My objective as a digital art instructor is straightforward. I intend to develop creative problem-solving strategies in my students by helping them nurture their imagination and aesthetic sense. Whether their goals in life are to work in business, law, media, education, or to just foster a pleasant lifestyle, spending time as an artist can help students find new ways to solve old problems. Digital art can be particularly rewarding due to the transferable skills students obtain through their coursework. Knowing how to edit digital photos and video, build websites, create animations, produce interactive content, and understand the principles of visual communication is a benefit in and out of the workplace. My hope is that each student finishes their digital art class with fresh, new ideas concerning their interests and can express those ideas through digital media.

To accomplish this objective I've come to trust a student-centered collaborative approach which favors personal discovery and initiative. A digital art class is often a range of students from novice to expert, so focusing on individual needs is essential. I've found that I'm able to serve the students best by helping them see the big picture while allowing them to discover the individual details on their own. This seems to inspire long-term learning while making them comfortable with the subject. For example, in a lesson on creating a digital collage, my role is to communicate the traditional principles and elements of design along with the wide possibilities available with Photoshop. The students' role is to actively participate in the demonstration while sharing knowledge with each other. When a student turns to their friend and shows them a particular tool or effect they've found, I know they've acquired that skill at a deeper level than just passively reading it in a book. By then focusing their work on new methods of expression, their creativity is enhanced along with their problem-solving skills.

Students tend to learn what their teachers examine for. By testing my students' ability to apply creative solutions to common and not-so-common problems, this will most likely be the result of their learning. To measure the effectiveness of this approach, I construct problems for them where the solution is attainable but requires divergent thinking. One assignment asks them to create a triptych, a series of three images that must each stand on their own yet work together as a group. This type of open-ended problem encourages them to develop their own style while working within given constraints. If a student is having difficulties coming up with ideas I'll often narrow the assignment further, giving them even more decisions to make. This tends to give the student a reason to create. The measure of success is when they are able to describe in their critique how they found unique ways of using aesthetics to overcome the limitations of the assignment.

The purpose I see in art education is to create conditions in which students are able to more fluidly synthesize and evaluate material they've accumulated in other areas. By asking them to pay attention to creativity, beauty, imagination, and experimentation, I feel they are more likely to be inspired to find increased value in their work and play.