New Adobe alliance to raise digital literacy awareness in San Diego

Acclaimed creative software provider Adobe is setting the stage for digital literacy by launching a new partnership with San Diego State University.

The Adobe Aztech Alliance (A3), an initiative to promote the use of digital tools among students and faculty, was announced on February 11 and is set to launch sometime in March. 

So far, students at San Diego State University are able to purchase various software under the Adobe creative suite at a lucrative discounted price. However, thanks to this initiative, the university is aiming to provide students with free access to the services by July. 

The A3 initiative is aimed at inspiring students to create and share innovative work, build on creative and digital literacy skills and to expand the campus’s audience worldwide. 

“This is our effort to focus the Creative Cloud energies that we have, the expertise of Adobe and the opportunities to embrace and think differently about digital literacy,” said San Diego State University CIO Jerry Sheehan. 

For the Adobe company, digital literacy is a way for students to develop creative problem-solving skills, strengthen their leadership abilities and broaden employment opportunities. 

These highly sought-after digital and 21st-century learning skills also fall in line with San Diego State University’s goals to have students thrive in an era of technological growth. 

Not only will this initiative strive to bridge digital skill gaps among students and faculty while promoting digital literacy but it will also provide a faculty fellowship and mini-grants aimed at underrepresented groups. 

A3’s faculty fellowship programme prioritises teaching staff and will train them on the ways they can creatively utilise the different technological tools to drive further innovation in the classroom.  

“In order to make sure that we can get the most use of these tools, we want to make sure that faculty are aware,” said Sheehan. 

San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre emphasised the importance of understanding how technology can be used to create opportunities for students who traditionally have been underserved across local and global communities. 

“As this university moves forward, what we want to be recognized as is a premiere Hispanic-Serving Institution,” he said. 

“What is important is how you leverage that designation as a research institution to really have an impact on a segment of the labor force that will transform the region, not only in terms of economic development but also in terms of political strength.”

“I think all disciplines and all students have the capacity to be creative,” added Sheehan. 

“Information technology and software tools, particularly those made by Adobe, really lower the barrier to being able to do that without needing to be a technical programmer.”

Students can continue using the annual subscription deal for Adobe Creative Suite software such as Adobe Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, and more for a discounted rate of US$25 annually before the launch of the A3 programme.