A Balanced Way of Teaching Art and Design Using E-Learning

Abstract

One of the challenges of teaching graphic design courses is that the instructors must teach both soft design skills and hard design or technical skills. Soft design skills-such as aesthetics, intuition, balance, recognizing harmony in page design, and stirring emotions through design-are ephemeral parts of design. These skills are best taught face-to-face in a classroom setting where students can interact, observe, create and analyze. Hard design skills or technical skills are best learned by observing and then creating, or simultaneously observing and creating. E-learning lends itself well to teaching technical skills in a way that facilitates simultaneous observation and creation. Employers want to hire designers who equally possess soft and hard design skills. Given the limited amount of contact hours during the semester, it is difficult to spend time teaching both soft and hard design skills in a balanced way. The paper presents innovative and interactive E-learning components that facilitate engaging and balanced teaching.