Students were encouraged to cite examples of their own work in the essay. Gatlin presented her portfolio at the 1999 Design Student Conference in April, where she was awarded the scholarship. Changing technology promotes constant change in graphic design education. Because knowledge of technology and mastery of technological skills are now essential for graphic design graduates to obtain jobs, technology is an integral component of graphic design education. The role of the graphic designer today has changed to meet the demand of electronic communication.
Designers are no longer only specialists in print work.
They have adapted to electronic work such as multimedia on CD-ROM or Web page design posted on a server. They will continue to serve the needs of their clients in creative ways, whether designing for print or for computer products. In the same respect, the role of the graphic design educator has changed to meet the needs of students who will pursue careers in the graphic design profession. To facilitate the needs of their students and to competitively attract students to art and design programs, educators must promote interdisciplinary courses, keep current with software and hardware, as well as make use of new tools and resources such as those found on the World Wide Web. Student in Design Information ACD's Students in Design program engages student designers as members of a national professional association while encouraging their active participation as leaders in the development of local programming and discourse.