At the beginning of this semester, UTSA became the first four-year public university in Texas designated as an Adobe Creative Campus. The Adobe Creative Campus program aims to promote digital literacy in higher education.

“As the first four-year public university in Texas to be designated an Adobe Creative Campus, it shows our students that we are investing in their future to assure they have the proper tools to be successful in the classroom as they prepare to tackle the world’s grand challenges,” Melissa Vito, UTSA interim vice provost for academic innovation, said. “Understanding digital literacy also gives students an additional skill that we know employers seek. It also puts UTSA in the national spotlight and supports our efforts to transform education.”

As an Adobe Creative Campus, UTSA students, faculty and staff have access to all Adobe Creative Cloud applications, such as Behance, Premiere Rush, Photoshop and Portfolio. Students can use the applications, which can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices, in and out of the classroom setting.

“Students are able to create robust digital portfolios to support both their classroom and career-related activities, regardless of their area of study,” Vito said. “With greater usage in the classroom and in individual courses, students have the opportunity to use a variety of different tools, becoming proficient in digital literacy.”

The cost of this service is included in tuition and fees, so students, faculty and staff can go to the Office of Information Technology (OIT) website and access the software without additional costs. On the website, students can click on the “Student Services” tab, and faculty and staff can click on the “Faculty and Staff Services” tab to access Adobe Creative Cloud.

Jordan Delgado, a senior cyber security major in the College of Business, has used the Photoshop application that is included in the Adobe Creative Cloud.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to use these applications and learn how to use them for free,” Delgado said. “I recently used Photoshop for BestFest, and everyone loved it. I think it’s a great chance for students to work with these applications and bring them into their careers in the future.”

While the OIT office has been renamed University Technology Solutions, the website is still the OIT website as the office undergoes name and operating model changes.

In addition to providing access to Adobe Creative Cloud applications, the designation as an Adobe Creative Campus also entails training and education on application use.

“Adobe Creative Campus will host events at UTSA several times a year, providing training and education, so the entire UTSA community can benefit from these valuable tools,” Vito said. “We will be planning more events during the spring semester to help familiarize students with the benefits of using Adobe Creative Cloud.”

According to Vito, the Office of Digital Learning is in the process of hiring a staff member whose main responsibility will be to educate students on using Adobe Creative Cloud.

For more information on accessing the Adobe Creative Cloud, visit the OIT website, utsa.edu/oit.