ProfessionalPractice

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ProfPrac 3914-001: Proposals & Positions

Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects School of the Art Institute of Chicago

3 Credits

Thursday
3:30 PM–6:15 PM
Jan 29 to May 14, 2026
Sullivan Center 1226

Faculty

Tobey Albright
(309) 261-0935
talbright@saic.edu

Course Description

In the Professional Practice Experience, you will engage in a wide variety of professional practice activities to help prepare you for life after SAIC. In this course, each student will focus on advancing the design (layout, graphics, narratives, flow) of their portfolio so that it best conveys their individual design skills, experience, and interests. Students will produce materials appropriate for the delivery of their work across multiple formats (print, digital, web, etc), will learn how to edit/ arrange their materials to suit the specific context of application, and will create consistent design elements that can be shared across the full range of professional materials from portfolio, website, business cards, and other promotional materials. The course emphasizes hands-on, real-world professional activities and opportunities for emerging artists, designers, and scholars.

More information about Professional Practice and the Academic Spine curriculum can be found on the SAIC website: https://www.saic.edu/academic-spine

Course Learning Goals

• Implement a well-planned creative project, applying professional skills relevant to their artistic, creative, and/or scholarly practice.
• Present a professional body of work in an online context, demonstrating a critical awareness of audience and selection of work.
• Create connections and linkages with relevant practitioners, organizations, and institutions in students’ field(s) of interest, with an attention to identifying key figures as well as situating their own work within these fields.
• Demonstrate the ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively with regard to creative and/or scholarly practice.

Additional Learning Objectives

By the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate different methods for documenting and communicating design ideas and achievements to different audiences.
• Demonstrate knowledge of both digital and print portfolio strategies towards the design of self-promotional materials.
• Show strength in engaging social media as a creative tool.
• Demonstrate the use of voice, gesture, and supporting materials in a variety of one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many settings, such as critiques, interviews, presentations, and meetings.
• Demonstrate structure and organize a body of work or project.
• Demonstrate the framing/positioning of one’s body of work towards the profession of product design, as well as potentially other fields of related practice such as fashion, engineering, business, communication design, and/or interdisciplinary areas.

Course Materials & Expenses

You will need a laptop equipped with Adobe Creative Suite. In addition, you will all be expected to create a website using Squarespace, Cargo, or Wix. Squarespace is approximately $91 for the first year (using their student discount), Cargo is free (using their student program while attending SAIC), and Wix offers a few free templates.

Course Website

https://professionalpractice.info As a way to expand course content and resources and archive images and references a course website has been established.

Mentoring

Mentoring hours are held for one hour either before or after class to engage each student in a minimum of three small-group or individual meetings to discuss portfolio development, professional interests, and student projects. Please be sure to schedule your first round of mentoring meetings early in the term.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance and active participation are crucial to this class. Students are expected to attend every class prepared, on time, and ready to work. More than two absences will have a severe impact on a student’s progress and grade. Three unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. Please notify us in advance of an absence to make arrangements to complete missed work.

Major Assignments

Over the course of the semester, there are several key assignments which are listed below.

• Final Written Collateral Based on feedback, finalize all written collateral including your resume, Cover Letter, and your Designer Statement. Upload each as a separate PDF, following the label format Lastname_Firstname_DocumentType_Date.pdf.
• Photo Sequence Applying the tips and techniques learned in our photography workshop, document a work or work-in-progress that you intend to include in your portfolio. Your photo sequence should communicate key information about the work or work-in-progress and a minimum of (3) photos are expected. Please upload photos as individual jpegs via the class site form, following the label format Lastname_Firstname_WorkTitle_Date.jpg.
• PDF Portfolio Based on our class discussion, create a mini-PDF portfolio that is between 5- 7 pages. You should include (3) projects and your file should be under 5mb. Please upload via the class site form following the label format Lastname_Firstname_MiniPDF_Date.pdf.
• Business/Info card Using InDesign, create a business/info card that includes your name and relevant contact info. Upload a PDF of your business/info card via the class site form following the label format, Lastname_Firstname_InfoCard_Date.pdf
• Website Using Squarespace, Cargo, or Wix, create and publish a website that includes:
  • A minimum of (3) projects with comprehensive documentation
  • Project descriptions for each project
  • Tombstone information for each project
  • Designer statement
  • Contact information

Career and Professional Experience (CAPX)

CapX provides a range of resources and opportunities for SAIC students and alumni. Over the course of the semester, you are encouraged to meet with a representative from CapX for additional feedback. Importantly, CapX offers Drop-in Advising Mondays through Thursdays from 12:00-1:00 pm. You can also schedule an advising appointment with a staff member, faculty advisor or peer advisor to review materials.

Lakeview Building
116 South Michigan Avenue, 14th floor

Monday–Friday: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Phone: (312) 499-4130
Email: careers@saic.edu

Schedule

Week by week

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From the SAIC Student Handbook

“Academic misconduct includes both plagiarism and cheating, and may consist of: the submission of the work of another as one’s own; unauthorized assistance on a test or assignment; submission of the same work for more than one class without the knowledge and consent of all instructors; or the failure to properly cite texts or ideas from other sources. Academic misconduct extends to all spaces on campus, including satellite locations and online education.

Academic integrity is expected in all coursework, including online learning. It is assumed that the person receiving the credit for the course is the person completing the work. SAIC has processes in place that protect student privacy and uses LDAP authentication to verify student identity.”

Specific procedures for faculty to follow in the case of academic misconduct are detailed in the Student Handbook.

Additional resources for students

– Read “Plagiarism: How to Recognize It and Avoid It: a short guide prepared by the Faculty Senate Student Life Subcommittee in 2004.” – Read the Flaxman Library’s quick guide titled “AVOID PLAGIARISM.”

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

SAIC is committed to full compliance with all laws regarding equal opportunities for students with disabilities. Students with known or suspected disabilities, such as a Reading/Writing Disorder, ADD/ADHD, and/or a mental health condition who think they would benefit from assistance or accommodations should first contact the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) to schedule an appointment. DLRC staff will review your disability documentation and work with you to determine reasonable accommodations. They will then provide you with a letter outlining the approved accommodations for you to deliver to your instructors. This letter must be presented before any accommodations will be implemented. You should contact the DLRC as early in the semester as possible. The DLRC is located within the Wellness Center on the 13th floor of 116 S Michigan Ave. and can be reached via phone at 312.499.4278 or email at dlrc@saic.edu.

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Writing Center Information Resource Material

Location

Lakeview Building, 116 S. Michigan Ave., 10th Floor writingcenter@saic.ādu 312.499.4138 http://www.saic.edu/academics/academicresources/writingcenter/

Appointments

Schedule in advance: https://www.supersaas.com/schedule/saic/WritingCenter Short-notice: Call 312.499.4138 to see if there are any openings

Hours

Monday–Thursday: 9:00 a.m.–7:15 p.m. Friday: 9:00 a.m.–5:15 p.m. Walk-in hours: Monday–Thursday: 4:15–7:15 p.m.

Digital Devices in class (Laptops, Phones, Tablets, etc.)

The student use of various digital devices in class such as laptops, phones, tablets, etc. should be limited only to appropriate use given the lecture and discussion format of the class. Use of digital devices in class to do non-class related work will not be allowed or tolerated. Similarly, use of digital devices in class during screenings will not be allowed or tolerated.

If a student has a software or hardware related problem please visit the CRIT Helpdesk on the 9th floor of the MacLean Center, 112 South Michigan Avenue, for assistance addressing these issues.