Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399888
48 cgw j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 1 transition to online was a smooth one for the instructors and the students. "Our campus students had minimal adjustment, and the course continued to run exactly the same as the campus moved into the online environ- ment," he says. "The instructors maintained the same number of lectures and labs as they would on campus, and included increased connection opportunities with Discord [a VoIP instant messaging and digital distribu- tion platform]." One area where Full Sail did have to de- fine a new methodology was for the Motion Capture course, which it was able to do us- ing Radical soware that allows for real-time 3D human virtualization. "By embracing and implementing new technologies, we were able to keep our students moving forward, in addition to giving them access to explore and create utilizing relevant industry tools," Bandstra contends. Throughout the pandemic, Full Sail has taken a number of precautions to help keep its university community stay safe. As a result of those actions, the university began welcoming some students back to campus in July 2020, and more students have returned to campus in the time since. Currently, it is preparing for a fully open campus in August. While Full Sail hasn't made any changes to the curriculum due of the pandemic, there have been changes to the curriculum as a result of industry changes. For example, the addition of Epic's Unreal Engine to the film industry created an opportunity to put the tool in the student's hands. "In looking at the current industry, there have been some variations that will impact the educational structure – for instance, we have seen more interviews move to an online (Zoom) system, and developing students' expectations of actively engag- ing and participating in this environment is important," Bandstra says, as the school continues to examine growing trends that will be important to its students. Keeping Healthy and Continuing to Work Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) operates on a cal- endar year, January through December, with two semesters commencing in March and July — different from most US schools. So last March, when Australia first implement- ed COVID-related restrictions, RSP had to quickly move its students to a new location to accommodate social distancing. During that it, it closed for a week, refurbished a former bike store adjacent to RSP, and moved desks into the space. Teaching assis- tants and the infrastructure team ensured that the new safety guidelines were met. In-person instruction resumed according to distancing protocols through October, when restrictions were eased. "Our students were amazing. They followed [safety] proto- cols at all times, and the work they produced at the end of the year was amazing," says Anna Hodge, manager, Training and Educa- tion at Rising Sun Pictures. "We wrapped up our coursework in October without further disruption. And, our graduates were very successful in finding employment – while remaining healthy, which was the most important result." As Hodge points out, following health guidelines and safety protocols remains especially important, then and now. In terms of curriculum, alterations due to the virus have been minimal at the school. Last October, RSP considered worst-case scenarios and response strategies, and de- veloped resources so that, in the event of a lockdown, students could work from home. They haven't had to use them, but were ready just in case. Last April, RSP temporarily moved evening courses it runs with the University of South Australia (UniSA) online. They have since returned to in-person classes, but this has raised new possibilities for the future. "We pride ourselves in teaching face-to-face and giving students a full industry experience, but it's good to have alternatives. It can lead to innovative practices. It could be as simple as providing a student, with a prolonged illness, a way to catch up and an alternative means of accessing learning materials for further reinforcement of skills," Hodge says. RSP's enrollments were not impacted in 2020, and its full-time day classes are at full capacity this year. In 2020, career expos were curtailed and large marketing events with mass crowds stopped or modified. Also, the school adopted alternative meth- ods to continue its outreach to schools. UniSA was also proactive, creating an online, free careers expo. During the peak of COVID, Hodge also conducted a lot of online pre- The entrance to Full Sail University's campus.