Hi! I'm Professor K.
By day, I'm Ashley Kolodziej, an Assistant Director - Principal UX Designer at Moody's Analytics. By night, I teach design and web development classes at the Boston University College of Communication. If you want to know what my class sections and teaching style look like, you're in the right place!
Teaching philosophy
I believe the best way to learn is by jumping in and experimenting. I will ask you to take risks, push your creative boundaries, and also give you guidelines on how to do this with a fallback plan in place so you can take these risks with confidence.
I also believe that if you put in the work, you can be successful in design and web development no matter what your background is. I'll be putting in the work right there with you. I love answering questions and giving feedback and am a very passionate lecturer and instructor.
As your instructor, I will also ask you to question any critique I give you that you don't understand the "why" behind, or that you disagree with. This dialogue is critical to creating the best possible creative work. We grow by collaborating!
Me, taking a break on the floor of CAS while my students fill out evaluations for Fall 2020. Under the mask, I'm beaming because everyone did an incredible job, and I'm getting ready to give my last lecture.
Note: Hair color is subject to change.
Upcoming courses
I teach one evening class per semester and find out what my assignment will be on an ongoing basis. In the past, I've taught sections of CM501 - Design Software & Strategy, as well as CM523 - Design & Interactive Experiences. Here's what I'm scheduled to teach next!
Unfortunately, I am unable to change who is added to or dropped from my class, so if you are interested in taking my class specifically, my best advice is to watch StudentLink closely as registration time comes up, as well as through add/drop time. You may also want to contact your advisor if you aren't able to register through StudentLink for some reason, or mcadpr@bu.edu.
Please, please don't email me with an add/drop form. I am a nice person and will likely try to help you by signing it while forgetting that this is the rule because it looks official and like something I should sign. This gets me in trouble and it will get rejected because COM doesn't use that form, and you'll be directed to wait until the class opens on StudentLink anyway. Please don't get me in trouble - email mcadpr@bu.edu instead.
CM501 - Design Software & Strategy
Spring 2024
Meets in-person on Tuesdays from 6:30-9:15pm.
CM523 - Design & Interactive Experiences
Spring 2024
Meets in-person on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:15pm.
About me
I have been working in the fields of graphic and web design for over a decade, and have done a bit of everything along the way. I started in print production, interned and worked at Condé Nast Publications, designed websites for country clubs, worked my way up to Associate Creative Director at Boston University, and am now an Assistant Director - Principal UX Designer at Moody's Analytics.
Communication style
I use Pronto in my classes to facilitate communication among the class and so that you always have a direct line to me. Email is also okay for longer questions.
For office hours, I use Calendly to allow you to book time on my calendar that's reserved for you only in 10-15 minute blocks. All office hours are conducted in Zoom. This means you get quick, dedicated feedback time - no waiting or guessing, and you can schedule it in advance for any of the open times on my calendar, and cancel if needed. If we need additional time, that can be arranged as well.
