I would really love to actually make the clothing designs that I come up with, but that all depends on my budget and time constraints.
Four key components I am looking for in a mentor, is first off, someone to go to for honest feedback. I am looking for someone who will motivate me and keep me on track throughout the semester. I would like my mentor to be able to help me narrow down my ideas and tell me realistically what is possible within the amount of time I have to complete my capstone. Finally, I would like my mentor to just be someone I can go to to talk about things when I'm feeling hopeless. Just being able to have someone as a listener will give me more confidence.
3 potential mentors: Beth Lykins, Mark Pfaff, Jennifer Stewart
I feel that Beth could help bring out bigger and better ideas for my capstone and would also be a huge help with all the graphic design work I will be doing. I am interested in working with her because I feel that she would best suit my capstone project. Mark and Jennifer could help in similar ways but Mark would be able to help more with the visual side and Jennifer with web development.
Beth's area of expertise: "Imaging, creativity, project development, convergence, storytelling, art direction, team building, etc. NOT programming or audio."
Expectations of a capstone student: "Meet 30 minutes/week and show progression each week. Communicate if there are problems with meeting timeline objectives/capstone goals. Be willing to listen to feedback objectively and research problems as they occur. I also expect students to take responsibility for their project instead of expecting me to do it for them. I always expect my capstone students to explore divergent (creative) ideas instead of just following the herd. Creativity and self expression are VERY important to me, as is good craft. I expect students to give priority to their capstone project and take it seriously. It is NOT just another project or hoop and I don't do well with students who treat capstone as that."
Availability for mentoring: "I tend to fill quickly, and can take no more than 10 independent students (a combination of N490 - undergrad independent study, N499 - undergrad capstone, and N553 - grad independent study) each semester, so if you do want to work with me you need to make arrangements earlier rather than later."
Project types of disinterest: "Since I am not a programmer or audio expert, I tend to avoid those projects. I expect that if a student wants to work on a website that it be only a portion of what the capstone is. A lot of students think I won't let them do a website at all, but that is not the case. (see point number 2 for more on that...)"
Thoughts on secondary advisor: "A secondary mentor is an excellent idea. It is a good way to cover areas of expertise that the student and primary mentor might not have otherwise. It is a good way to get another objective opinion on what is happening in the project."
Anything else to add: "I view capstones as a place where students can really work on furthering themselves as well as the future of new media. I love mentoring capstones, but only when the student is flexible and willing to listen. I love watching as a student discovers that there is more to this field than just websites and videos. When the lines of disciplines begin to blur in a capstone and a student sees that he/she has made that happen and their passion for new media catches fire again - that is my favorite time as a teacher!"
Mark's area of expertise: Audio production, interactive design
Expectations of a capstone student: "To generally be self-sustaining and self-motivating. I provide guidance and feedback, but I expect the student to do 100% of the work."
Availability for mentoring: "Very limited. I might have one remaining opening for a capstone in the spring."
Project types of disinterest: "I prefer to avoid video projects, as this is not my area of expertise, yet they seem to keep coming my way."
Thoughts on secondary advisor: "I think my background in visual design might be useful in a supporting role, but I don't think I have the expertise to be the primary advisor for a project such as yours."
Jennifer's area of expertise: Online Education, Web Development, Project Management
Expectations of a capstone student: "I expect the capstone student to take the project as seriously as they would take a first job."
Availability for mentoring: "I am available to informatics majors only."
Project types of disinterest: "I would not be well equipped to work in sound or video."
Thoughts on secondary advisor: "I would be happy to advise informatics majors."
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