AAU online degree program

[adelofsilvermoons]

i've just gone to an AAU meeting in Houston, got my 'portfolio' reviewed and was almost promised some grant money for summer term 06. (yey)

i've been thinking about taking most of my classes online and then moving to san fransisco nearing the end of my studies, to save money on housing, so i'm hoping someone here has attended the online classes and can tell me what to expect. i know AAU requires a lot of work and online classes give you endless time to procrastinate and not get anything done in the end, but i'm willing to give it a chance, i just want to hear student's experiences on these before i do anything else.
thanks in advance.
oh, and my major to be is 2-d animation.

[Path Of Flowers]

I posted the following in the online classes thread:

I've been lurking for the last couple months and this is my first post.

In answer to your question about AAU online, I'm currently in my second term with them online. To be honest I didn't have high expectations going in, and I probably had the same reservations about an online art education as you do now.

I was surprised to discover the online program is pretty complex. Each class has a web page. each web page contains a syllabus and an asynchronous discussion board like the one were' on now.

The syllabus is broken down Modules for each week that contains the weeks lessons and reference links and materials. This format is great, because most of the time you don't have to take notes. You can just go back to the module.

The discussion board, again is like this one. You post your assignments, as well as discussion topics there. You can also exchange posts with your class mates and intsructor in both a Student and Instructor lounge.

The final structural element to the class, are the multimedia discs they send you prior to the class start date. They typically contain streaming video files, that would be too much of a hassle to download. For example, in my "Analysis of Form" class last year, the discs contained realplayer and quicktime videos, of the instructor performing projects which illustrated the priciples of light and shadow. Or in my current "Figure Drawing" class, the discs contained videos of my instructors illustrating the principles of gesture and form. Because were not in a studio setting., you can't really draw from life. No model... To compensate, the disc has a a rotating, 360, quicktime, male and female nude model. I've found it adequate so far in both comprehension and articualtion of the lessons. I'm learning. Another example would be my "History of Animation" Course. The discs contain all the animation studies/cartoons were going over this term. I wish I didn't have to take that class, but its been very informative. Its a history class after all.

Again, I think the AAU Online Program is pretty complex. The most important thing is that you learn. That said there are some drawbacks. The most obvious is that your not in the studio. You don't get the same attention from your instructors and fellow student as you would on campus. There's less of an immersion factor. The program attempts to compensate with a public discussion board format, but its not the same.

It all comes down to how motivated and interested you and your classmates are in the subject. Luckily, I've had some pretty cool classmates and instructors who, like this website keep me inspired. You get what you put into it.

Another drawback has to do with relationships. You can't network like you could on campus. I'm going for BFA in Computer Animation and Visual Effects, so at some point I'm going to start looking for internships. Also, like any industry, the more people you know, the more links to potential jobs you have. Its one of many reasons I'm not performing the entire BFA program online. I'm taking summer classes on campus this year, and I plan on finishing my final 2 years on campus too. My student advisor thinks this is the best strategy.


Someone posted that the cost per credit is $300. I'm paying $550 per credit hour without financial aid. I dont think they distinguish state residence online. $550 per credit hour for everyone. It's cost prohibitive, but if you can afford it knock yourself out. Again I think the program is awesome, but just like any academic endeavor you need the right attitude. You get what you put in.

Anyhow, I hope this helps. I'll post again if I think of anything else.

[adelofsilvermoons]

Thanks.
i've been thinking about taking my summer terms on campus too (since housing is less expensive then) and then finishing off my degree there.
glad i'm not the only one.