recommendation for promotion to associate professor...

Recommendation for Promotion to Associate Professor

Jenna Spevack

T E A C H I N G P O R T F O L I O

For additional information contact:

Jenna Spevack, Assistant Professor Emerging Media Technologies ProgramDepartment of Entertainment Technologies300 Jay Street, V411Brooklyn, NY 11201Tel: 718-771-1607E-mail: [email protected]: profspevack.com

This booklet contains Professor Jenna Spevack’s teaching and teaching-related activities as required by the City University of New York for promotion to Associate Professor. [ Also viewable on profspevack.com. ]

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Jenna Spevack Department of Entertainment Technology October 15, 2009

Table of Contents

S e C T i o n 1 :

Teaching Philosophy & Methodology 4

S e C T i o n i 1 :

Responsibilities & Initiatives 8

Course Listings • 9

Online Resource 11•

Workshops • 12

Advisement & • Mentorship 13

S e C T i o n i i i :

Teaching Effectiveness 14

Statement of Engagement and Outcomes 1• 5

Sample Assignments 1• 6

Student Work 2• 2

Student Success 3• 0

Student Evaluations • 42

Peer Faculty Evaluations • 43

S e C T i o n i V

Improvement Activities & Goals 45

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Jenna Spevack Department of Entertainment TechnologyOctober 15, 2009

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Section 1: TEACHING PHILOSOPHY & METHODOLOGY

A rT i S T A S S T u d e n T A S T e AC h e r

As an artist I have cultivated a learning model that defines and supports my desire to understand the beauty, context, and meaning of my world-view and my place in the world. This aspiration to learn is why I choose to be an artist and my dedication to the creative process is what nourishes my artistic life.

To be an artist is to be both a student and a teacher. I humbly consider myself a student first, a teacher second, but in truth they are intertwined. A successful student cannot truly learn without sharing the results of newly acquired knowledge or experiences with others, just as an artist cannot successfully make art without letting it stand outside the walls of the studio.

The “Artist as Student as Teacher” model is one that I have employed in the classroom, initially without intention, and more recently as experience has allowed reflection, careful evaluation, and distillation of this approach.

The development of this model is one that grows directly from my own experience and struggles as a kinesthetic learner in the traditional classroom environment. As a professor at the NYC College of Technology, CUNY for the last seven years, I have observed that many of my students have experienced similar challenges in their education. Nearly all embrace a learning environment that follows a hands-on creative process, one that is ethical, creative, and open to different styles of learning.

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T h e C r e AT i V e L e A r n i n g P ro C e S S

Loosely defined as “a person who expresses herself through a medium,” the word artist is also used to describe a person engaged in an artistic practice.

Whatever the chosen medium, I encourage my students to consider their education as an artistic practice by following the creative process of an artist:

“to experience the world (ideas, objects, people, nature), interpret this experience, express/share it with others, and then… sustain the process.”

Drawn from over ten years of art practice and educational commitment and service, I have developed a few guiding principles that characterize my learning and teaching methodology and my approach to the development of creative ideas, objects and experiences in the studio.

Defining and sustaining a personal creative process leads to life-long learning and a successful, inspired practice. The form this process takes will be unique to each student, however the main elements I encourage include:

experimentation:

Learning to solve problems and developing a sense of excitement when faced with a challenge requires the ability and skill of experimentation and freethinking. Giving students the freedom to experiment breaks open binds and allows the rush of possibilities to flow in. Taking risks and embracing failure on the road to success is encouraged as an acceptable form of accomplishment. The “gray-area” of ambiguity or contradiction is also discussed and debated in the classroom to encourage insight beyond the boundaries of black and white.

Collaboration:

Working in groups or in collaborative environments is an essential experience and skill for students in any area or medium. If students are to excel in diverse local networks and in our global ecosystem, learning cross-disciplinary thought, vocabularies and skills are essential for effective problem solving and communication among people of different cultures, values, and skill sets. Collaboration also focuses the interpretation of new ideas and experiences, helps to narrow the possibilities derived from experimentation, and produces results that speak to diverse audiences.

Craft & Communication:

A respect for skillfulness and aesthetic values in technical and applied areas, as well as conceptual and critical spheres, enables students to effectively articulate and communicate their ideas. Students learn that even the most brilliant inspiration can fail to be communicated if the delivery is flawed or not skillfully realized. Communication of learned ideas and personal interpretations is at the core of a successful creative practice. Students may be developing a particular skill or craft, but they must also learn to communicate through multimodal languages, verbal, visual, aural, tactile, and written.

Curiosity & determination:

Inquisitiveness and internal motivation are difficult notions to teach, and in some students they are either instinctive or they are not. However, initiating projects centered around topics that my students feel strongly about helps them to develop peer debate and the realization of deep values. Projects that focus on and encourage discussions of ethics and principles often stir the sleeping dragon of curiosity, which is the catalyst for learning independence.

