new media writing MA to end?
I heard today the shocking news that De Montfort University will be closing the Online MA in Creative Writing and New Media which I've just completed. The course, devised and led by Sue Thomas and Kate Pullinger, trailblazers both, has been quite literally life changing for me, and pretty damn influential in newmediawritingland. How shortsighted of DMU.
'The Spindlers'- some freshfaced students from the first intake for the Creative Writing & New Media Masters, 2006.
'The Spindlers'- some freshfaced students from the first intake for the Creative Writing & New Media Masters, 2006.
Comments
If DMU don't want to run with this, I hope someone will.
New Media isn't going to go away. In fact, it may even be driven by this global recession. Businesses are going to need to use everything available to them to keep their competitive edge and to get noticed. More and more businesses will be turning to New Media for this.
good as its alumni, and so far the participants in this program are among the best.
Carolyn Guertin
As chair of the Computer Arts Society I know this institution made a pioneering contribution to the computer arts in the early years and it is to be regretted that the university can now consider closing a leading-edge programme that builds on such a pre-eminent history. It is my opinion that they should instead be promoting the MA as a flagship opportunity to consolidate DMU's reputation in an field that addresses important and timely scholarly, social and economic issues regarding our future in a networked world.
What are the official reasons for the closure of the program ? How many students have now matriculated to date and what kind of careers are they now embarked on ?
Roger Malina
President Leonardo/OLATS
As an administrator of a digital media program I understand the costs of running programs. So, if the university is eliminating this MA purely for economic reasons, this decision makes no sense: It is an *online* graduate program with a potential for immense growth. I know for a fact that the costs of operating online masters programs is low in comparison with running a traditional brick and mortar one.
While the logic behind the decision is perplexing, the ethical issue is what concerns me most. Eliminating a graduate program jeopardizes the future well being of its former and current graduates. Yes, the university is allowing students the opportunity to finish the degree, but in the end students are paying good money for a degree that will no longer exist at DMU. This means that students will not have the support needed for success: no academic structure to point to when applying to a PhD program or seeking a position with an employer, no alumni network to draw upon, and no faculty to consult or collaborate with. The degree will ultimately be worthless.
The uniqueness of this MA and the international reputations of its faculty have brought DMU much positive attention worldwide. I cannot imagine what kind of attention closing it down so soon after starting it will ultimately bring. The response thus far does not bode well for the university.
It's a great shame this course is closing.
Did they do any at all, one wonders?
The course and Sue and Kate are known as WorldWide Authorities on this subject, for goodness sake!!
An academic institution such as DMU is supposed to be in the vanguard of forward inspirational thinking. I genuinely believed this to be the case. Obviously I am wrong about DMU.
Clearly, the CWNM course is rather only the result of Prof Sue Thomas's and Kate Pullinger's prescience and assiduous hard work and it is accidental that DMU has been the fortunate recipient housing it.
Now they appear to be 'pulling the plug' after 2010, I have no doubt whatsoever that another institution - be it in Singapore, in Shanghai, in Seoul or in Bangalore - will jump on it, swooping Sue and Kate up much to the delight of all future students who will jump on it. I would say in the US too but given that they started this 'sub prime' alphabet soup economic mess, they are of course in as much of a mess there as we are.
The online component of the course is tried and true and the content, as I can attest as a student myself, is excellent and unparalleled.
DMU you are, as they say, showing your knickers.
Too bad. Another institution will, I know, be only too glad to fill in for your massive error of judgement.
Best,
Claudia
http://robotandai.blogspot.com
Things will pick up economically.
I thought that courses like this, that attract a lot of foreign students, must be money-spinners.
This program in New Media Writing, as many people can attest, is extraordinary and prescient in its view of New Media and the important part it will play not just in the creative arts, but in how information is packaged and communicated in business models. The skill sets of students emerging from this program are almost universal in their application, and excellent preparation for multiple career possibilities including, but not limited to, education, publishing, advertising, internet-based companies, arts administration, social networking systems, and so on.
So why do Universities like DMU (and my college, for example) cancel such programs? The easy answer is they believe that short-term savings in a period of tight budgets is a safer move than investing money, even small amounts, in "non-proven" programs like this one. There are other factors involved in decisions like this—personnel considerations, academic turf wars, curricular overlaps—but ultimately, as many of us know, money is the bottom line. Unfortunately, this philosophy does not support innovative programs and long-term curricular growth.
An axiom of the stock market is buy low, sell high. DMU is selling low here, when a small investment could pay off handsomely in the near future.
This is very sad news. The selection of speakers and mentors for the course is the best I’ve seen for such an innovative creative writing course.
The international, remote online teaching model Sue and Kate had developed is exactly what universities need to be doing right now, for economic and quality reasons. Their approach was elegant and highly appropriate to the subject manner.
This is such a shame. I guess De Montfort University didn’t realize the significance and impact of the program.
I am proud that I had the opportunity to be a part of the course as a presenter and mentor. The students, Sue and Kate were all a delight to work with. I certainly will keep referring to the pedagogical model, outcomes and innovative spirit of the course.
Kate Armstrong
writer, artist, independent curator
Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada