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<\/a>\u201cWe realized there was a real need for programming like this on Southern Vancouver Island, and we knew nothing like this would be offered elsewhere,\u201d says Lois Fernyhough, chair of the communications department and longtime Camosun communications instructor. \u201cWe knew there was going to be a void when ACP shut down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camosun Arts and Sciences dean Dominic Bergeron says that the new certificate programs aren\u2019t meant to fill the gap created by the cancellation of ACP; rather, they are filling an already existing gap that was discovered during a market survey the college conducted around communications programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe survey told us many things and amongst them was the fact that we needed to fill a digital production niche,\u201d says Bergeron. \u201cThis program is completely different from ACP, which focused on the \u2018traditional media\u2019 with little connection to the digital world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fernyhough and Bergeron agree that the focus for the two new programs is quite different from the video production and radio broadcasting courses that dominated ACP. Most of the courses in the two new programs pertain to developing website content for communication and marketing purposes.<\/p>\n
And while Bergeron stresses the new programs\u2019 different approach and target demographic (marketing and communications students looking for hands-on experience), Fernyhough sees them as a more practical improvement on ACP.<\/p>\n
The one-year certificate programs are more flexible in that they can be part-time or full-time, and they are keeping up with technological advances and the need for digital communication skills in the current workplace, she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think it\u2019s a better version of what we had before,\u201d says Fernyhough. \u201cIt\u2019s building on the past, but it\u2019s definitely a different approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another big difference is that while ACP was a closed program, Digital Communications and Digital Production, Writing and Design courses are open to a certain number of students not registered in the program. This means more cross-pollination of students and a more vibrant learning environment, says Fernyhough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited that we have these new courses open for anyone to take,\u201d she says. \u201cIt gives students from a whole variety of areas the opportunity to take these courses as electives, and that really enriches the classroom. Students can take some of these courses, get enthused about it, and consider studying communications.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, the programs have been successful. Last year\u2019s Digital Communications intake was full, as is this year\u2019s Digital Production, Writing and Design. Currently, there are still some spots available for Digital Communications in September, with approximately $45,000 available in entrance awards and bursaries for the new communications department, which also includes a Comics and Graphic Novels program.<\/p>\n
Tuition costs for the new programs are a concern for the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS), a reflection of the college\u2019s cost-recovery model and funding shortages within postsecondary education, they say.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CCSS is confident in the quality of instruction and is hopeful that the new communications programs will meet the needs of both students and the community,\u201d says CCSS external executive Rachael Grant. \u201cUnfortunately, the cancellation of the old program and the creation of new ones is far more about money than curriculum. Sadly, these changes are becoming more and more common as Camosun intensifies its efforts to circumvent tuition fee guidelines and move programming towards a cost-recovery model, rather than just updating existing course curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while the two new certificate programs may be signs of the financial times, Fernyhough and the communications department are just happy that they were able to navigate through the cancellation of a decades-old program and come away with two new programs that offer practical skills and knowledge to students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought we could fix ACP and that would be okay, but as things moved along it became apparent that that wasn\u2019t going to happen, and that was frustrating, but it did force us to look at what else was out there, what we can do and what needs weren\u2019t being met,\u201d she says. \u201cSo now we just feel good that we are able to offer students something that they are interested in and can lead them to meaningful employment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Although some debate remains over whether they will fill the gap left by the now-defunct Applied Communication Program (ACP), two new certificate programs at Camosun have faculty and students excited for the future of communications programs at the college. Digital Communication, which started last September, and Digital Production, Writing and Design, which begins this fall, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-august-14-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9295"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9297,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9295\/revisions\/9297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}