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Section I1: Responsibilities & Initiatives

C o u r S e L i S T i n g S

As a full-time, tenured professor at the New York City College of Technology, CUNY, I teach courses in creative media foundations, digital arts, and interactive media. I recently codeveloped a new Bachelors Degree Program in Emerging Media Technologies and will begin teaching courses in this program in the Spring of 2010.

My online teaching resource [profspevack.com] archives courses taught at the New York City College of Technology, CUNY from 2002 until the present. These are available by semester for student and pedagogical reference and listed below for reference.

Fall 2009:

ADV1100 – Design & Color•

ADV2360 – Vector Art•

Spring 2009:

IMT1101 – Introduction to Media Design Process•

Fall 2008:

Research & Development Emerging Media Technologies•

Full release-time. No teaching duties.•

Spring 2008:

ADV3540 – Animation•

ADV3550 – Web Design•

Fall 2007:

ADV3540 – Animation•


Spring 2007:


ADV3650 – Advanced Web Design•

Fall 2006:



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Spring 2006:



ADV3650 – Advanced Web Design•

Web Standards and Development Workshop (Spring Break)•

Fall 2005:



Spring 2005:



Fall 2004:



Spring 2004:



Fall 2003:



Spring 2003:



Fall 2002:



o n L i n e r e S o u r C e : P ro F S P e VAC K . C o M

The use of appropriate tools has long been a guiding principle in both my creative and learning process. In 2003 when online teaching tools were limited and I had just spent my first year of teaching struggling with out-of-the-box web-based teaching resources, I endeavored to create an educational interface that fit my pedagogical needs and the needs of my students.

As a designer with over ten years of web development experience, the task of developing a usable interface was not impossible, but it was overwhelming. After a summer of dedicated research and development, and several semesters of trial and error, profspevack.com in its current form has become the primary tool for the delivery of my course content.

Many students have acknowledged how helpful it is to have all of their course materials, including weekly assignments, lectures, projects, grading, and peer contacts available to them at any hour of the day. Additionally, I often receive emails from former students who admit to using the site as a reference for their creative and paid work, even years after graduating.

The website is also evolving into an online teaching portfolio, where I present teaching, institutional service and professional achievements.

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A dV i S e M e n T

I advise hundreds of students each semester as part of departmental advisement and late registration procedures in the Fall/Winter and Winter/Spring periods.

In addition, I offer individual student advisement during my office hours for any student that requests it. I provide guidance for graduate school applications, portfolio reviews and essays, financial aid and student achievement awards, job interviews, and internship opportunities, with excellent student success.

I have completed the City Tech Safe Zone program, as well as other workshops offered through the Learning Communities initiative, ePortfolio, and the Professional Development Advisory Council. This training has helped me support many students struggling with personal and academic challenges.

M e n To r S h i P

As a CUNY BA Faculty Mentor, I have guided several students in the development of their own curricula, tailored to their career goals and interests. The follow students are currently enrolled or have successfully completed their CUNY BA degrees under my mentorship:

Milagros Aguirre (2009 anticipated)•

Yana Barysheva (2009 anticipated)•

Robert Hieger (2009 Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellow)•

Bakhtiyar Uddin (2009 graduate)•

Kenneth Frilando (2008 graduate)•

Rafael Zegarra (2008 graduate)•

Jetmir Troshani (2007 graduate)•

Richard Karns (2006 graduate)•

Jorge Saeta (2004 graduate)•

I have also recommended many students for intern, freelance, part-time, and full-time positions within the College and beyond. (See student success for details.)

Wo r K S h o P S

“How do we prepare undergraduate students for an increasingly competitive, rapidly-evolving, highly-interdisciplinary workplace and give them the tools to stay current or ahead of the curve once they graduate?”

For several years I have proposed using Skills Workshops to teach evolving consumer technologies, such as digital imaging applications. I believe that developing a self-learning, workshop-based environment for certain computer skills and equipment better serves the needs and challenges of our students in the long term.

Skills Workshops encourage independent learning, allow more class time to be devoted to collaborative, principle-based, learning objectives in the primary courses, and give students faculty-supported lab hours.

While developing two new interdisciplinary programs in the School of Technology and Design; an Interactive Media Technology Certificate and a full BTECH Degree in Emerging Media Technologies, I created a course called Media Skills Lab as a way of testing this workshop model. The first Media Skills Lab is being taught in the Spring 2010 semester and will offer application training organized in three-week workshops for emerging media technologies.

