Hi Grads:
I hope that all of you are doing well and enjoying the last weeks of summer break. As you can imagine, much preparation is going on in the College and Department to get things ready. While this semester will be different, I am confident and excited to start back with our conversations and work together. I believe that amidst the limitations are also great opportunities for exploring new ways to collaborate and create work independently and together. More importantly, events in the world challenge us to think about our work in new ways, and to consider more fully the ways that economic inequality, legal and safety systems and health disparity are rooted in historic and systemic racism, gender bias and cultural power. I cannot wait for the conversations that I know will emerge in our work and our class sessions and meetings as a result of this.
Below is some information for the semester that I hope will help you start to envision how things will move forward. I apologize for the length of this, but I wanted to get it all in one place. I will be creating an archive of these emails on our MAD Blog. I am looking forward to seeing you and engaging with you and your work in the next few weeks!
Courses and CurriculumWhether meeting in-person, hybrid or fully online, all Grad courses will have online components in an effort to spread out course material and reduce the number of students meeting at any given time. These could be lectures, tutorials, Zoom meetings / discussions, and/or written forums. We will use Moodle as a central repository. If you have not accessed Moodle (or Wolfware which is the platform to access Moodle spaces) before, please do so. Instructors may supplement Moodle with additional platforms, but all links to those platforms and the general schedule will be available through Moodle.
- Go to wolfware.ncsu.edu
- Click on “My Wolfware”
- Log in using your unity ID / Password
- Please note: Instructors are still getting their Moodle pages set up, so you might not have anything listed here yet. But once they are set up, you should have all your courses listed here.
In the next week, you should receive an email from your instructor with instructions for the first class meeting and some information for how the class will be structured this fall. Please wait for this email (if you haven’t already gotten it) to review the plan and ask your instructors for any additional accommodations.
Campus Facilities + ProgramsWhen on campus, all students, faculty, and staff are required to wear masks. If you cannot get a mask, please let me know and we will make one available for you. If for any reason you cannot wear a mask, please also contact me and we will discuss what your options are.
The College has worked hard to design and build additional outdoor learning environments, make sanitizing stations, and space people out. There will be opportunities for those who need and want it to interact with other students in small groups. We are also working to create informal spaces online (Zoom sessions) for students to co-work and share ideas outside of the classroom. As a NCSU student, you are able to create your own Zoom meeting and share that meeting space with your colleagues. We encourage you to take the opportunity to build community even though we are physically separated (we’re physical distancing not social distancing!).
The MAD Studio will be open for students to work in outside of class, but we ask that you spread out and wear a mask if other people are present. Depending on need, we will create a schedule / sign-up for students to sign up for slots to work to avoid over-crowding.
Computer Equipment and SoftwareAll students are expected to have their own computer (laptop or desktop) by the first day of class. We ask that you have a device that you can use to access and develop your work during class time. In the Spring, when I expect we will be meeting in person more regularly, that means a device that you can use in studio to complete your work. For Software, Adobe Creative Suite is required. Additional class electives will have additional software requirements and your instructor will let you know that on the first day of class, if not before. See the full list of computer and software requirements here.
The Library and College has a fair amount of equipment to borrow, such as VR Headsets, 360 cameras, tablets, etc. The MAD program also purchased additional equipment such as some mini-projects and separate VR headsets and lights that you can also borrow.
Helpful Links / Contacts
- Protect the Pack (NCSU on COVID-19)
- mypack.ncsu.edu (course registration, student info)
- wolfware.ncsu.edu (Moodle, online learning resources and instruction)
- MAD Blog (college.design.ncsu.edu/mad)
- University Library System (lib.ncsu.edu)
- NCSU Bookstore (books, technology and other equipment)
- College of Design List of Technology and Software Requirements
- HELP@ncsu.edu (technology and other help)
- Jessica Jackson: College of Design Graduate Coordinator (jmjack22@ncsu.edu)
Upcoming Events
- August 3 @ 10am Departmental TA/RA Orientation (TAs / RAs only) (Zoom Link)
- August 4 @ 9:30 New Graduate Student Orientation (College) (Zoom link)
- August 4 @ 10:45 NewGraduate Student Orientation (Department — returning grads are welcome to attend) (Zoom link)
- August 6 & 7: University TA Workshop (Info / Registration here)
- Friday August 21 @ 5 – 6:30pm (tentative) : Welcome Potluck for New Graduate students (via Zoom)
I know this is a lot! I’m looking forward to seeing you all soon and please reply with any questions or concerns.
My very best,
Tania