expected to grow 7 percent, slower than average for similar occupations from 2016 to 2020, but this does not take into account that Design Students are learning more than basic Print Design, and are more in line with the BLS statistics of Web Developers, UX and UI Designers, where the growth is expected to be close to 20% by 2020.

As demand for graphic design continues to increase from advertisers, publishers, and computer design firms. Some of this increase is expected to stem from the expansion of the video entertainment market, including television, movies, video, and made-for-Internet outlets.

Moreover, graphic designers with Web site design and animation experience will especially be needed as demand increases for design projects for interactive media—Web sites, video games, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and other technology. Demand for graphic designers also will increase as advertising firms create print and Web marketing and promotional materials for a growing number of products and services.

There are currently one fulltime and seven associate faculty on the main campus teaching day and evening classes.

The program offers 8 courses in Graphic Design, and has submitted curriculum for another 6 courses to be added over the next two years. There are another seven classes that crossover from the Multimedia Studies program. 

Class sizes are based on the number of available computers (25 in each of three Apple computer labs).

In the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office system wide  report of 2007-2008 wage gains by TOPS code, the Graphic Design and Multimedia wage gain for students 2 to 3 years after earning their diploma or certificate in Graphic Design or Multimedia was $45,451 compared to those without a diploma/certificate who earned a median income gain of only $10,708  The survey was based on 244 awards earned during the assessment period. The wage gains are even higher when Web and mobile development design are considered.

Accountability for Previously Funded Items

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

The MSP and Graphic Design programs are going to evaluate scheduling for all courses in order to make it easier for students to fill their class schedules and obtain degrees and certificates.
We are also adding five new courses that will better prepare our students for entering the job market for the Design and Multimedia industries. These courses are being reviewed by the Curriculum Committee.
Planned imporvements for the Web design course (MSP 5) are to begin investigating the possibility of purchasing or creating an in-house server for students to use for uploading and testing of their Web design projects.
Due to the numerous variables in server technologies and the need for students to test elements such as forms as they are being created, not having access limits the learning in these areas, and can often make it overly complicated for students to follow specific processes that are set forth in the course project scopes of work.
We have added an additional web design course, Mobile Web Design (MSP 53) in response to student need and is part of the Career Pathways Grant.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (OSLED Departments)

			College			Program
Indicator	Source	2013-2014 Performance	Standard	Five Year Goal	Fall 2014 Performance	Standard	Five Year Goal
Course Success
-          Overall	PDR	71.1%	70%	73%
-          Transfer/GE	PDR	71.5%		73%
-          CTE	PDR	75%		77%	ARTG: 77.5% MSP: 62.7%	ARTG:75% MSP: 60%	ARTG: 85% MSP: 73%
-          Basic Skills	PDR	51.7%		55%
-          Distance Ed (all)	PDR	62.5%		64%
Persistence (Focused).  Note:  The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the state Student Success Scorecard, that is used to measure institutional persistence.  The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area.	PDR	72.6%    (Three-Term) Scorecard	67% (Three-Term) Scorecard	75% (Three-Term) Scorecard	ARTG: 29.2% MSP: 31%	ARTG:25% MSP: 25%	ARTG: 50% MSP: 33%
Degrees	PDR	1,455		1,600	ARTG: 4 MSP: 3	ARTG: 4 MSP: 3	ARTG: 12 MSP: 11
Certificates	PDR	366		475	MSP: 5	MSP: 5	MSP: 15
Developmental Strand Completion
-          English	State	42%		45%
-          Math	State	30.7%		33%
-          ESL	State	25%		28%
Licensure Pass Rates
-          Registered Nursing	SC
-          Licensed Vocational Nursing	SC
-          Respiratory Therapy	SC
-          Paramedic	SC
-          Cosmetology	SC
-          Welding	SC
Job Placement Rates (Digital Media)	PIV	44%	40%	50%

                                                The MSP and Graphic Design program are in compliance with the standard. We are evaluating changes to the MSP title for "Multimedia Studies Program", understanding that not having the word "Design" featured in the name of the program may be a deterrent to students taking classes within the program. Instructors are also promoting the Design Programs by attending high school education and career fairs, speaking at high schools, and inviting high school tours to the Design department in the Arts building. Success rates for ARTG have decreased from the mid-80s, low-90s to 77.5%. This decrease is partially due to the removal of repeatability in all design classes. Students are no longer to repeat a design class which means that in depth skills training is lost. Students in their first year take a course offering a specific software application (such as Adobe Photoshop) and by the time they graduate, this software application has been updated and changed at least three times so students are not able to maintain currency in the software. To address this issue, the department has developed 5 new courses that will include the software that students need to learn as part of the curriculum. Success rates for MSP have decreased from 72.1% to 62.7% over the past four years. This is partially due to the removal of repeatability in all design classes as indicated with ARTG. Degree production for ARTG has decreased from 14-19 per year to 4 in the latest year. This is occurring because students are gaining the skills they need to enter the workforce and are not completing the degree or certificate path. By adding the new course described earlier, we hope that students will stay longer and eventually complete more degrees and certificates.  Focused Persistence for ARTG is now around 29% and has historically been higher – around 50%. The ARTG and MSP programs are actively reaching out to area high schools to recruit students into the programs. In Spring 2016, faculty visited four local high school and recruited at least 12 new students into these programs. In addition, we conducted multiple tours of our facilities and with a combined attendance of over 150 prospective students. For MSP Focused Persistence is at 31% which is at the higher end of its four-year range (28.4% to 31.9%).  The Job Placement rate for this program (Digital Media) is the lowest for any of the disciplines required to report this rate.  This rate does not accurately reflect the total employment picture for our students because many of them are self-employed and work as freelance designers. Faculty keep in contact with graduates via Facebook and social media and report significantly higher job placement rates than is indicated on the Job Placement Report. Since the Job Placement rate is generated from a data match with unemployment insurance, this does not include students who are now self-employed which is a contributing factor to the placement rate.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