I have also created Workshops in Web Standards and Development for faculty and students. One such workshop was held in January 2006 for students in the Educational Technology Department. A similar workshop was presented to CUNY faculty and staff at the 4th Annual Technology Conference and is available to all faculty and students on the University Faculty Senate Committee on Disabilities Issues research site. [ access.cuny.edu/research.html ]

Workshop Model Examples

Media Skills Lab (Syllabus) •[ profspevack.com/docs/teaching/IMT1000_MediaSkillsLab.pdf ]

Web Standards and Development Workshop (Online Resource) •[ profspevack.com/web_workshop ]

Web Standards and Accessibility Workshop (Online Resource) •[ profspevack.com/webstandards ]

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Section III: Teaching Effectiveness

S TAT e M e n T o F e n g Ag e M e n T A n d o u T C o M e S

Prior to becoming a professor at the NYC College of Technology, CUNY, I taught undergraduate printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. While my impact on some was significant (several students went on to major in printmaking and others went on to respected positions in the field) I never felt my role had any considerable bearing on their lives.

In contrast, the students I’ve taught and mentored at CUNY have made great leaps forward in their professional, creative, and personal lives. They in turn have had a considerable impact on my confidence as an educator.

What I discovered from my CUNY students is that I am a good teacher. This has less to do with my skill or accomplishments as an artist, but more to do with my love of learning and ability to facilitate the creative learning process.

It is my job to provide a trusting, stimulating environment to nurture new ideas, to encourage critical thinking, and to promote learning independence.

In this section, please find the examples of teaching effectiveness including:

Sample Assignments•

Student Work•

Student Success•

Evaluations & Comments•

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S A M P L e A S S i g n M e n T S

Following are examples of foundation level and upper-level assignments. Each assignment focuses on a technology or skillset, while exploring concepts such as persona, ethics, visual perception and literacy, and interaction design. In both foundation and upper-level courses students present both their work-in-progress and finished work to their peers for critique.

As part of the creative learning process and for each major project or assignment, students are required to demonstrate the following:

Research or Inspiration1.

Experimentation or Iteration2.

Development of Skill and Craft3.

Expression of Form, Emotions, or Concepts and Voice4.

Thoughtful Assessment (verbal critique and written assessment)5.

Significant work hours committed6.

These and additional sample assignments are found on profspevack.com

View From My Window (Foundation design & Color)•

Banned Book Cover (Vector Art & Illustration)•

Stereoscopic Self (Vector Art & Illustration)•

Project Planning and development ( Advanced Web design)•

Virtual World Museum (Media Design Process)•

S A M P L e A S S i g n M e n T: F o u n d at i o n d e s i g n & C o l o r

View From My Window

Project goal: To introduce design students to fundamental elements and principles of composition, while encouraging the development of an inspired Creative Process.

Learning outcomes: Students will develop basic visual literacy, follow a defined creative practice, and successfully create compositions with an awareness of the fundamental principles of design. Students utilize specific vocabulary of terms to analyze and discuss their work and the work of their peers.

Problem: Create black and white figure-ground compositions (obvious and ambiguous) using the simplified forms observed within the bounds of a home window frame.

Materials: Creative Process Book, pencils, marking pens, 1 sheet Bristol Board 9×6” 1 sheet Bristol Board 14×17”, black drawing paper, scissors, exacto knife, ruler/t-square, glue.

Concepts: Shape (Organic, Geometric), Picture Plane, Picture Frame, Figure-Ground (Obvious, Ambiguous), Unity, Economy

Technical Skills: thumbnail sketching, draughtmanship with ruler/t-square, inking pens, exacto knife and collage.

Procedure:

Research / Inspiration 1. Written Observations (DUE Class 2)

Choose a spot in your apartment and let the window ‘frame’ the view from »that spot.

Write on the 3rd page of your Creative Process Book: ‘A View From My »Window’ and compose a minimum 2-paragraph description of the view. Focus on describing the shapes, lines, points and their relationship to each other. Ignore everything except what you see inside the boundaries of the window frame. What forms have you not noticed before? How does the composition change as you move your position in space?

Experimentation / Iteration 2. Thumbnail Sketches (DUE Class 2)

On the following page(s) of your Creative Process Book make at least 12 »thumbnails of the view in pencil. Shift your position, allowing the window frame to change the forms within the boundary of the frame.

Draw whatever you see. Draw quickly, without thinking or worrying about »the quality of the drawing. JUST DRAW!

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Development of Skill and Craft (DUE Class 3) 3. Inked Thumbnails

On a sheet of 9×12” Bristol Board, measure with your ruler 6 rectangles »(3”x2”). There should be a 2” margin on the sides and a 1”margin on the top and bottom. Between each rectangle there should be a 1” margin.

Based on the critique, choose the 6 most successful pencil thumbnail »drawings that exhibit unified compositions.

In your Creative Process Book, redraw these 6 compositions, transforming »lines and points into simple shapes. The goal with these is to simplify, pare down the designs to create (3) obvious figure/ground relationships and (3) ambiguous figure/ground relationships using only solid closed shapes. The shapes can be organic or geometric.

Once you are happy with these compositions transfer them to the Bristol »Board using pencil first and then pen to fill in black areas.

Erase all extraneous pencil lines and measurements. Final piece should be »neat, clean and well-presented.

Expression of Form, Emotions, or Concepts (DUE Class 4) 4. Cut Paper Compositions

Using your inked thumbnail compositions as a guide, create 4 figure/ground »relationships (2 stable, 2 ambiguous) using black paper cutouts.

With subtlety and economy, see if you can create compositions that each »communicate an emotion or concept, such as tension, loss, power, weakness, silence, energy, etc. Ideally the content (meaning) should relate back to your experience of observing the view from your window.

These 4 compositions should be a culmination of the creative process so far. »They should represent your most successful attempts at this design problem.

On a sheet of 14×17” Bristol Board, measure 4 rectangles (5×7”) with your »ruler. There should be a 1” margin on the bottom and top and a 1.5” margin on the sides. Between each rectangle there should be a 1” margin. Adjust to your picture frames, as necessary.

Using black drawing paper, scissors, exacto knife, ruler/t-square, glue, cut »black drawing paper to desired shapes (figure) and paste to the bristol (ground). Shift the shapes around, re-cutting different sizes when necessary, until you are satisfied that the whole composition functions in a unified way, where both the ground and figure have been considered.

Thoughtful Assessment (verbal and written) 5. Critique

Bring all assignment parts to class. »

Come prepared to present, discuss and analyze your finished work in terms »of concept, craft, what you learned, and creative process.

State the following: your name, what you are presenting (title and design »problem), which parts are successful and why, which parts are unsuccessful and why.

Written Assessment

In your Creative Process Book, at the end of the View from My Window »section, document your thoughts about this project. Think about what you learned, what you could have done better (planning, material use, craft), and how you will apply what you learned to your next project.

Work Hour Tally6.

In your Creative Process Book, outline the hours committed for each »portion of the assignment, including dates and times.

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S A M P L e A S S i g n M e n T: a dva n C e d W e b d e s i g n

Client Site - Project Planning and development

Project goal/Problem: To produce a finished, professional client site with detailed documentation of site definition, management, structure, interface design and final production within 15 weeks.

Learning outcomes: Students practice professional project management and development skills with a real client. They will experience the roles and responsibilities of each member of a project team or small web business owner, including negotiating and following a project budget and calendar, administering client surveys, writing creative briefs, defining clear and effective site architecture, creating interface and visual design, using standards-compliant, universally accessible production practices, and effective marketing techniques.

Technical Skills: research, technical writing, documentation, public speaking/presentation, prototyping, standards-compliant XHTML, CSS, Javascript, visual layout and image optimization, metadata development & advertising, FTP implementation.

Procedure:

Phase 1: Site Definition

Client Survey: Results of your Client Survey •

Creative Brief: Determines the goals of the site and overall scope of the project, •including look and feel and marketing strategy.

Calendar/Schedule: (A WEEKLY BREAKDOWN) with key dates for deliverables, •various phases, and the target dates for beta, QA testing and launch.

Budget: Should include an hourly wage, based on guidelines, specific deliverables •and the time allotted. Even if you are completing your client website free of charge, you must include a budget. Simply give a 100% discount.

Phase 2: Developing Site Structure

Sitemap Development: Develop structure from a site-view perspective. Show •overall organizational structure. Keep sitemap updated throughout project.

Wireframe Development: Lay out main content areas and navigation from a page-•view perspective.

Interaction Development: Show the relationship of one screen to the next. Test the •navigation experience from a user-perspective. Include the User Profile and Real Use Case diagram based on your “paper prototype” testing.

Phase 3: Interface Design & Production

Visual Design Development: Based on Client Survey and discussions, create at least •3 mockups, using Photoshop or Illustrator.

Protosite Development: Bare bones site, without client content.•

Art Optimization/Production: All graphics and client images optimized.•

Phase 4: Technical Engineering

HTML Production/CSS Layout• : Create a XHTML template page with linked CSS for each level of your site, using properly structured, semantically correct XHTML and CSS.

Standards and Sec. 508 Compliance: Use Web Developer tool bar and W3C •Validation services to make sure your files are in compliance.

Browser Compatibility Testing: Use Browser Cam to test for bugs along the way.•

Javascript/DOM: If your site requires scripting using Javascript/DOM, make sure your •code follows Graceful Degradation and Unobtrusive Best Practices.

Beta Launch/QA Testing: Upload to testing server and request feedback from peers.•

Phase 5: Publishing/Marketing/Launch

Maintenance Schedule/Updating: Create client-approved schedule and budget.•

Domain and hosting setup: Setup hosting based on client approvals.•

Search Engine Submissions: Define metadata and marketing terms; submit to search •engines.

HTML Style Guide: Create a guide that your client/company can use for future •changes, updates.

Milestones

MIDTERM: 10 Minute Project Presentation Phases 1, 2, and 3 will be presented at midterm critique. You will be presenting your project to the class. It is recommended that you prepare a simple website or powerpoint presentation as the vehicle for your presentation.

FINAL: Client Site and Style Guide Presentation Site must be complete and ready for approval by client. Site structure, design and development must reflect completed Phase sections and planning decisions approved by client. Modifications from original plan must be approved by client. Your Client sites must be loaded and functioning on the FTP server in order to receive a passing grade and should show a logical and organized progression from Phase 1 to Phase 5.

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S T u d e n T Wo r K : a dva n C e d W e b d e s i g n

Client Site - Project Planning and development Final Site & Creative Brief (portion)

S T u d e n T Wo r K : a dva n C e d W e b d e s i g n

Client Site - Project Planning and development Final Site & Style Guide (portion)

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Project Summary:

Curtis Warren Penn and Associates, Inc. is a company that designs licensed

and non-licensed products, packaging and displays for children and adults.

However, historically, the company has focused on children's products. This

organization hires a loose association of freelance designers as needed.

The existing website is a company's portfolio site that hasn't been updated in

4-5 years. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to redesign the existing

site by enhancing overall graphics, updated content site and client list. The

secondary goal is to make the site follow web-standards and easy to update

by Curtis, the owner, since he is not web-fluent yet.

The long-term goal of the site will function as an updated brochure and

salesperson's company.

Audience Profile:

The primary target audience is licensed children's products manufactures

who need to create products, packaging, and displays. The other target

audiences are other non-licensed adult and children's manufactures.

A typical task the user might perform on the new site redesign is to be able

to find out the company design capabilities that lead the user to call or email

the company to discuss design work.

Perception/Tone/Guidelines:

The Curtis Warren Penn and Associates' site is a gallery of company's work

and the site needs to be updated to have the most recent company's work.

The company never received any business that happened to see the site by

chance. Most people have met the owner at a trade show or referred to his

site by a colleague.

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S T u d e n T Wo r K : i n t e r aC t i v e M e d i a d e s i g n P ro C e s s

Brooklyn is Watching : Virtual Museum Final Construction

S T u d e n T Wo r K : i n t e r aC t i v e M e d i a d e s i g n P ro C e s s

Brooklyn is Watching : Virtual Museum Development Wiki

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S T u d e n T Wo r K : v e C to r a rt

Stereoscopic Self Vector Stereocards

S T u d e n T Wo r K : v e C to r a rt

Banned Book Covers Re-interpretations in Vector

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S T u d e n T Wo r K : d e s i g n & C o l o r

Saturation Studies Chromatic Gray, Muted, Prismatic

S T u d e n T Wo r K : W e b d e s i g n & i M P l e M e n tat i o n

Portfolio Sites Standards-based Web Development

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S T u d e n T S u C C e S S

My former students have successful careers as graphic designers, web designers, and artists. Many have gone on to prestigious graduate schools, including Pratt Institute and Polytechnic Institute of NYU.

The following former students have made significant accomplishments in their professional careers. Examples of their work may be seen online. Screen shots are presented here for reference.

irwin hou Courses with Prof. Spevack: Web Design, Advanced Web Design, Vector Art Position: Designer Employer: Forbes.com Portfolio: www.irwinhou.com

Ai Passion : www.aipassion.com•

CLASP: CUNY League of Active Speech Professors : itssphp.jjay.cuny.edu/~clasp•

Espy Display : www.espydisplay.com•

Douglas Quejuan : www.douglasdavis.com•

Catherine espinosa Courses with Prof. Spevack: Web Design Position: Web Designer/Manager Employer: Access Intelligence Portfolio: www.catherinespinosa.com

August The First - Movie: www.augustthefirst.com•

Center For Arts Education: www.cae-nyc.org•

Milan Photography: www.milanphotography.com•

Yong ih Kim Courses with Prof. Spevack: Web Design, Advanced Web Design, Vector Art Position: Designer Employer: Network Design and Communications Portfolio: www.yongihkim.com

Cosmetic Laser MD : www.cosmeticlasermd.com•

CallMation : www.callmation.net•

Underfashion Club, Inc. : www.underfashionclub.org•

irwin hou

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Yong ih KimCatherine espinosa

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A n o n Y M o u S S u rV e Y C o M M e n T S

For each course I provide an online survey where the students can anonymously critique the course. The survey is available throughout the semester, but most students opt to take it at the end of the course.

