A blog for the CCA community

A first round of the students’ research findings are now ready for your viewing pleasure – please see below for a brief description of each project and some downloadable content about the methods each student used and some of the insights that were uncovered. We’ll post more findings up as they come in – enjoy!

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Target group: Students for whom the CCA was a 2nd or 3rd choice
Researcher: Melissa
Methods: Relationship journals, one-on-one interviews
Downloads: Desires, Expectations, and Satisfactions

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Target group: All students
Researcher: Dave
Methods: Mass emails + word clouds
Downloads: Research findings

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Target group: Professionals, industry experts
Researcher: Matthew
Methods: Persona doll exercise (create the student persona), interviews
Download: individual interview notes, summary of insights

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Target group: Public safety, bus, cafe, maintenance
Researcher: Alexis
Methods: photo journals, surveys, mini-interviews
Downloads: A2 Cafe results, Public Safety (1 + 2), Undergrad ID results, Maintenance results, Bus results

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Target group: Experts on peer schools
Researcher: Nicole
Methods: one-to-one interviews
Downloads: Research Findings

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The use of appropriate tools may be one of the most important factors in the creative process, so for this week’s installment of “Question of the Week”, we’re wondering - what do you need to create?  What are the things that help you be the best you can be?  What tools do you have to have at your disposal in order to move forward (or wander in circles, if that is your thinking method)?  Do different points of the process require different tools and what might those be?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Last Friday was a big day for the student research team - it was presentation day!  Nine design students trekked to IDEO’s SF office Friday afternoon to present their research methods and findings to the core CCA and IDEO development team, and together they shared gathered thoughts, ideas, and insights.   The student presentations will be posted to the blog shortly for all to see, share, and further comment on.

Thank you to all students, faculty, administrators, and industry experts who participated in the student research projects.  And a big congratulations to all the students for their hard work and creative thinking!

The day in pictures:

Each of graduate students presented their work.  Gustavo talks about what he learned from the staff of the school.

 Melissa did “relationship journals” for her research with students, which lead to great stories and drawings.

Dave impressed with his exploding graphics. He made up a story about how Martians erased the memory of CCA, and asked students to text message the future.  The responses are all on a blog here: http://futureofculture.blogspot.com/

He did great visual analysis of the results using IBM’s Many Eyes tool:
http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/visualizations?q=Building%20CCA’s

Matthew had professionals dress up dolls as different types of art students, uncovering potent symbolism of the laptop and the hammer symbolizing both craft and thinking for CCA students.

Each table, with a mix of administration and student researchers, then discussed what they heard.

 Then each table filled out sheets about what resonated most, and what strategies that suggested for CCA’s future.

 Each table at the end of the day spread out their sheets to look for cross-cutting patterns.

And the thoughts were written down as quickly as possible!

The results of the recent national election are inspiring and historic. In spite of the serious state of the economy, there is a feeling of optimism and a growing sense that people want to be involved in helping to change the priorities of our national agenda—and they are willing to commit time, resources, and energy to achieve common goals. I spent election night with my family closely monitoring the results and attempting to contain my emotions as the outcome built to the final crescendo and celebration in Grant Park. I lived in Chicago for nearly thirty years and both of my children were born there, so I retain close ties to the city. I was deeply moved by the uplifting shots of the crowds in Grant Park and I remembered with stark contrast the scene of the tragic riots that occurred in the same location during the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

As a citizen I am deeply moved by the outcome of the election and the change in our country. And, as president of CCA, I am proud of the efforts that many of our faculty, students, and staff contributed to supporting the campaign of Barack Obama and helping to ensure a large voter turnout.

CCA is also thinking of the future and beginning to map our goals and priorities for the next several years. We need your help! As you know, our partner in planning is IDEO, a global design consultancy that pioneered strategic design thinking and a user-centered approach to planning. IDEO’s team has already made an impact on both our Oakland and San Francisco campuses, talking with members of our community and gathering your thoughts and ideas in an effort to better understand the CCA experience.

There will be additional opportunities for many of you to meet directly with one of the IDEO team. However, the entire CCA community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and board members—is enormous and time is limited.

I urge all of you to find a way to get involved—our next strategic plan will only be as good as the effort that you put forward during the planning process. Use the blog—your thoughts are important and will add to the discourse. Let us know what you are thinking about the future. Let us know your assessment of the past. Respond to the questions raised each week. Get involved locally and nationally!

- Stephen Beal, CCA president

The CCA grad students working on this project have put together an installation at SF campus with hope to answer the question: Can money start an idea?

Help us understand what this education means to you — is this investment worth it?

Join the conversation online by filling in the following online survey:
http://app.icontact.com/icp/sub/survey/start?sid=6062&cid=358158

or just participate by completing the survey on campus.

The installation is located near the entrance of the SF main building, right after the public safety booth.

For any questions please contact: Indhira Rojas at irojassanchez@cca.edu

In last Friday’s strategy session at IDEO, one of the exercises had us discussing various aspects of CCA’s learning culture along a number of spectra. One of the most memorable, at least for me, was a question about whether CCA is or should be more like Hogwart’s or the Lord of the Rings. By this, IDEO meant to challenge us to consider two opposite models: Hogwart’s, where students are protected from the outside world and allowed to focus on their studies without distraction or danger, and Lord of the Rings, where the protagonists start-off into the world, right away, on a journey supported by some knowledgeable and capable guides. These represent different approaches to learning and, admittedly, neither is probably preferable as the only approach. Also, different students may need different approaches, as my different majors. For example, design disciplines may be better learned while concentrating in one style while fine art and craft disciplines may be best taught in another style. Or, perhaps one style might work better in core and foundation courses while another in later or graduate courses.

The only consensus at the meeting was that, currently, CCA exists somewhere between these two poles and, when pressed to choose only one to emphasize (IDEO can be real task-masters), everyone in the group chose to emphasize the out-in-the-world experience of Lord of the Rings. However, this isn’t to say that the school is going to sell the campus buildings and send students on literal journeys through Bay Area on a quest to lear art, design, and crafts–well, at least not in the Winter.

So, which style suits you best, and why? Are you Harry, Hermione, Ron, Molly, Dumbeldore, McGonagall, Voldemort, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Legolas, Galadriel, Aragon, Gandolf, or Gollum? Or, is there a better film that expresses your ideal CCA experience?

 - Nathan Shedroff,  Program Chair, MBA in Design Strategy

It was the Oakland campus’ turn to get papered with post-its yesterday as the IDEO and CCA core development team set up shop in the cafe to entice students and staff to share ideas on the future of the university. Lots of students with free-flowing ideas, plus baked treats, free chips, and even a project to educate Martians from 2014 all contributed to a great day. Thanks to all who participated!

And what did those who did participate think about the project space? Share your thoughts with those of us who couldn’t make it in the comments section.

Some photos from the day:

Nothing like some treats to get the creative juices flowing

Dave R., the Martian leader, sets up a projection. Click here to participate in his project.

overflowing posters with post-its - a definite success!

The grad students working with IDEO on this project are up and running with their respective research projects, and here’s a great one from Dave Reinhardt that needs your help.  So help Deidre and the Martians by sending a SMS to buildcca.2014@blogger.com on what you think makes the CCA unique.

Details below:

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Fellow Students!

Help the martians rebuild CCA in the future!?
Send a text message to Deidra, the last remaining CCA student in 2014!

A small team of martian artists and designers visited CCA in Oakland and San Francisco. While landing, their spaceships’ exhaust inadvertently created an airborne virus that erased the memory of all staff and the student body. Miraculously, Deidra, a new student was unaffected. With the help of the martians, Deidra was able to build a limited SMS time portal that allows you to send her and the martians your idea of what makes CCA’s culture unique.

Help rebuild the future of culture!
Send your text message to Deidra and the martians by Nov. 12th to:
buildcca.2014@blogger.com

Responses to be projected on campus. Blog can also be viewed at –>
http://futureofculture.blogspot.com

There was a new type of exhibit this afternoon in the CCA SF - it was IDEO and lots and lots of post-its! They staked out a corner of the nave and met with a ton of CCA students, faculty, and staff. Participants wrote their vision for the future of the CCA on colorful post-its, and some even sat down to chat in more detail about their ideas.

IDEO will be on the Oakland campus next week, Nov. 10, 10am-4pm, so stop by then to share your thoughts!

IDEO reps will be on campus in the Nave in SF on Wednesday, November 5, and in the Oakland cafe on Monday, November 10, from 10am to 4pm. Both days IDEO reps will be organizing projects and activities that are open to any member of the community. Feel free to stop by!