Faculty Focus: Andrew Shipka on Designing Online UX Courses
When it comes to studying user experience (UX) design online, there’s almost no greater source of knowledge than Andrew Shipka.
In 2007, Andrew was a graduate student and assistant for the Library and Information Science department, and after earning his Master of Science in UX Design from Kent State University on campus, he started working as an educational technologist and adjunct professor for Kent State, helping to build and teach UX design courses for the online master’s program.
Over the course of teaching in the program, Andrew noticed a shift in the student profile of those attending Kent State’s Master’s UX Design program. Although they envisioned more beginning UX professionals joining the program, “our major client and student in the program were people that were already in the field,” Andrew said. “They wanted some way to either brush up on their skills or to have some type of certification they could show to their workplace.”
For Andrew, the need for students to earn a Master’s in UX Design is more than clear. “UXD is going to be what marketing became for businesses. It’s just going to be one of those integral functions that you just wouldn’t go without doing anymore,” he explained.
“The reason why it’s important is that you are making your service or product more friendly to your user. You’re making it easier for your clients to get to your product or service, and more that they want to get to it,” Andrew continued. “There should be no hangups at all when trying to buy your particular widget, and we try to design our courses that way too.”
Hear more from adjunct UX professor and educational technologist Andrew Shipka in our video below.