“She takes great responsibility for our work, she is very well organized and devotes her personal time to help us. I really admire that she explains herself very clearly and taught the class in a very fun and educational way.”

“The teacher was great. I learned so much in this class that I never thought I would. Great class and even greater professor. I hope I have her again for another class in the future. Professors like her give me more determination that I can succeed.”

“Sometimes she goes to fast, covers too much in a short period of time.”

“I felt really comfortable asking questions and giving comments.”

“She takes time to help and to explain things. She helps everyone as a class or individually, but she always tries to make sure that the students understand what we are doing and not many teachers do that. “

“The specific strengths that aided my learning in this class were the detailed steps that were given in each class when working on assignments. “

“profspevack.com has helped me a lot... if it weren’t for this site I would be so lost. The times I have been unable to attend class I was able to look at this site and actually complete my work... there was never an excuses to miss doing your assignments, because the instructions were on this website! Thanks professor!”

“The assignments and objectives for each class was clearly stated. Also, many links to tutorials and additional learning aids were provided. Tasks were explained and broken down for easy comprehension.”

“I think that one of the strengths was that we had to do everything from scratch. It was hard at first, but you really get to learn it at the end.”

“The most useful skills I have learned from this class is how to deal with the clients.”

“I think that more time is needed to understand some of the topics covered in the course.”

AC K n oW L e d g e M e n T S

“This assignment was really great by the way. I was overwhelmed at first, but it really forced me to take what you taught us and apply it critically instead of just following directions, you know? It totally solidified what I learned. And I like my new design so much better!” - Julien Scott <[email protected]>

“Thanks for your time and efforts during this semester, I wish we could have more teachers like you in our CS department.” -- Alfredo Ovalle <[email protected]>

“Thank you for having taught a great class. I learned so much.” -- Aneudi Diaz <[email protected]>

“I want to thank you for your help in vector art class, I learned a lot from you. Hopefully I will be in another class with you in the future.” -- Manny Khemai <[email protected]>

“First of all, I would like to thank you for being a great professor. I took your beginner web design class about 2 or 3 years ago. As a matter of fact, I still visit your website from time to time when I need some help.” -- Dorothy Junio <[email protected]>

S T u d e n T L e T T e r S

The following former students have kindly penned letters of acknowledgement.

Irwin Hou•

Yong Ih Kim•

Catherine Espinosa•

Ayesha S. Siddiqui•

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P h o n e : 2 1 2 • 3 6 6 • 8 9 0 0

9 0 F i f t h A v e n u e N e w Y o r k , N Y 1 0 0 1 1

September 19, 2009

re: Jenna Spevack / Letter of Support

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to provide Professor Jenna Spevack with my enthusiastic support for the position of Associate Professor.

While studying as an undergraduate student at New York City College of Technology I have had the pleasure of meeting a handful of really great professors. These are not professors who just gave me A’s or praised my work but rather provided me with the needed constructive criticism that helped motivate me to do better, and ultimately create a lasting impression. Jenna is among these professors. She was my professor for three semesters, the �rst class was Vector Art and the last two were web design related.

Jenna is very dedicated to her profession. Taking full advantage of the web, she uses her own website (www.profspevack.com) to manage all of her lessons and showcase student work. Students know exactly what is expected of them and can �nd previous lessons from her immaculately organized website. Even attendance is tracked online.

As the web is constantly growing and evolving, ways to do things more ef�ciently emerge everyday. Jenna is not afraid to learn and explore these new methods so that she can pass them along to her students. On many occasions she has sent links and provided support for problems that I had trouble solving. She has also taught me the importance of following web standards and creating websites with cross browser compatibility.

One semester, Jenna gave a real world assignment where students had to �nd a client and create a website for them. This was one of the best experiences during my four years at the school and allowed me to gain a perspective on how to deal with clients. I learned how to write a proposal, follow strict timelines, and come up with a budget. This has a helped me a great deal as a freelance designer.

As a current designer at Forbes.com, I can say with con�dence that the things Jenna has taught me are applied to my work everyday. I am constantly reminded of the importance of following web standards and cross browser compatibility as Forbes.com is viewed by thousands everyday. Jenna was one of the best professors I had the pleasure of knowing and is a great mentor. She has my full support in all of her endeavors.

Sincerely,

Irwin Hou, DesignerForbes.com90 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY [email protected]

September 8, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Catherine Espinosa, and I am the Web Development Manager for Chemical

Week and Chemical Engineering at Access Intelligence LLC. I took Web Page Design

and Implementation (AD550) taught by Jenna Spevack in the spring of 2005.

Although my degree concentration was Graphic Design, I took AD550 class as one of my

electives without being very enthusiastic about it, because I just wanted to design for

print. Jenna’s class was well structured, and she had clear objectives for each project; she

was always available to give us feedback throughout the semester.

