By KIMBERLY ROSS
Over the past 30 years, Tarpon Springs Professor Maria Osterhoudt has been in the web design business. During that time, she has worked with companies such as AT&T, Tech Data, ADT and Marriott. For 10 of those years, she has taught the Web Design A.S Degree and the Web Designer at St. Petersburg College.
Describing the purpose of the Web Site Design & Management A.S. Degree Program, Osterhoudt said it is “designed to prepare students to succeed in public service careers as web design is one the greatest technology fields and I believe it is here to stay; it is the wave of the future.”
Since Osterhoudt’s start in the industry as a Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) and design instructor, her focus has been to upgrade SPC’s web design courses by incorporating elements that meet industry standards.
The Web Designer Certificate is a focused course of study that can be completed in one year. The Web Site Design & Management degree includes general education requirements and it can be transferred to a four-year college or university.
Osterhoudt feels that SPC’s Web Design programs are unique since instructors strive to stay “ahead of the pack” and are able to keep abreast with industry standards.
“Our instructors don’t take a passive approach but are leaders,” Osterhoudt said. They look at what skill sets employers are seeking and tailor their instruction to equip students with those skill sets.
Experience is not necessary. Students need to have a desire to learn. Even those who have experience need to be “open-minded since the web world is much broader than the design field,” Osterhoudt said.
They must also be good listeners since it is essential to get the content. Ingenuity is a vital quality.
Osterhoudt especially appreciates the fact that her students are “computer literate since it makes it easier for them to move through the program.”
Also a plus is that they are interested in what they are learning and at the same time are following their passion. Osterhoudt said the passion her students have for this field of study is so great that students sometimes linger after class because they enjoy what they are learning.
She emphasized that students should strive to be different.
“Students should be creative like artists with a blank canvas,” Osterhoudt said.
They should learn to manage their time well and get focused on what is required for the course before designing their web site.
Though there are no mandatory entrance or exit exams, there is an End of Program (EOP) assessment which requires students to write proposals and create “complex, sophisticated web sites.”
“I lean toward examples and labs that teach concepts,” she said. “I want students to show me what they can do instead of just answering multiple choice questions on an exam.”
“The industry is changing and we should too,” she said.
In lieu of this, all instructors belonging to the College of Computer & Information Technology (CCIT) Department periodically attend training conferences to update themselves about what is happening in the industry. In a personal effort to do this, Osterhoudt is currently finishing up her Adobe Certification.