By D. Thompson
Bowie State University, one of four historically Black colleges and universities designated as an Adobe Creative Campus, kicked off the spring semester by introducing more than 200 faculty members to the innovative uses for Adobe Creative Cloud software in their classrooms to help students become fluent users of digital tools.
BSU students, faculty and staff have free access to download the Creative Cloud apps using BSU login credentials. It is also available on all on-campus devices.
“We’re here to support you guys,” said Kevin Bryant, Bowie State’s Adobe customer success manager, during the Spring Faculty Institute. “We envision folks having an open mind and changing their way of thinking from the old guard to saying, ‘Hey, let’s try something new.’”
Bryant hopes that access to the software can expand users’ creativity and the kind of digital work they can produce. Adobe apps open the door for more creative storytelling enabling students to share what they are learning in innovative and compelling ways.
Along with Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University and Florida A&M University, Bowie State joins a growing group of colleges and universities that are embracing the software with the goal of actively advancing digital literacy skills across all disciplines to give students a competitive edge in the current workplace.
“It completely transforms the conversation,” said Bryant. “Having that you’re competent in all of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite on your resume, that’s already a game changer. It changes the entire perspective and makes you more employable.”
As an Adobe Creative Campus, Bowie State will be a beacon to other universities by demonstrating how to use the software to modify curricula so students can be prepared to flourish in their careers.
“It’s important that Bowie State University be on the cutting edge of educational technology. We want students to be competitive in the job market,” said Dr. Sheneese Thompson, an assistant professor and Adobe faculty fellow who has taken a leading role in showing other professors how they can add the Adobe platform to their list of classroom tools. “We’re doing programming and training for faculty to get them trained up so they can add Adobe software to help achieve their learning outcomes.”
While a few departments are already using Adobe software in their curriculum, making the Creative Cloud available for everyone to use will enhance the teaching potential for the university and equip the students to better compete with their peers once they graduate.
Though it may take time to learn how to use the software and integrate it into the coursework, the deliverables the students produce for their assignments is worth the investment, according to the faculty who use Adobe software in their classes.
“It inspires your students to do better,” said Dr. Kavita Kapur, assistant professor in the management, marketing, and public administration department. “When they know the professor is able to understand what they’re doing and can mentor them and give them ideas, that makes them perform better. It’s not as difficult as it looks.”
