Summer Institute for Teens | FAQs

To ensure students have a rich online educational experience with valuable connections to instructors and fellow students, the Summer Institute for Teens 2021 will be delivered in a synchronous format. This means that our online studios will include live sessions, facilitated through video conferencing apps such as BlueJeans and Zoom.

Sessions are structured in a way that students benefit from a variety of dynamic teaching methods that may include live presentations, group discussions, live and pre-recorded demos, independent work, peer critiques, and individual guidance and feedback from the instructors. By the end of the program, students will have developed new skills in their area of study and expanded their body of work!

Yes. As always, the program will run Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 4:00pm (Pacific Daylight Time, GMT -7), with a one-hour lunch break. While students will be expected to dedicate themselves to the studio coursework during the program hours, they will not be expected to remain active in the virtual classroom for the full duration of the day.

Instructors will provide students with a detailed schedule for classroom activities (such as live lectures + presentations, live demos, group discussions, peer critiques, and individual feedback) as well as independent activities (like watching pre-recorded lectures + demos, and independent work + research). As students engage in independent activities, they may decide to remain in the virtual classroom and turn off their video + audio feeds, or they may decide to leave the virtual classroom and reconvene for the live group activities. The virtual classroom will remain active throughout the day.

As students progress in their studio, they may be allowed more time for independent work, depending on the complexity of their projects. In this sense, students can expect a dynamic and exciting online learning experience that will support their individual needs and objectives!

At this time, we offer two scholarships for students of Aboriginal ancestry. Scholarship applications will be available on October 1, 2020 and are due by December 13, 2020. Download the application here.

Please note: Do not register in the Institute if you are planning to attend as a scholarship student as the scholarship admission is run separately and we cannot refund your tuition if you are awarded a scholarship.

Welcome packages with important information regarding materials, schedule, etc. will be made available to registered students after final registration closes in late June, 2021.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive their certificate via email in the Fall 2021.

Due to the online nature of the program this year, students participating in SIT will be required to have their own access to the software, hardware and materials required for their registered studio. The cost of materials will vary by studio, but on average, students can expect to spend between $80-$200 in studio-specific supplies. Please note that students are welcome to use materials they already have at home, provided such materials serve a similar purpose for their studio work.

Students will need access to a smartphone or tablet (iPad or Android), and a computer to join the virtual classroom on BlueJeans. Computers should meet the following minimum requirements:

Mac:
macOS version 10.13 (High Sierra) or later
8 GB of RAM
8 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation; SSD recommended

Windows:
Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1803, 1809 and later.
8 GB of RAM
8 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation; SSD recommended

While these are the standard minimum requirements to participate in SIT studios, we recommend reviewing the system requirements for the specific software required for your studio of choice.

A desk, table, wall space or even floor space between 2x3 and 3x4 ft. should be more than enough space to work on your art.

There are no credits allocated to the program. However, participation in the program will increase the student’s portfolio and allow them to be more competitive when they do apply to post-secondary institutions.

All studios are limited to 16 students.

All classes are taught in English. Students whose first language is not English should note that they are required to be proficient in written and spoken English and be able to participate in group discussions and presentations in English. As a guideline, we would expect you to have an IELTS score of 4.5 to 6.0 for lecture courses.