Schedule your onsite visit NOW!

NJCTE Graphic Design Community is offering onsite visits to all CTE members and participants at the 2015 Summer Institute. This service, in addition to the support offered on this site, allows us to visit your institution to observe your teaching environment, your resources, your technology and help implement the graphic design projects in a way we can. Use the contact form on this site to schedule a visit.

Graphic Design Summer Curriculum Institute – 2015

The NJDOE’s Graphic Design Summer Curriculum Institute took place June 29 through July 2nd, 2015, at the campus of Union County Vocational Technical School in Scotch Plains, NJ. The Institute was attended by Graphic Design instructors and administrators from county vocational schools and high schools throughout New Jersey.

The four-day summer institute introduced the new three-year Graphic Design Program of Study Curriculum (curriculum), which was been piloted over the past two years by several high schools and county vocational schools. The curriculum was developed as part of the multi-year Career and Technical Education Partnership (CTEP) grant program awarded to Raritan Valley Community College in 2009. The goal of the CTEP grant program was to develop rigorous career and technical education program of study curricula that can be adopted by interested school districts to establish their own CTE programs of study.

The summer institute provided participants with an overview of the curriculum and projects, with hands-on activities, to prepare district to implement the curriculum.  The institute was facilitated by Warren County Community College Associate Professor of Graphic Design, Richard Homa, who wrote the original Graphic Design Program of Study Curriculum and projects as part of the CTEP grant program, and Sterling High School Graphic Design teacher Heather Trautz, who helped develop and pilot the projects.  Professor Homa also serves as the chair of the Graphic Design Advisory Committee to the NJDOE, Office of Career Readiness, and Ms. Trautz also serves as a member of the committee.

The summer institute also featured guest presenter Robin Landa, author of over 30 Graphic Design books and a distinguished professor at Kean University, who spoke about motivating students to think out of box when it comes to creative advertising.  Her inspiring presentation was enthusiastically received by the institute participants.  Additional highlights included a well-received (impromptu) presentation by Ariel Rudin of Westwood Regional School District on critiquing techniques for reviewing student graphic design work in an atmosphere that provides support, objectivity and suggestions  for ongoing revision and improvement.

To be added to the NJDOE’s CTE Graphic Design mailing list for future events, please use the contact form on this site.