Interactive Media Students Design NECHE Self Study Cover

As part of the NECHE accreditation process, a team led by Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs: Assessment, Curriculum Development and Academic Success, Kevin Li and Professor of Psychology, Judy Colson, have been creating a self-study that assesses the College's strengths and weaknesses. After attending several NECHE workshops, Li got the idea of inviting students to design the cover page of the self-study.

"The NECHE Comprehensive Evaluation Visit in October 2023 is a high-stake institutional milestone for QCC. In order to ensure and facilitate a successful reaccreditation visit, we have worked hard to involve and engage as many stakeholders as possible in the process, including our students. The collaboration also served as an excellent learning opportunity for our students," Li said.

Professor of Interactive Media Mary Valentine and Assistant Professor of Interactive Media Carolyn McGrath were happy to help with student engagement . McGrath offered the cover design project to her Interactive Media Processes Portfolio class and the students were eager to work on a project that offered a real-world challenge.

Valentine noted that Li supplied a design brief, just as a real-world client would, and students used the parameters in groups and as individuals to create designs that were submitted to Li and Colson, as well as the college's marketing department for consideration and evaluation. 

Student Deb Hill created what ended up as the final cover design. She said it was challenging but intriguing to design a project that had to walk the line between creativity and staying on brand. Hill will be graduating next year with an Associate of Science in Interactive Media and plans to be a freelance graphic designer for content creators and small businesses. 

Not only was Hill's design the winning selection, but she said she gained leadership skills throughout the process.

"As the design lead, I oversaw the process, spoke with other students and teachers, and started a Discord channel. This allowed me to get closer with my classmates and develop better communication," said Hill, adding, "I couldn't have done it alone. I'm so proud of what we all did together."

"I was so impressed. She grabbed the reigns and took off," McGrath added.

Stay tuned to see the winning cover design when the self-study will officially be published in August!