Email: kim.grable@wcui.edu
Text: 817-239-0360 (please leave name/class section)
WELCOME:
Hi Everyone, and welcome to Fundamentals of Web Design. I am Kim Grable, and I have the privilege to be your instructor this term!
I have been teaching in the Graphic and Web Design discipline for more years than I like to admit (actually, almost 25), and have taught everything from Video Animation and 3D Design to Typography, to Design History, to Publications, and just in the last few years I've taught HTML5, CSS, Javascript, and Bootstrap.
My background includes a BFA in Communication Design from the University of Texas, and an MFA in Digital Media and Design from Goddard College, with post-grad work in Illustration/Medical Illustration at Lesley and at Syracuse University.
I began my career as a magazine illustrator for Texas Monthly, which led me to everything from illustrating planes and helicopters for the Department of Defense, to ad agency work, to creating my own design firm, and ultimately, teaching.
I have had the opportunity to work with great clients such as Home Depot, Salvation Army, (https://player.vimeo.com/video/100144553?api=1&player_id=870), RAM Trucks, and Fiat/Chrysler, which allowed me to be a part of the creation of three Super Bowl ads (remember the Fiat ad and the little blue pill?) (https://player.vimeo.com/video/116767521?api=1&player_id=4839) and garner a number of Telly awards for our efforts.
I've been a Graphic Design professor with the University of North Texas for 12 years, a dean and design professor at Devry University, and an adjunct at Dallas County College, California Baptist University, and Rasmussen University. Currently, I'm an adjunct professor here and at SNHU.
When I'm not teaching, I spend time with my family. I'm also writing a book, and I'm the "chief caretaker" to a motley crew of five rescue animals, ranging from a blind, three-legged Jack Russell Terrier to a 25-lb munchkin cat with 4-inch long legs (a tabby-striped "meatloaf"). We live north of Dallas, right next to a lake, and have seasonal visitors, from badgers to deer to all kinds of wild birds, raccoons (and, of course, armadillos!). So that's more than enough about me! (below, the "meatloaf" Pyewacket)
Pyewacket
My Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is a “performative” art. Teachers are not performers in the traditional sense of the word; our work is not meant to be spectacle.
The work of a teacher is meant to serve as a catalyst that highlights a great diversity of learning styles and student experiences.
It is crucial for educators to cultivate learning partnerships with their students. Teaching is not about instructing or imparting information to students as if their minds were waiting to be filled with a collection of “stuff.”
Rather, teaching is empowering students to take responsibility for their own learning, inspiring courage to grow intellectually, cultivating curiosity, providing opportunities for developing relationships, clarifying values, and uplifting the spirit.
The greatest challenge for the educator of today is to help every student embrace the concept that education is lifelong and a rewarding way of life.
Thank you, and I am eager to work with you in this Fundamentals class this fall.
Kim Grable
