How university students are bringing creativity to the classroom with Adobe Express

No matter what field you’re studying, digital literacy will play a role in your future. Students who understand how to use images, color, animation, video, and audio to visually communicate ideas will have an important advantage over peers without these skills, leading to better career trajectories across a wider range of jobs.

One of the hardest parts about honing your digital literacy skills is simply knowing where to start. Adobe Express is ideally suited to the needs of anyone with an idea to share. It’s easy to use, available on any web or mobile device, and best of all, it’s free. Whether you’re looking to develop a social media strategy for an emerging brand, design a marketing campaign for a new business, or create a standout school presentation, Adobe Express has something for everyone.

Standout visuals created on a smart phone

There’s nothing more intimidating than staring at a blank page and waiting for inspiration. The online design app has thousands of templates to choose from. There’s no need to worry about fonts and colors, how to add images, or where to put headings. Instead, you can focus on the content — something that benefits creative beginners and creative experts alike.

The online app is also readily available on tablets and smartphones, so you can start experimenting anywhere. Natasha Wynter studies bioinformatics — a mixture of biology and sciences with IT — at Bowie State University. She uses the design tool both inside the classroom — to create videos for a genetics project — and outside of the classroom, to create social media posts for her company Uni Vending LLC. “I really like that Adobe Express allows me to be creative anywhere,” says Wynter. “I can create on my phone. I can switch to my tablet. It’s fantastic and it’ll be a great tool for me moving forward.”

At San Jose State University, Denise Dawkins starts teaching her students to use creative apps from day one in the classroom. “I love Adobe Express,” says Dawkins. “I encourage students to use it all the time for presentations. It’s so creative and simple to use, and it helps students keep information short, clear, and easy to digest.”

Preparing for the classroom and beyond

Students at many universities are finding ways to use Adobe Express inside and outside of the classroom. Whether you’re working on school projects or creating graphics for clubs, it can help you build digital skills that are in demand by employers.

Na’Shae Wagoner, a business and marketing student at Bowie State University, uses it to create flyers, stories, and social media posts for student organizations, such as student government and Circle K International. These efforts have raised her profile as a more active and engaged member of university organizations.

“Adobe Express makes everything so quick and convenient,” says Wagoner. “I can draft a flyer or create carousel images easily. There are templates to create something that’s very professional and effective, but I also have enough freedom to add my own creativity and brand to the project. My skills with Adobe apps will give me an advantage on my resume and in my career.”

Other universities are actively encouraging students to use the online app in the classroom. At the University of Texas at San Antonio, students use the Adobe app to create professional presentations exploring potential solutions to a life-sciences or health-sciences issue. At Swinburne University, students in the Communication for Scientists unit use the tool to create effective digital communications that layer text and graphics over recorded oral presentations. The result is a rich, multimedia experience that helps students learn how to successfully communicate materials, methods, findings, and more.

Creativity for all

While creativity is often considered to be a skill for artists, marketers, and designers, creativity is important in all fields. No matter what you’re studying, you’ll need to explore your creative side, brainstorm ideas, and look at the world in a new way to solve the issues that affect us all. Tasia Cobb, a biology student at Bowie State University, embraces her new-found creativity. “I didn’t even realize that I was a creative person until I started using Adobe Express,” she says. “It helps me explore my own creativity because it’s so easy to use and helps you understand what to do.”

At Butler Community College, Dr. Kelsey Harper appreciates how the online design app brings multimodal learning to language students. It encourages them to embrace clear communication, combining photographs, text, and design to visually communicate their ideas. “Language doesn’t just exist in writing,” explains Harper. “Students need to learn to understand language by listening to audio, interpreting graphics, or creating something original.”

As you’re thinking about how to make your presentations and projects stand out this school year, take a look at Adobe Express. This free tool will help you build digital literacy skills and embrace the type of dynamic digital communication that will serve you throughout your career.

Learn more about Adobe Express and ways that it can be used in the classroom at the Adobe Education Exchange.