If you are looking to enter the creative media production field as a cinematographer, video editor, screenwriter or in any of a number of other roles, you are most likely a creative person. Being creative is an important part of maintaining intrigue, drive and motivation for the artistic professional. And creativity is at the heart of developing engaging media of all types, from innovative, attention-grabbing multi-media advertising campaigns to film and TV.
Earning a degree through a creative media program can be an important part of career development. And it only makes sense that creative media students can benefit greatly from study that nurtures their creativity. But traditional creative media degree programs do not always reflect the integral role of creativity in both coursework and student experience, the more holistic development of student creative thinking and ability.
Taking a different approach, Arkansas State University’s online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Creative Media aims to fill this gap in student experience in various ways. This is reflected in experiential coursework focused on creative development along with emphasis options, allowing students to tailor their education to their creative pursuits.
Why Is Creativity Important in Higher Education?
The importance of creativity in higher education is not limited solely to subject matter in explicitly creative fields (i.e. creative media). Educational theorists and practitioners often emphasize the importance of critical thinking development in education, of which creativity is an essential component. Creativity is how people come up with solutions to problems and create new knowledge, techniques, methods and technology. Creativity could be said to be the basis of innovation and growth in any field.
Is There Evidence to Support This?
There many studies supporting the importance of creativity in both education and the workplace. As an interesting example related to creative media, Adobe conducted a study appropriately titled “Creativity and Education: Why it Matters,” surveying college-educated, full-time professionals. The findings of this study give evidence of the importance of creativity in higher education, while also pointing to the lack of creativity emphasis in college coursework. Tying into creative media, Adobe is the company behind the Adobe Creative Suite software used extensively in audio/video production (and in A-State’s creative media coursework).
The vast majority of the study’s survey respondents felt that creativity and creative thinking should be part of college curricula and should be encouraged by educators. The majority also wished they had been exposed to creative thinking more as a student. And in most professional question categories, those surveyed reported creativity to be extremely important in their careers. In fact, survey results maintain that creativity is valued by professionals as “one of the top three personality traits most important to career success.”
How Does A-State Incorporate Student Creativity Into Its Online Creative Media BS Program?
A-State facilitates and encourages student creativity at many levels. Academic work explores the creative process of different aspects of media production from cinematography to screenwriting. Every tenet of media production is tied to creative composition through narrative development.
Students also choose between two emphases in their major: Audio/Video Production and Narrative Media. This allows for more student-directed creativity in designing and focusing their own education based on what they want to learn.
A-State’s BS in Creative Media courses are fully online and only seven weeks long. This allows degree candidates to get creative in how they fit school into their everyday life and work schedules, giving them valuable experience in time management. Creative time management is a necessity in the competitive and sometimes frenetically busy world of audio/video production.
Clearly, focusing on creativity during college study can be of great benefit during and after school, especially for professionals in fields like creative media. And this does not even begin to cover the integral role creativity plays in the constant innovation of technologies and their use in modern media.
With creativity infused into both academic content and student experience and choice, the design of A-State’s online BS in Creative Media can help prepare students to succeed, creatively, in this fascinating field.
Learn more about A-State’s online Bachelor of Science in Creative Media program.
Sources:
Adobe: Creativity and Education: Why It Matters
EdTech Magazine: Why Creativity Matters in Higher Education [#Infographic]
Campaign: Is There Still Room for Creativity in the Media Industry?