Taking a class from Cyndi Reese

How classes work

It's not often that an instructor has the opportunity to talk about HOW the class is taught -- so much attention is given to WHAT is being taught rather than the methods that the subject area is communicated. To help you learn, I'll work diligently to prepare the best lectures and class materials that I can. I am passionate about InDesign and equally passionate about teaching. You don't enter the career of education to make money. You teach because you want to give students skills and to share your knowledge.

Here's some information on my teaching at SRJC:

• I am "over-the-top" organized.
• Emails get answered daily.
• I've been described as both "energetic" and "funny" by students. I'm going on 58 years old and at this point in my life I'm not going to change my teaching delivery. If you're expecting a dry, formal lecture then this class is not a good match for you.
• At the beginning of the semester I layout my expectations for the class. Don't expect them to change.
• Topics are covered in a very thorough manner. I don't skimp on details.
• Sometimes I review material. That's because I think a topic is so important that it requires mastery and another look.
• My three InDesign classes are set to build on each other. For example, in InDesign 1 paragraph and character styles are introduced. InDesign 2 covers advanced paragraph and character styles. InDesign 3 takes paragraph styles to the highest level using GREP coding.
• I teach college-level transferrable courses. That means that there are measurable outcomes. Testing should not mean that you can hunt around on the computer and eventually find an answer "on the fly" as you answer questions.
• Online classes get the same lecture as the face-to-face classes in a series of short recorded webcasts. It is not condensed. I expect the same level of commitment for both types of delivery. Years ago an online student commented that he didn't watch the webcasts unless he couldn't figure out the labs. [To me, that's the same thing as not coming to face-to-face lecture] Needless to say, he did not pass the class.

I've taught InDesign for many years --during this time, I've had the opportunity to put together the best curriculum for each class that I teach. Each course is carefully choreographed for the level of InDesign that is taught, blending skills for both print and online use. I try to bring in real world examples whenever possible as well as experiences from my professional consulting.

For beginning students in InDesign 1, at the end of the semester you'll have a solid set of skills as you create documents for print and screen. I teach a combination of theory and "how to" skills. The order of topics is set so that students with existing Adobe skills in other programs will pick up some interesting new topics along with the required basics. And students totally new to Adobe software will learn these required basics in a brisk detailed fashion to provide a solid foundation. The labs are gentle and "step by step" at the beginning of the semester. After fundamental InDesign skills are mastered, labs require independent work and a higher level of skills. Even with a mix of student skills, everyone will be on the same plate towards the middle of the semester.

For advanced students, you will find enough time for review combined with advanced topics where we dig "deep" into InDesign. It is a vast comprehensive program with many complexities. InDesign 2 students master about 80% of the program. InDesign 3 students master the rest of the InDesign program and also learn about Adobe workflows that involve other Adobe applications. Think interactive PDFs, forms, Flash and ePub.

Engagement is crucial to any class. I encourage you to:

• Ask questions in face-to-face classes -- lively classes are fun and I enjoy being peppered with questions.
• E-mail me privately at the CATE Message Center. When I reply, the email response can only be accessed at CATE -- it will not forward to your email.
• E-mail public messages using the CATE Message Center. This distributes an email to every student in the class. These messages are to be about class content only and I encourage you to share information with your colleagues.
• Send an email to me directly at creese@santarosa.edu. Without your name/section information in the subject line, your email may get filtered into my junk mail folder. Never, ever, send a direct email to me with an attachment as the SRJC faculty email system has limited filespace. CATE has a system for uploading files.
• Participate in a live webcast office hour.

I try to work with all types of learning styles. At the beginning of the semester you will analyze what kind of learner you are. Visual? Kinesthetic? Auditory? Below are ways that I try to work with each type of learning style:

• Computer demonstrations that accompany every lecture presentation to combine desktop publishing theory and application
• Lecture notes (i.e. Stepping Out With InDesign for InDesign 1) that follow along with each presentation
• Recorded webcasts for the online class (these can be accessed by face-to-face students for review)
• Hands-on lab exercises outside of class
• Reading assignments in optional reference books
• Links to websites with current information
• Weekly e-mails with information on forthcoming lectures and labs

Student behavior

Students are required to follow both the SRJC student conduct code and the CS department conduct codes.

A few extra rules apply to face-to-face lecture. Cell phones are to be turned off in the classroom and lab. During lecture, please do not chat with other students and be considerate of others. Be on time for lecture and ready to start -- class starts promptly on the hour.

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