Strategic Direction

1.Collaborating effectively with K-12 to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum, and prepare students for college success.
We have begun visiting high schools on a regular basis to promote our classes, and we are giving tours and hands-on workshops every semester to high school juniors and seniors to let them see how exciting our department is for students interested in Graphic Design or Multimedia.
2. Placing students appropriately, advising them effectively, and ensuring that they have educational plans
We advise students on a regular basis. Counselors send students to our department for advising because they don't have a good grasp of what we do in the programs.
4. Ensuring that students take the appropriate prerequisites
We are removing prerequisites and adding to our core courses so students have more ways to build their needed skills to enter the job market.

Program Review

1. Hire two new FT faculty - This has not been addressed though we have submitted requests each year.
2. Reinstate the Art/Digital Art and Design Department secretary and DA&D lab tech to 12 month - This has not been addressed though it is still needed.
3. Collaborate both within the department and with faculty in other areas - We have worked with the Commincation department to offer courses that articulate with CSUC
4. Increase efforts to maximize students’ completion of certificates and/or degrees - We are developing new pathways and curses for students
5. Promote all DA&D programs - We are doing social media promotion as well as outreach to community and high schools
6. Implement Learning Communities - This has not been addressed
7. Review pages and course descriptions for accuracy, currency and clarity - We are reworking our curriculum and adding new courses to respond to students' needs.

8. The Validation Team recommends that course sequencing be clearly stated, including prerequisites - We are working on developing promotional matrials such as brochures and other marketing materials.

9. Develop additional courses and degrees - We have written five new courses that are currently going through curriculum committee
 

Department Goals

The Graphic Design and Multimedia departments have the following goals:
Increase enrollment – by continuing to reach out to local high schools and community members, we hope to have a steady stream of new students coming in to our programs on a regular basis. Faculty are doing outreach now to potential students from 6th – 12th grade to create an awareness of our programs at an early age. We will continue these efforts on an ongoing basis.
Expand skills sets of current students - to address software currency issues, we have created five new courses that will offer students the opportunity to gain skills that will make them more competitive when entering the design workforce.
Continue Community Outreach – In addition to reaching out to local area schools, faculty are joining advisory boards and connecting with other community organizations to create awareness of our programs.
Increase social media outreach - We plan to continue doing extensive promotion of our programs, facilities and courses. We have used social media to promote our low-enrolled courses and reach a potential students (35,000+) on Facebook with no monetary outlay.
Maintain staffing levels to ensure program quality - We need a new faculty member to replace 3 retired faculty and we need to restore the Photo Tech position to full-time to accommodate program need and demand.

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests

Original Priority	Program, Unit, Area	Resource Type	Account Number	Object Code	One Time Augment	Ongoing Augment
Description	Supporting Rationale		Potential Alternative Funding Sources		Prioritization Criteria
1	Graphic Design, Multimedia Studies, Photography	Equipment	11-000-512-1-061460	56411	$13,254.00	$0.00
26 iPads for Design classes	iPads to be used for digital drawing and design, creating and integrating User Experience Design (UX) and User Interface Design (UI) into projects, and they will also be used for creation and testing of Digital Publications, Mobile Apps and Games.		Career and Technical Education - Perkins Instructional Equipment		Maintaining core programs and services Collaborating effectively with K-12 to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum, and prepare students for college success
2	Graphic Design, Multimedia Studies, Photography	Personnel	11-000-512-1-061460	56411	$0.00	$97,187.00
Full-Time Faculty Hire	The Digital Art & Design department has lost three full-time faculty that have not been replaced. Geoff Fricker in Photography, Dennis Wickes in Design and Photography, and Mark Hall who is retiring at the end of the Spring 2015 semester. Full-time oversight is needed in all three of these areas.				Maintaining core programs and services
3	Graphic Design, Multimedia Studies, Photography, Fashion, Music, Theater	Personnel	11-000-512-1-061460	11-000-512	$0.00	$4,500.00
Reinstate lab tech to 11 months	Our lab tech is needed during the Summer months so that we have a tech to manage the equipment during Winter and Summer sessions. There is also additional work that needs to be completed that would be easier to have accomplished if the tech was here an additional month.				Maintaining core programs and services
4	Graphic Design, Multimedia Studies, Photography, Fashion	Equipment	1-000-512-1-061460	56411	$9,000.00	$0.00
Epson Surecolor White Ink Printer for t-shirts	Our student need to be able to print on dark colored shirts to obtain further skills in designing for the on-demand direct-to-garment industry		Career and Technical Education - Perkins Instructional Equipment		Maintaining core programs and services
5	Graphic Design, MSP, Photography	Equipment			$5,000.00	$0.00
Quadcopter Drones for Video and Photography	Using drones for video and photography is becoming a growing market in multiple areas and students who have skills in using these quadcopter/drones will be able to obtain employment in the Design industries.		Career and Technical Education - Perkins Instructional Equipment		Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals