We sat down with Pre-MDM faculty Jason Elliott and Dr. Aida Elisabeta Osian to talk about what makes Pre-MDM different, how students can use it as a direct pathway to the Master of Digital Media, and all the ways students will benefit from this program.
What is Pre-MDM? Who is it for?
PreMDM is a specialized program that prepares students for entering the Masters of Digital Media program, primarily focusing on improving their technical communication skills, but also through introducing students to experiential learning, teamwork, and creative ideation. This program is perfect for anybody who feels their professional working English communication could be improved before taking the Master of Digital Media.
What will students learn in the Pre-MDM?
While the program is English for Specialized Purposes (ESP) focused, students will also learn cross-cultural and cross-domain collaboration, how to work in teams, and creative ideation and problem solving. These are all vital skills that employers are looking for.
Experiential learning is an important part of this program. What does this look like, and what can students expect?
Experiential learning is core to everything we do here at Centre for Digital Media (CDM). We believe the best way to learn is by doing, so rather than long lectures, we have our students apply the lessons in a variety of activities. We often place students into teams or group-based projects and encourage them to discover how to solve problems based on the skills that team has. We focus on the iterative process, where students design, build, test and evaluate the results of the intended product, while highlighting the ethos of “fail faster”. After each iteration, we reflect on successes and areas for improvement. This approach helps students step out of their comfort zones, deconstruct problems, and create innovative solutions.
Pre-MDM is an English for Specialized Purposes (ESP) program. What does this mean, and what makes it different from an ESL course?
While English as a Second Language (ESL) caters to general linguistic needs, English for Specialized Purposes (ESP) takes the perspective of the “professional” in the field and is intensely vocabulary-focused, which in the Pre-MDM are digital media and technical professions.
Our MDM-centric curriculum, which is more tailored, involves an experiential approach to learning and using “employable" language in direct teamwork scenarios, pitching innovative technical ideas, and team and client communication in Agile-simulated linguistic environments. Pre-MDM students will also learn writing skills that prepare them for social media marketing.
What makes the Pre-MDM unique compared to other English Language programs like ESL schools?
The Pre-MDM is unique because we customize learning for each student, paving the way to the Master of Digital Media. We work in small mixed-level groups, design project-based activities that involve communicating with industry-specific terminology and offer immediate and actionable feedback and continuous assessment. Our students learn to pitch, work in cross-functional teams, write and co-write technical documentation and blog entries, communicate with industry clients and guest speakers, and develop critical thinking and cultural awareness through regular field trips and engaging in local communities.
What is the classroom environment like?
Classes are student-centric, with short lectures followed by individual, pair work, and team-based activities. The students practice the terminology in authentic contexts, followed by direct application in project work and pitching in front of an audience. We are a tight teaching community at CDM; faculty and staff directly contribute to our students’ success. They are involved in their development; they watch them grow and get ready for the MDM.
