Developmental Focus: Transition to the culture of college level study and living.

Students concentrate on expanding fundamental studio and academic skills while assessing personal abilities and self-realization.

• Students learn self-management by working to maintain a balanced schedule that incorporates coursework, lectures & artists' presentations, social & extra curricular activities. Techniques to manage stress are presented and encouraged.

• Students are given assignments requiring collaboration and teamwork as a way to develop cooperative skills needed in many disciplines. This also encourages students to make connections between course work/studio work and ways of thinking.

• Students are exposed to and develop descriptive, interpretative and analytical communication skills in both academic and studio classes through speaking in public and delivering presentations and critiquing work.

• Reading, writing and study skills are emphasized through assignments aimed at stressing critical thinking, research and analytical reasoning, interpretation, and problem solving.

• Students develop recognition of the need for information, and the knowledge of haw and where to find it. This includes how to research, organize, analyze and synthesize information and how to use and communicate it.

• Students gain and demonstrate basic digital skills; cultural and conceptual concerns related to technology are explored; abilities needed to keep up with the changing nature of technology are learned.

• Students learn to document their work digitally.

• Students develop self-knowledge and the ability to achieve results progressively during the year