Ron Smith

Meet Ron Smith

Name: Ron Smith

Age: 49

Location: California

Children: 18-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter

Why online? "Distance learning allows me to get a top education form a great art school. The closest art school to me is 75 miles away."

School: SCAD Online

Target: M.A. in Illustration Design, 2008

Though most of us are either analytical or creative types, with a clear preference for either arts or science, you could say of Ron Smith that his entire professional life has been a journey in marrying the two.

Starting out in college after high school, Ron found himself caught between science and art fields, ending up with an A.S. in Biology.

But he didn't know until he met a man whose specialty was Biomedical Illustration that a niche had already been carved out for people like him.

He found inspiration in articles he read about Roger Tory Peterson, the illustrator of the first-ever bird watching book, and left Cyprus College to matriculate at CalState Long Beach's program in terrestrial zoology.

Following in Peterson's legendary footsteps, Ron specialized in ornithology for a year before reality sunk in. As a newly married man with children, he knew he had to get into something more solid than drawing birds.

As Ron says to this day without hesitation: "Family comes first."

So it was then that he began working for the LA County Sheriff's department, where his analytical and investigative skills were put to the test.

His paintbrush was not put down for long, however; on the side, Ron created medical illustrations for various doctors and magazines and won awards for bird painting. He also began his career in graphic design, which in the early era of computers was still in the "cut and paste" stage.

Then, with the advent of the Internet and the evolution of computer graphics, Ron found even more ways to use his talents.

Always an active member of his community, he started a website for his native Antelope Valley, a part of Northern Los Angeles set largely in the desert.

Unfortunately, after 16 years serving as a deputy for the county and doing graphic design and illustration on the side, Ron was injured while on duty.

Realizing that he might have to retire early for medical reasons, he found new motivation to finish his bachelor's degree, so that he could further his teaching career at the local college.

Though already an adjunct instructor, he knew that to achieve a higher rank in his teaching he would have to get his master's.

This was when he was confronted with a problem. Since art is visual rather than textual, it seemed nearly impossible to get a degree online in studio art or even design.

Living in Antelope Valley, the closest programs in studio art/design were about 75 miles away, a commute that Ron couldn't fit into his already busy life.

"I'm in the desert, so traffic going into L.A. is just a killer," he says. "You're talking two hours in, two hours out."

So Ron started his master's in education at CalState Bakersfield, which offered online courses. Some time into the program, however, he realized that the degree was geared toward K-12, which wasn't in line with his higher education goals.

While researching his switch of disciplines, he discovered the online offerings at Savannah College of Art and Design, which offered a degree in Illustration and Design. "Now this was right up my alley—a traditional medium, illustration, combined with cutting-edge graphic design instruction."

His enthusiasm for the school, which is ranked among the top art schools in the country, is palpable. "The instructors were fantastic, everything I've done there so far has increased my knowledge both as a designer and an instructor."

Another thing Ron likes about his program is that his diploma won't differentiate him as an eLearner rather than a traditional student.

At SCAD, many traditional students take online courses to supplement the courses they take on campus. "I am not in a so-called ‘online program,'" he clarifies. "I am an e-learner within a program."

As an e-learner, Ron watches via streaming video the same lectures delivered to his classmates physically in Savannah.

Ron photographs and emails his artwork, but because fine technique matters so much in painting, he also has to mail in originals.

Though Ron doesn't have the luxury of in-person critique, he doesn't feel at a loss, especially since his program is geared toward people who already have proficiency in art.

"I never had one instructor who didn't give me a phone number to contact him or her with any questions," he says. "Over all it was just dynamic and fun; I just had a blast."

His biggest gripe with online learning? The required postings, which he believes are misguidedly intended to replace class discussion.

"They try to make up for interaction between students, but someone has to realize you can't simulate open discussion in an online forum. It's a different medium, so there should be new standards."

He does the math: if there are as few as ten students in an online course and each has to post, and each has to post on each post, and each has to respond, the amount of time writing out what could take just a few minutes in colloquial speech does seem daunting.

Though all of his classes had different requirements, some of his professors found a suitable alternative to the problem. They would assign discussion groups of three or four to post back and forth, which Ron found to be less superficial and therefore more rewarding.

Because of the required postings, Ron asserts that online classes are just a little more work in terms of time.

But the tradeoff is the flexibility. "For instance, I don't have to move to Savannah," he points out.

Ron has two more classes in fall and one in winter before he receives his Master's in Illustration and Design. In the meantime, he is pursuing another of his passions: politics.

Running for city council, he found that high quality design can sell a candidate as well as a product. The time he put into designing everything for his campaign paid off, and he is now beginning a four-year term as City Councilman in L.A.

So what's his next step? "I'm going to Disneyland!" he laughs.

And it's true, for all his "different pokers in the fire," Ron has managed to keep his priorities straight: the family's going on vacation tomorrow.