The class structure and Jenna’s teaching methods were essential in helping me to clearly

understand HTML and cascading style sheets (CSS), fundamental tools in web design.

She did not concentrate on just teaching us a software program, but taught us how to

properly code, so we can use any editor to create web pages.

Although AD550 was a beginner’s class, it was extremely useful to many students since

many of us created our first online portfolio/resume site, which I used while job hunting

even after graduation.

Jenna’s commitment to her students goes beyond the classroom; she has made herself

available to give advice or feedback on any projects we are working on and has sent us

job postings and job recommendations. During my last semester and after completing her

class, I became CityTech’s Webmaster on her recommendation. After graduation, I was

able to land a Web Design job at Access Intelligence, where I have been working for the

past three years.

In conclusion, I am a web design professional in part because of Ms. Spevack’s teaching

method. She has made significant contributions to CityTech students and alumni.

Sincerely,

Catherine Espinosa

Web Development Manager

Access Intelligence

http://www.chemweek.com

http://www.che.com

+1-212-621-4838

[email protected]

110 William Street ■ 11

th Floor ■ New York,NY 10038 ■ Tel: 212.621.4900 ■ Fax: 212.621.4800 ■ www.accessintel.com ■ www.chemweek.com

24-25 Scala Street ■ London WIT2HP UK ■ Tel: 44.207.436.7676 ■ Fax: 44.207.436.3749 ■ www.accessintel.com ■ www.chemweek.com

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September 13, 2009

Yong Ih Kim, Web/Graphic DesignerNetwork Design and Communications276 Bowery, New York, NY 10012T: 212-431-4675, F: [email protected]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to support Professor Jenna Spevack's promotion to Associate Professor at NewYork City College of Technology (Citytech). I graduated with honors from Citytech with aBachelor's Degree in Communication Design in 2007, and now I work as web/graphicdesigner at a web and graphic design company in Manhattan. I took these classes with Prof.Spevack: AD360 Vector Art, AD550 Web Page Design and Implementation and AD650Advanced Web Design. I am happy that I took her classes since I learned a lot.

I strongly support Prof. Spevack for the Associate Professor position for the followingreasons:

First, Prof. Spevack's classes were clear and organized. On the first day of each course, sheprovided students with an online syllabus that showed fine description, learning outcomes andweekly topics of the course. I could learn whether the course was right for me and what Icould achieve from it. And every week, she prepared an outline of the class on her website.The online outline detailed the topics covered in the class, including a review of the previousweek’s homework and useful links so I could preview and review by myself whenever Iwanted. Even students who missed the class could catch up by reading and practicing the stuffon the website by themselves. Also, the learning steps Prof. Spevack made for the course werewell-structured. I could start learning new skills without difficulty, even though I didn't knowanything about them before I took her classes. At the end of the course when she gave us ourgrades, she followed the scale and rubric on her website. Even though some students did anexcellent job for the midterm and final project, she didn't give them an A since they didn'tparticipate in class or do homework often. Usually many students get a good grade from herclasses, not because she is an easy-A professor, because she tries to do her best to make thelearning process easy and fun.

d e s i g n a n d

c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

N E T W O R K

276 BOWERY NEW YORK, NY 10012 TEL 212-431-4675 FAX 212-431-5786 WWW.NETWORKNYC.COM

Second, Prof. Spevack's dedication to her classes was huge. She never canceled or came toclass late. She always answered students' questions clearly, giving good examples untileverybody understood. And she brought extra materials and trivia related with the course tofill students with a variety of knowledge. She also gave us a quiz every class to keep usfocused, and we did useful projects such as making a portfolio website or website for a realclient to keep us motivated. When I went to her office for help with my project, she wasalways there and helped me in the best way possible. She also took us to museums for artexhibitions related to the course.

Finally, Prof. Spevack taught me updated and true knowledge. When I was taking her webdesign classes, she kept telling us to make websites without a "table" and to follow WebStandards. I didn't know why those were so important at the time, but the more I learnedabout them, the more I understood why. I found out that those were the latest and bestmethods used in the field. In fact, when I was looking for a job after I graduated, I saw manyads looking for web designers who can make "tableless" websites and understand WebStandards. I am happy and proud that I took Prof. Spevack's classes because I know that thereare many web designers who even don't know what those ideas are. When I was showing mywebsite portfolio at job interviews, the interviewers were always impressed by the level of myweb design skills. They kept asking me, "Do they teach that much in school these days?"When I had an interview with Cameron Barrett, a pioneering blogger and famous figure in theweb field, he looked at my portfolio and said that I was the only one who knew how to makewebsites correctly, out of other six people whom he interviewed previously.

