Robert Gordon

robert.gordon@mtsu.edu

Robert Gordon

Media Arts

Smart Classroom

COE 247

N/A

N/A

The Media Arts Animation program is #1 in the state and #8 in the region, with a growing enrollment. It has expanded from one lab classroom to three, available to students 24/7. The program has applied for membership in the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) accreditation agency, which has strict requirements programs are expected to maintain. We are asking for 17 Wacom Cintiq Pro tablets and Flex Arms for COE 247, in order to make all three labs equally outfitted. Currently only two labs have this technology. These tablets are the standard equipment used by the animation industry worldwide. Students would get to work on the equipment they would use after graduation. The tablets would also be beneficial for non-Animation students and classes as well. Other non-Media Arts classrooms in COE already have Cintiqs on arms attached to the teacher stations, so these would be beneficial for the faculty and to many other MTSU majors and students using COE 247. We also have an in-house animation agency, MT-IMAGINE, with paying clients, and this student group needs access to this powerful and current technology. Most recently MT-IMAGINE, https://mtimagine.mtsu.edu/), showcased a film which involved over 100 students. https://mtsunews.com/premiere-of-animated-film-all-one/ These workstations would be used by over 220 students for MT-IMAGINE and 16 animation and Motion Design courses, each offering 2 – 5 sections. We have a successful and productive program which needs the technology and facilities in order to maintain increasing enrollment and high retention and graduation growth.