Teaching Portfolio

Communication design is a collaborative process where designers are often bound to the will of their clients and the goals and deadlines set forth by a particular assignment. In all the classes I teach, I aim to help students understand what it means to be a practicing designer. Over the course of the semester, students’ development, understanding, and appreciation of their own creative process from concept development to technical implementation are the central objective.

Communication design is a discipline that requires a great amount of innovation for professional success. And yet the creative process is just that: a process unique to each individual and greatly affected by preparations for the task at hand. Properly setting the stage can yield productive and inspiring environments, necessary for creative talents to excel. My primary goal is to foster creativity among my students and help them learn to channel that creativity into their work. As an educator, I feel a responsibility to help my students become independent thinkers and gain confidence in their abilities.

In the classroom, I strive to create a safe and supportive learning environment because I feel this opens up a person’s ability to learn, explore, and create. I conceive class assignments to encourage students to explore the design process in a structured and mentored environment that also adheres to the realities of professional client-based work, which include deadlines, revisions, meetings, presentations, and also frustrating restrictions.

In-class discussion and review of COMD 3601 Information Design sketch work.

In my experience—from my student days to my professional career—learning and growth happen among peers. Therefore, I encourage student collaboration throughout the semester. As I have continued to reassess ways to engage students in a creative environment where each student is well motivated to participate and learn, I have found success in collectively reviewing student work during the early research phases of their assignments. And then later again, during class discussions and critiques, students will partner in smaller groups that often include peer evaluation and self-reflection assignments. These more intimate collaborations help to ‘break the ice’ especially for learners who may not feel comfortable vocalizing their opinions openly.

The design process is a sequence of stages, structured to help come up with effective solutions to problem-solving. The five stages I’ve outlined below have become the model for how my students take their communication design assignments from initial conception to completion and are the basis for my teaching methodology. The model encourages students to fully understand a problem, ask questions, receive feedback, conduct research, brainstorm solutions, and ask more questions before attempting to come up with their final work.

In communication design, no formula leads to the final result. There are any number of ways to resolve a design problem. The goal is to find a solution that makes sense for the problem at hand, and to be able to articulate why that solution makes the most sense. Researching each project effectively, understanding it, advancing by trial and error, often with considerable input from others to its successful completion, is a lifelong pursuit in the field of communication design and one that I know will serve my students throughout their careers.

Stage 1. Establish Goals and Responsibilities

At City Tech, I have observed many of my students balance full-time obligations outside of school, often related to family and part-time jobs. By outlining goals and deadlines from the first day of the semester, students are better equipped to manage their precious time effectively. Details about assignments, including delivery expectations, production schedules, roles, and responsibilities, enable students to have a clear perspective and solid understanding of what they are attempting to accomplish. Accordingly, my students are better able to stay focused on their long-term goals while tackling the numerous steps involved over the course of several weeks. This also encourages a sense of ownership and accountability in the work they produce.

Stage 2. Research

Learning is driven by curiosity. As a teacher, it can be difficult and at times frustrating not to find the perfect ingredient to inspire and motivate a student into action. In my own practice, my best work happens when it relates to a subject I understand well. During the research phase of an assignment, through a series of exercises, I attempt to give students the flexibility to explore and discover in the hopes that they are driven to know more.

Researching an assignment entails learning as much as possible about the task at hand. Knowledge of different perspectives and contexts, including historical, cultural, ethical, socio-economic, and environmental, etc., can be very helpful in creating relevant and appropriate design solutions. This is also an excellent opportunity for student collaboration. By working in teams, the stress of feeling overwhelmed by the subject matter can be alleviated. Additionally, there is the potential that one student’s discovery may spark a deeper level of interest in a collaborator.

Stage 3. Concept Development

Experimentation and uninhibited ‘play’ can yield surprising and welcome results. For designers, the temptation to plunge straight into finalized work without much preliminary planning can be irresistible. However, a brilliant vision can fizzle into disappointment upon attempting to realize it. To avoid missteps at completion, sketching and experimentation are essential at the start.

Having defined the goals for a particular project, spent a good deal of time learning as much as possible about the subject and exploring different points of view, students work on a series of exercises designed to brainstorm ideas and organize information visually. Students receive feedback from their peers as they are asked to share their ideas with the class through informal presentations and discussions. At this stage, students begin to gather and write content and establish a clear direction for how they will proceed.

Stage 4. Technical Implementation

Designers need to be able to abstract information, understand it, and figure out the most practical way to present it. The fundamental principles of design and communication remain constant, though the technologies used to create, deliver, and receive it are in a continuous state of flux. Within the field of communication design, there is a great amount of technical ‘know-how’ required of designers. New and evolving technology is a fact of our lives, and designers need to understand it and stay on top of it.

In all classes I teach, new technology is a central theme. Software acquisition is part of what students need to learn to complete their final work. I try to instill in my students the ability to navigate technology with an open mind and with patience. Technology is like language; once you have learned one, learning another is not as difficult because you understand the underlying principles. Everyone learns differently, and by pairing students with partners who learn at different paces, I have found success in bringing everyone up to speed collectively, especially during in-class presentations. I provide students with supplemental resources in order for them to practice and also learn independently.

Stage 5. Design & Implementation

The visual aspect of communication design is the most persuasive, and one might argue the most compelling. After having worked so diligently at developing an idea and articulating a concept, seeing a project through to its final stages of completion is both a thrilling and an arduous process. The importance of instilling in students a sense of commitment to their final work cannot be overstated, and is something I have learned must be cultivated.

Once a design concept has been approved in earlier, preliminary stages, students begin the process of realizing their ideas. Students often develop several iterations of mockups and prototypes as they present their in-progress work and are asked to revise according to the feedback they receive. At this point in the semester, students are more familiar with relevant terminology covered in earlier parts of the course, and self-reflection and peer assessment assignments help to stimulate productive in-class critiques.

All courses I have taught in the Communication Design Department are archived on the OpenLab, including syllabi and assignments, and are viewable to City Tech OpenLab members. (*Except COMD 4830 Senior Project, which is hosted by the department on a different site dedicated to all sections of the course).  

FALL 2022

In this Section:

1. Example Course
2. Sample Syllabus and Assignments
3. Samples of Student Final Projects
4. Evaluations: Student and Peers
5. Student Comments

a. Example Course: COMD3601 Information Design 

Description Theory and practice of designing with information. Topics include graphs, charts, pie charts, and diagrams. Through advanced assignments related to information graphics, exhibition design, and wayfinding systems, students will synthesize and design complex data sets. Preparation of final work using current design software applications.

c. Samples of Student Final Projects

The work below showcases two final projects from COMD3601 Information Design (Project 2 & 3 Overview‘). For both projects, students chose and researched their own topic. They can choose to work on the same research topic for Project 2 & 3, or select two different topics. 

Purpose

• Explore various methodologies for displaying information.
• Develop strategies for designing effective visual communication.
• Imagine new forms of organizing information.
• Create more coherent, audience-centered communication.

Visual Diagram Students were asked to select an object or item and explain its use or existence visually; this could include its appearance, structure, or how something complex works. Final solutions included diagrams, tutorials, or how-tos and had to detail:

1. What the object is made up of
2. How it behaves/functions
3. And any additional information that might be relevant to a deeper understanding of it.

Informational Flow Students were asked to represent factual information sequentially (not necessarily linearly) and had to design within the context of one of the following:
1. Flowchart 
2. Timeline
3. Geographic

d. Evaluations

e. Anonymous Student Comments

Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) forms

One of the many reasons I love teaching is that I am constantly being challenged to grow. I learn from my students. I learn from preparing and updating course material. I learn from my peers and colleagues. And I learn from my own professional practice. The field of communication design never remains stagnant; new technology is constantly being introduced, and current, relevant design continues to inspire and break new ground.

Living in New York City, the epicenter of design, there is much to take advantage of. I am part of several major design associations, and make a point of regularly attending design seminars, conferences, and lectures. I continue to reassess how best to present content to students and ensure that I am challenging them to grow.

Building relationships that connect our talented student body with the vibrant city that surrounds us is ongoing. Broad exposure to all aspects of the field can put students more securely on a path to advancement and success within the field. I firmly believe introducing students to industry early on provides a more solid perspective for navigating a successful career.

One of my immediate goals is to grow opportunities for current COMD students to meet alumni. Alumni are valuable not only for the connection they carry to the department but also for the network and career know-how they bring to current students, along with their lived experience. In a field so dependent on technology, no one is more attuned to its demands than recent graduates gaining professional experience in the field. At the same time, supporting these graduates and building a strong alliance with them is also an indirect investment in the COMD Department. As these professionals succeed and grow in seniority, they become more likely to turn to our department when they have employment opportunities to offer.

This fall (2026), thanks to the Emerging Scholars Program, I am working with a student from COMD to showcase final work in the Pearl created by recent graduates. The curated exhibit aims to feature the range and variety of excellent work that has taken place in the department and is meant to inspire those walking through our hallways.

I have submitted an application for the CUNY AI Innovation Fund, administered through the Office of Academic Innovation, in collaboration with Professor Garrastegui, titled AI in Practice: A Pipeline from Alumni to Graduating COMD Seniors. The proposed seminar series is a prototype for how the COMD Department can foster connections between current students and alumni while establishing the department as a leader in AI literacy and ethics in design education. The seminar also provides insights related to AI for faculty and PDC representatives assisting COMD students with job readiness preparation, including portfolio development, interviewing strategies, and resume building.

Over time, cultivating relationships with industry enables the Communication Design Department to build stronger relationships leading to scholarships, internships, lectures, faculty, job opportunities, and ultimately stronger name recognition within the field. This strengthens our program, making it more desirable to applicants, students, and graduates, as well as their potential employers.