Adobe is proud to announce the newest institutions joining the ranks of our Creative Campus Innovators: Aston University in Birmingham, England, San José State University in California, The University of Arizona, and Western Sydney University. This global recognition is for higher education leaders transforming teaching and learning through creativity, digital fluency, and innovation.
This year’s honorees are redefining what it means to prepare students and faculty for a digital-first world. Through creative collaboration and integration of Adobe tools, including emerging AI capabilities, each university demonstrates how creativity drives academic excellence and career readiness.
Aston University
Aston University in the United Kingdom earned its Innovator designation less than a year after appointing its first Adobe Professor of Digital Innovation, Rachel Dodd, whose leadership has been instrumental in supporting the acceleration of the university’s innovation-led digital transformation. Working closely with colleagues across Aston, Rachel led the creation of Aston’s Adobe Assessment Toolkit, which provides step-by-step guidance for applying digital tools in an academic and subject-related context - creating professional standard presentations, reports, posters and multimedia assets like infographics, podcasts, and video reports. Accessible through a student portal, campus Adobe Hangouts QR codes, lanyard tags and laminated copies on campus, the toolkit empowers students to demonstrate their learning through authentic, visual communication techniques.
“Aston’s Adobe Assessment Toolkit has transformed our approach to authentic student assessment,” Rachel said. “It empowers students to demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving abilities to a professional standard in real-world, visually communicative contexts. Crucially, it also empowers our teaching colleagues to signpost to these techniques seamlessly within their teaching programmes, saving them valuable time while developing our students’ digital skills at scale.”
As part of the Aston Power Skills program, Adobe and AI tools are embedded into all undergraduate courses, ensuring every student builds digital confidence from day one. The partnership underscores the university’s mission to ensure all students have the opportunity to develop digital fluency which further enhances the strong industrial element embedded into Aston’s provision providing a powerful career advantage.
San José State University
In the heart of Silicon Valley, San José State University (SJSU) (US) has built a robust creative literacy ecosystem that reaches across academic disciplines and community programs. Through its AI Everywhere initiative and the College of Information, Data and Society, SJSU prepares students and faculty to explore both the opportunities and ethics of AI. SJSU’s Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation, Career Services Center, and University Library collaborate to integrate Adobe tools into learning and career development. From the First-Year Writing Program’s Digital Literacy Showcase to the SJSU + IBM Ethical AI Hackathon, students use Adobe tools to communicate ideas and research with creativity and clarity.
“At SJSU, Adobe fuels our commitment to excellence by giving our students and faculty the tools to tell their stories and shape the future with purpose,” said Dr. Magdalena Barrera, vice provost for faculty success and accreditation liaison officer.
SJSU’s inclusive, AI-driven approach demonstrates how creativity and ethics can work together to prepare students for a changing world.
University of Arizona
At The University of Arizona (UofA), creativity is central to the learning experience. Under Dr. Melody Buckner, associate vice provost for digital learning and online initiatives, the university has launched programs that bring creative learning to life through hands-on practice and authentic assessment. The Adobe Digital Learning Institute (ADLI) is a two-week summer workshop in which faculty explore ways to weave creativity into their teaching. Now entering its fifth year, ADLI has inspired a network of fellows who mentor peers across campus. UofA’s expanding network of digital makerspaces gives students access to high-powered machines, professional equipment, and Adobe software to create, collaborate, and experiment.
“We’re preparing students for the real world by helping them demonstrate their learning outcomes creatively and authentically,” Buckner said. “With AI shaping so much of how we learn and communicate, we’re exploring how Adobe and AI together can deepen creativity across the curriculum.”
These initiatives connect creativity, technology, and data-informed teaching to expand and enrich digital learning across campus.
Western Sydney University
Western Sydney University (Western) in Australia has made creativity and innovation central to its strategy for moving from digital adoption to digital leadership. Executive Director of Education Innovation Cherie Diaz leads efforts that empower students, faculty, and partners to co-design new education models and technology-enabled learning. Western became the first Adobe Creative Campus in New South Wales in 2023 and its recognition as a Creative Campus Innovator highlights its commitment accessibility at scale and measurable impact. From the Adobe Express Brand Kit, which simplifies content creation for staff, to an assessment toolkit on Adobe Express that supports multimodal storytelling, Western is advancing creative literacy across all faculties.
“To be recognized as an Adobe Creative Campus Innovator is a wonderful accomplishment,” Diaz said. “It reflects the passion of our staff, our shared ambition to be digital leaders, and the strength of our partnership with Adobe.”
With more than 50,000 students across Australia and abroad, Western exemplifies how creative tools can enhance learning and global engagement.
Creativity, connection, and the future of learning
From AI literacy to authentic assessment, Adobe Creative Campus Innovators demonstrate how digital fluency combines practical skills with the mindset needed for lifelong learning. As Adobe continues to expand the Creative Campus program, we celebrate the educators and students leading a more creative, connected, and innovative future.