Those are the major reasons why I strongly support Prof. Spevack. She organizes her classesneatly and clearly so that students can learn new skills with a minimum of difficulty, and sheis always there when a student needs a help. She teaches in her classes what is really requiredin the field, which gives students a better chance to get a job. I have graduated from twodifferent colleges and earned over 230 credits, but I have met only a few professors who havethese powerful characteristics.

Please contact me if you would like more information. It would give me great pleasure tospeak more about her.

Cordially,

Yong Ih Kim

276 BOWERY NEW YORK, NY 10012 TEL 212-431-4675 FAX 212-431-5786 WWW.NETWORKNYC.COM

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C: 718-312-2548

H: 718-942-5624

AYESHA SIDDIQUI

[email protected] DESIGNER

275

Bay

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My name is Ayesha S. Siddiqui and I am presently working as a graphic designer in the Visual Communication department of New York City College of Technology. I graduated from CityTech in June 2009 as a Valedictorian.

I have known Professor Jenna Spevack since Spring 2008, when I took my first Web design course with her at City Tech. I found her extremely dedicated to her students. She was always there for us, whether it is in the class or outside the class. As I was completely naive with web design strategy and concept, I found her very patient and cooperative. She appreciated my queries and always answered my them gladly. We often met outside the class during her office hours, which she always encouraged. Her great support and mentorship enabled me to finish my assignments in time and understand the concepts, as well. It was her continuous help and support that enabled me to pass the class with the highest grade and also gave me the confidence to register for another web design course the next semester.

In short, I truly feel fortunate for being in her class and having an opportunity to learn from her. Even today, I contact Professor Spevack for any help I need and she is always very glad to help me out.

It is a great pleasure and honor for me to write this letter of support, acknowledging her efforts and contributions to the field of teaching. We need more mentors and instructors like her.

If you need any more information about my experience, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Ayesha S. Siddiqui

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S T u d e n T e VA L uAT i o n S

NOTE: A 5-point scale is used for scores; the higher the score, the better the rating. The Class Mean: The mean of all the scores for each question for the faculty member; the Department Mean refers to the mean of all the scores of the activity type for each question for ALL faculty members in the department/program.

Spring 2009:

IMT1101 – Intro Media Design Process Class Mean: 4.66 | Department Mean: 4.58

Spring 2008:

ADV3540 – Animation Class Mean: 4.48 | Department Mean: 4.34

ADV3550 – Web Design Class Mean: 4.65 | Department Mean: 4.34

Fall 2007:

ADV3540 – Animation Class Mean: 4.65 | Department Mean: 4.38


Spring 2007:

ADV2360 – Vector Art Class Mean: 4.51 | Department Mean: 4.40

ADV3650 – Advanced Web Design Class Mean: 4.72 | Department Mean: 4.40

Fall 2006:ADV3550 – Web Design Class Mean: 4.55 | Department Mean: 4.33


Spring 2006:





Spring 2005:ADV3550 – Web Design Class Mean: 4.52 | Department Mean: 4.39












P e e r FAC u LT Y e VA L uAT i o n S

Fall 2002: Excellent

Spring 2003: Excellent



Fall 2004: N/A


Fall 2005: Very Good






Fall 2008: Release time


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Section IV: IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES & GOALS

i M P roV e M e n T AC T i V i T i e S

As an educator and an artist I am committed to staying abreast of advances in creative media and bringing emerging techniques, skills, and ideas to the classroom. I am also interested in the study of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to create a more productive learning environment for my students.

Recent improvement activities have included the following workshops, courses, and independent new skill study:

Wordpress Theme Development using PHP, semester-long study, Spring 2009•

Second Life Building/Scripting Basics, 3 week independent study, Spring 2009•

Wearables Workshop, 4 hour workshop presented by Prof. Dan Mikesell, Spring •2009

Drs. Hours, 4-hour workshop presented by New York Foundation for the Arts, •NYC, Fall 2008

City Tech Safe Zone, seminar and training to be a Safe Zone mentor.•

Introduction to Voice Overs, course at the Actors Connection, NYC, Winter 2007•

The Art of Connecting, Continuing Education course at the School of Visual Arts, •NYC, Spring 2009

F u T u r e g oA L S

I am currently focusing on ways to integrate my interests in ecological design, permaculture science, biomimicry, and other fields and technologies where design innovation is inspired by natural systems into my pedagogical pursuits.

While developing a new Bachelor’s degree program in Emerging Media, I wrote the first Introduction to Ecological Design course offered at CUNY and formulated a concentration in Eco-Media, which addresses the development of interactive media, products, and systems using ecological design considerations and theories, such as the cradle-to-cradle design process.

My aim is to further develop this concentration by working with faculty in the Industrial Design and Architectural Technology departments to offer students an opportunity to strengthen their position in emerging media fields through the study of these important and timely design principles and processes.

recommendation for promotion to associate professor...

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