When user experience designer AJ Polanco decided to advance his career by earning a doctoral degree, his search for the perfect opportunity led him to become part of the first cohort of eight students to enroll in the College of Design\u2019s brand-new Doctor of Design<\/a> program in 2018.<\/p>\n Polanco is an acting associate program director at Educational Testing Service, where he leads the UX team designing the National Assessment of Educational Progress for students in fourth, eighth and 12th grades. His research in the D.Des. program focuses on developing best practices for designing digital assessments for deaf or hard-of-hearing students.<\/p>\n \u201cI already have a lot of professional design experience,\u201d Polanco explains, \u201cso I don\u2019t need a program that focuses too much on hands-on craft. My opportunity to grow as a professional is to work on my research aptitude, and this program has a very strong research emphasis.\u201d<\/p>\n A New Degree Program<\/strong><\/p>\n The D.Des. is an advanced degree program for established design practitioners. Applicants must hold a master\u2019s degree, and at least one of their degrees must be from an accredited program in design, fine arts or an equivalent field. The college\u2019s D.Des. program is one of only four such programs in the United States, and the only one featuring a blended-learning model combining online instruction with immersive on-campus workshops.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother advantage of this program is the online component,\u201d Polanco says. \u201cI needed a program that would satisfy my design interests and help me achieve my career goals but that would also fit into my overall life. The D.Des. program checks all those boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n The program was founded to meet the lifelong learning needs of practicing professionals, says M. Elen Deming, director of the program.<\/p>\n Untraditional Students<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOur students are a very different type of student: more like peers, some CEOs in the mix, people working on the cutting edge of the design industries,\u201d Deming says. \u201cEvery single student I talk to has unique needs for what they want this program to be. The D.Des. is something they\u2019re slotting into what\u2019s already a full life. They\u2019re busy. This program requires an extraordinary ability to focus \u2014 and a high degree of motivation. But they all have that.\u201d<\/p>\n Becoming the First Graduate<\/strong><\/p>\n Now AJ is on track to become the D.Des. program\u2019s first graduate in December 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to use this degree to open doors so I can collaborate with more people in designing for deaf and hard-of-hearing children,\u201d he says. \u201cThe degree will allow me to better position myself to have these conversations with thought leaders, so we can advance both the design profession and the students we’re helping. I\u2019m doing something for the betterment of others, and that\u2019s what keeps me motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n This post was originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":" By Brent Winter<\/p>\n\n Note: this article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of\u00a0Designlife Magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fig3_expectant-range-of-design-strategies-from-dhh-assessment-experts-1024x822.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fig1_abstraction-of-naep-tutorial-1024x580.png\")
1. A UI (user interface) button is highlighted as part of the tutorial.\u00a0<\/em>
2. A caption bar and auditory sound track describe the highlighted UI button.\u00a0<\/em>
3. An ASL interpreter is translating the description of a UI element from one or more screens \/ sound tracks in the past.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fig2_theoretical-framework-of-dhhmsad-1024x466.png\")