Last June2011, I first mentioned Arcadia University as they were preparing for the
first ever residency for their newly created low-residency MFA in
Creative Writing program. Now that a couple of residencies have passed and another
cohort is happily on their way to earning grad degrees, I caught up with Joshua
Isard, the Program Director of the M.F.A. in Creative
Writing at Arcadia University.
“We’ve just finished
our first residency with our second class, which is great,” Josh said. “More
interesting than that, however, is how we’re developing the pedagogy and
technology.”
Josh told me how Arcadia is vamping up
their online discussion boards and focusing on ways to make their student-faculty
communications super-accessible, regardless of how the student logs in and no
matter the device. That includes using the discussion boards for weekly
workshops.
“Our MFA program is totally accessible
on mobile devices,” Josh said. “We've switched from Blackboard to more
mobile-friendly discussion software, make use of Google Apps—which Arcadia
subscribes to, not just the program—for file sharing and collaboration, and
continue to use Skype for one-on-one faculty to student conferences.”
That’s great news for students who can
now complete their program on a desktop, laptop, iPad, or other mobile device. It comes down to is accessibility and finding ways to make the MFA life part of
the student’s everyday life. As Josh said, “Students really can take their
classroom anywhere now.”
Speaking of anywhere… Arcadia has a
really cool residency schedule for students who enjoy travel or wish to write
with a global perspective. Each cohort experiences three residencies, one of
which takes place abroad. That includes Edinburgh, Scotland, and other
locations like Umbria, Italy. The other residencies take place at the King of
Prussia campus, just outside of Philadelphia.
In addition to residencies, students take between six to nine
credits each term and work toward completing a full-length manuscript. Then,
with the assistance of mentoring faculty, students design a publication plan to
get that completed work out into the world.
Applications for admission in August
2013 are being accepted now, and the priority deadline is March 1. Review the admission requirements
before applying.
Residencies
for the class of 2015:
- Residency One:
Aug. 12-17, 2013 (in King of Prussia)
- Residency Two:
July 2014 (abroad in Italy or Scotland)
- Residency Three:
Jan. 12-17, 2015 (in King of Prussia)
