Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe CC) is SSU's solution for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, illustration and animation. Faculty can use Adobe CC to remediate inaccessible PDFs, create desktop publishing projects, and edit videos, among other uses.

Best Practices

• Whenever possible, instructional videos should be 10 minutes in length or shorter and should have an activity at the end that applies the video's content. Research has shown that students' attention in a passive learning situation, such as watching a video, tends to drop off significantly after that time. Also, novices need time to process new information before they can remember it. By making your videos short and requiring students to apply their understanding of the content afterwards, you are likely increasing the amount of your content that they remember over the long term. Additionally, if you make a mistake while recording a shorter video, you have less work to do to correct or replace it than if it were a longer video. So recording shorter videos saves you time and effort, too.
• Whenever possible, avoid using Adobe PDFs for instructional content. Instead, use Google Docs or Canvas pages. Data shows that many of our students access their instructional material from mobile devices, i.e. cell phones. If you give all of your content to your students as PDFs, it is very hard to read on a cell phone screen. If you instead copy and paste that same content into a Google Doc or a native Canvas page, your content will automatically resize for the device screen. Additionally, these formats are far more accessible than PDFs. Every time you replace a PDF with digital text, you are making it easier for your students to learn!

Resources

• To install Adobe CC on your computer, download it from Kivuto, a software distribution solution managed by IT.
• Adobe CC Official Support Guide

Get Support

If your question isn’t answered by the above resources, we encourage you to visit CTET either in person or via Zoom; Adobe CC questions are normally too complex to be answered by email or phone. You can find our current business hours and contact information, including our Zoom link, on our Contact Us page.

Because of Adobe CC's complexity, CTET's ability to answer technical questions about it is limited. If we can't answer your question, or if you want support outside of our business hours, you will need to address the issue using Adobe's online documentation. You can also find numerous instructional videos on CSU Learn, a professional development service available to SSU faculty and staff. To access CSU Learn, log into your SSU Online account, then select the tile labeled "CSU Learn."

Student Support

Unfortunately, Adobe CC is not available to students without prior arrangement with IT. If you would like students in your class or program to be able to use it, please contact the IT Help Desk to discuss your options.

If you arrange that access and your students need direct support, they can contact SSU's IT Help desk for technology support, Monday through Friday, 8AM to 5PM. However, because of Adobe CC's complexity, IT's ability to answer technical questions about it is limited. If they can't answer your students' questions, or if your students want support outside of IT's business hours, your students will need to address the issue using Adobe's online documentation.