The Advisory Board for the School of Communications made its spring visit to campus Friday, April 3, and the discussion focused on the new master's in Interactive Media, the changing curriculum and the next strategic plan for the university.
During the morning meetings, Dean Paul Parsons discussed how the School of Communications is responding to the new media environment in light of the start up of the new intensive, one-year iMedia program. In addition, Department Chair Don Grady provided an update on student response to the new curriculum and Associate Dean Connie Book led a discussion on the university’s next strategic plan and the role of the School of Communications in it.
Senior Communications Fellows joined the board for lunch, when senior Sean Flynn discussed Live Oak Communications, the student-run agency on campus, Kyle Johnson talked about the Public Relations Student Society of America, and Cory Morrison mentioned the school’s brand new American Advertising Federation chapter.
Following lunch, board members heard from assistant professor Ken Calhoun, who gave a presentation about interactive media and the goals of the new master’s program. Calhoun said interactive media can be defined as two-way communication between humans and humans, humans and content, and humans and machines.
He said there are “three flavors” of interactive media: storytelling, conversation and responsive visuals, a term he coined and defined as “graphics that allow us into a story a story and tell us a story in a visual way.”
Calhoun said students in the program will learn how to author interactive experiences, strategically apply interactivity to their specific field and innovate new forms of interactivity. But constructing a story will be at the heart of the program, he said.
“Our terrain here is stories,” Calhoun said.
The advisory board also had discussions about the future of their companies with students in several communications classes and engaged in mock interviews with seniors.
More than 20 leading professional communicators from across the United States make up the board, and the members make biannual trips to the School of Communications.