Part of what sets the New York Institute of Art and Design apart from other online schools is that our students complete hands-on projects throughout their program. All of these projects are then graded by real mentors who provide personalized, one-to-one feedback. We feel strongly that working with a real teacher provides great benefits to the education experience- having someone you can contact if you feel confused, receiving feedback from a real person, etc.
By providing this type of hands-on project work and personal mentorship to our students, we aim to supplement the self-paced experience offered by the online program in order to more strongly support all different learning styles in a comprehensive, state-of-the-art program.
How do the NYIAD interior design projects work?
We often receive questions from potential students who want more information about how their interior design projects will be completed, submitted, and graded.
We designed the process to be as user friendly and simple as possible, giving students the opportunity to get hands-on with their design work as well as receive feedback from professional mentors- all while still working at their own pace, from home.
Let’s look at the Unit 1 Design Project as an example.
After completing all six lessons of this unit, students will have watched videos, taken self-check quizzes, and completed reading assignments on topics ranging from color basics to beginner's room sketching. At the end of these six lessons comes the first project.
For this Unit 1 Design Project, our students submit three assignments that are meant to put the skills and information covered in all 6 lessons to the test.
For these assignments, students use a living room and client of their choice. Some students chose their own living room and a family member as the mock living room and client. Others ask a neighbor or friend to participate, and they use that person’s living room for this exercise instead.
Whether for yourself, a family member, or a friend, for your Unit 1 project you will be:
- Filling out a client lifestyle questionnaire
- Creating a room sketch
- Completing a room condition checklist
Each of these assignments comes with a detailed list of requirements that you will follow as you complete your work. For things like the lifestyle questionnaire or room condition checklist, you will see PDF documents in your course that you can download and print to make physical notes on or keep for future reference, but when you’re ready to submit your project to your NYIAD instructor, you will be able to click a link and complete the questionnaires and checklists in provided documents online, all inside your course.
For assignments like the living room sketches, you will be working with physical materials and drawing these projects by hand. Once you enroll in the program, you will receive a physical shipment in the mail that includes the items you’ll use for hands-on projects like these- things like graph paper, measuring tools, a watercolor kit, etc. When it comes time to submit hands-on projects like these, you will need to take a clear picture of your work (some students take several) and you will be directed to upload these photos in the project submission portal in your course.
Before diving into any project, you will be able to read thorough assignment overviews, objectives, requirements, grading criteria, and submission instructions carefully before moving forward and getting started. If at any time you feel unprepared or unsure about how to get started with one of your projects, you can call or email your mentor for help. Our interior design mentors are all based in New York City, and have office hours just like college professors or TA’s do- they are available by phone Monday through Friday from 9 am- 5 pm.
How do NYIAD students receive feedback on their projects?
There are two different ways our mentors will be providing you feedback on your work. For one, they will make written comments and notes on what you could improve on, what you did a great job at, where you could have gone into more detail, things you should be practicing more of, etc. These notes will be uploaded alongside your projects in the same portal where you submitted your work. It will take no longer than 14 days after you submit your project for you to see your mentor’s comments and reviews uploaded in the portal alongside your projects.
Second, and one of the feedback channels our students most often tell us they enjoy, is that your mentors will upload audio feedback. With this type of grading, while reviewing your work, your mentors will physically record themselves as they sit and look at your projects and provide feedback. These will be several-minutes long ‘voice notes’ that your mentor will upload alongside your project, that once shared with you, you can play as you listen to your design mentor talk and give oral feedback on your work.
If ever there is an assignment that you completed incorrectly and received a failing grade on, your mentor will clearly discern which things you need to improve on while providing information on how to properly complete the assignment, and you will be able to give the project additional attempts and resubmit until you receive a passing grade.
Sign up for an Interior Design course with NYIAD
If taking a course like this sounds like a great way for you to get creative while working from home and learning something new, now is a great time to sign up for an online interior design course with NYIAD.
Our online interior design course has no official start dates, class times or project due dates- meaning you make your entire schedule from home based on your personal preferences. Start something new and rewarding today. You can enroll and get started online or call 1-800-583-1742 to get started over the phone with one of our student services representatives.
