Summer Quarter and Remote Instruction
May 12, 2020
Dear FIDM Community,
We have had to make the difficult decision to continue online-only instruction throughout the Summer Quarter, which starts July 13. This decision is guided by state and local requirements as well as our priority to protect the health and safety of our campus community.
While moving many of our courses online so quickly has been an unexpected challenge, we have been offering eLearning courses and even entire majors online for over fifteen years. We’ve been able to build on that foundation as we work to deliver the most authentic FIDM experience possible during this time. To do so, we’re focusing on a holistic approach encompassing academics, research, student activities, and career planning.
ACADEMICS
Faculty are striving to create the most engaging learning experience for each course, and our online curriculum features demonstrations, discussion groups, Zoom presentations, and sharing of student work. We will continue to offer unique classroom-based projects with mentorship from our Industry Partners, as we develop new and innovative ways to teach online.
RESEARCH
Via our Virtual Library, students are able to access Online Trend Presentations, The Online Database Collection, Ebooks, trend forecasts, business and market research information, magazines and journals, and much more. The Library staff is available for any library-related questions, including the use of any of our Virtual Library resources.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Our faculty, staff, and student activities team are planning weekly activities and events to ensure a dynamic student experience from home, including Zoom meetings for all clubs, alumni speakers, presentations from art historians, and workshops such as virtual styling.
CAREER PLANNING
Our Career Center is doing extensive outreach during this time to secure jobs and internship opportunities with the many companies that hire FIDM Students, giving them an edge in the job market in these uncertain times. Even now, we receive over 100 new job postings per week and we expect that to grow significantly as businesses gradually reopen. Our Career Advisors all have Zoom accounts so they are able to work with students and employers more effectively during this time.
Additionally, we are also looking into the possibility of opening up resources on campus to students as soon as we can safely do so.
Supporting our students as they navigate online courses is key, so all faculty are available for remote office hours to answer questions, in writing or via Zoom conferences as requested by their students, and the IDEA Center offers remote tutoring. We have also created an extensive tutorial on Online Learning to be used as a reference. Please look for it, as well as other important information, in our next communication which will include the Summer Quarter FAQ.
We thank our students, staff, and faculty for your flexibility and willingness to adapt throughout this time, and we look forward to welcoming you back onto campus in the near future. There is so much to be proud of and so much more to look forward to.
Sincerely and with best wishes,
The FIDM Board of Administration
