Sessions College Debuts Revamped
Online Graduation Experience

TIn recent years, many online schools and colleges have used online commencement ceremonies to bring a sense of conclusion and celebration to the end of the school year. Some colleges have experimented with slideshows of student names and headshots while others have attempted real-time online events. Some larger online schools even invite their students to attend a large event at a physical location.

But recently, Sessions College for Professional Design launched their innovative first commencement ceremony. The ceremony, which is open to the public, is an asynchronous event created with today's leading Web technologies including HTML5. More than 200 degree and certificate students will be honored and samples of their design work will be featured.

"The design of the commencement is to provide the engaging and interactive feel of a live event, but on the viewer's own time,” said Sessions College President Mr. Gordon Drummond.

As with much of what Sessions College does, this commencement further deviates from what is traditionally expected by focusing on what the graduates have accomplished by means of showcasing their work.

“It is our goal to personify who our students are and what they are now able to do as a result of the work at Sessions College," Drummond said. "We're going to do this by showcasing a wide range of student design work and associate that work with a student profile and quotation."

Another innovative point is the creative use of video, used to deliver the opening ceremony and somewhat unorthodox commencement address by Steve Cullen, currently the creative and design director at Creature, a multi-disciplinary advertising and design firm.

“People are used to seeing commencement presenters in cap and gown, standing at a podium.” said Mr. Drummond. “Our guest speaker and presenters won’t be standing still; they’ll be mobile and active, using video editing techniques to emphasize their points. The content is serious but the delivery and style are creative, just like our students.”

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