I worked closely with multiple-Emmy-award winning musician and film composer Chris Boardman to help develop the new undergraduate course. In addition to course structure and objectives designed prior to the semesters, I also created detailed notes and guidelines for each class lecture and assignment, assembling lesson plans and gathering content to be discussed during classes, such as videos, audio files, scores, and articles. In class, I made sure to balance lectures and discussion with live, hands-on demonstration of technical principles, music production tools, and composition techniques. To bolster student interest, I made sure to demonstrate the creative suggestions and techniques being discussed by experimenting with them on student works.
Student assignments were distributed via Google Forms. Students submitted their completed assignments and project files for grading via designated Google Drive folders. Through this system, students could receive feedback on their work rapidly, and I could review student submissions from any location with an internet connection.
Students received detailed instructions (and, in some cases, tutorial videos) for assignments. My goal was to utilize constant communication to ensure students understood very well what project goals and guidelines, grading rubrics, and overall course expectations were, so that there was as little confusion as possible as to what they needed to do, how they needed to submit their work, and when they needed to it. I provided them with detailed personalized feedback on assignments and project files. The course was designed to allow students to continuously refine their work throughout the semester — I found that my feedback and suggestions helped many students achieve a remarkable level of growth in just a few months.
Students were regularly updated about their progress in the course, current grade (as soon as an assignment or project was graded), and any corrections or revisions that were necessary. I made sure to reach out early and often to students who seemed to be falling behind on assignments or attendance to see what the issue was and if there was some way I could help them overcome it.
