@ADOBEUK

Hot off the press! We’ve just released our Digital Campus 2013 report, which reveals that universities still have a way to go in making students feel they are getting value for money following the tuition fees rise.

Specifically, students from this year’s intake are pinpointing the provision of suitable libraries and technology as the main areas needing improvement, with two-thirds (63%) saying they expected to have access to more support facilities and services than they are actually getting.

Despite the fact that 96% of students said the number one reason they chose to go to university was to increase their chances of getting a job when they graduate, only a third (33%) think their university will help them do this now.

As a result, we are calling on Vice Chancellors to review their ICT strategies to help live up to their student’s digital demands.  Click on the infographic below to view all the key findings in detail:

For more information on how Adobe can help institutions live up to student demands visit www.adobe.com/uk/education.

The arts are key to creativity in learning, so plans for an English baccalaureate system for UK schools that omit arts subjects is worrying, particularly in light of our own research which shows that 77%* of UK employers and University lecturers place high value on creativity in school leavers.

78%** of people in the UK agree that creativity is key to driving economic growth. And although 61%** feel that creativity is ‘stifled’ by the current education system, they do agree that more needs to be done to foster it. My fear for an education system devoid of any arts tuition, is that creativity will be stifled even further.

The key will be technology, which when used effectively, will need to play an increasingly central role in helping schools to drive creativity and support arts subjects. We work with schools, such as Chalfonts Community College, who have created Digital Art courses that blend virtual and reusable learning resources. This involved rewriting the traditional art specification to include digital media – from digital imaging, film, animation, graphics and game making – to help students learn creative skills which influence their approach across the curriculum.
The UK is renowned for its creativity thanks to its successes in fashion, art, design, film, food and music, so creative schooling is incredibly important. We have the best creative higher education system of any country in the world, but cutting arts from secondary education I fear will create a skills gap between school and higher education or the workplace in years to come.”

Liz Wilkins, Senior Leader, Adobe Education UK 

*Taken from Adobe’s ‘Creativity in the Classroom’ report, 2010
**Taken from Adobe’s ‘State of Create’ report, 2012

Every so often something comes along that we call a “game changer” and today – we’ve got two!

We’re excited to announce the release of the all new Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Creative Suite 6.

Adobe Creative Cloud is a radical new way we are providing our industry-leading products and services. As a member, you’ll be able to access the Creative Cloud to make, share and deliver your creative work. It is centred around the powerful release of Adobe Creative Suite 6, packed with innovation across its industry-defining design, Web, video and digital imaging tools.

Creative Cloud members will get:

• Great Tools. Members can download and install all of our CS6 tools and can use them even when disconnected from the internet. Members also get access to Muse (our new HTML5 tool for designers) and Edge Preview (our new HTML5 tool for interaction designers). They also benefit from deep integration with our touch tools like Photoshop Touch and Adobe Ideas.
• Storage and Sharing. Members content can be automatically synchronized across of their PCs, mobile devices and the cloud. The files are accessible from anywhere, on any device and easily shared with colleagues or clients.
• Publishing Web Sites and Apps. Members are able to host up to five websites for free and will be able to create and deploy digital brochures and catalogues to the iPad and iPhone.
• Ongoing Innovation. We view the Creative Cloud as a journey and intend to update its services often. Members will be guaranteed to always have access to the most up-to-date products and services all included as part of their membership.

Adobe Creative Cloud membership for individuals is £38.11 (ex VAT) per month based on annual membership and £57.17 (ex VAT) per month based on month-to-month membership. And we’ve also got a special introductory offer of £22.23 (ex VAT) per month for CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS5.5 individual customers too. Head over to the Creative Cloud product site for all the info you need.

Of course today, not only are we announcing the launch of the Creative Cloud, but also the release of our industry-leading creative software – Adobe Creative Suite 6 - the ultimate toolkit for design, Web and video professionals.

Creative Suite 6 is an amazing release with hundreds of new capabilities rolling up to four focus areas:

• Application Performance. The Mercury performance work we started a couple years ago has now made its way to our imaging, video and illustration tools.
• Enhanced User Interface. Our tools are increasingly enabling direct, on-canvas editing of your content.
• Efficient development for Multiple Devices. Our tools are taking a practical approach to creating responsive content, so your web sites or apps look great regardless of the device or orientation they’re viewed in.
• Adobe’s unique secret sauce. The stuff that make things previously impossible suddenly possible.

But we don’t want to just tell you about these great new releases – we want to show you! So you can join Adobe UK’s very own Eric McCashey tomorrow (Tuesday 24^th) from 4PM for a webcast to take you through all the great new features available in Creative Cloud and CS6. And just in case you can’t make it, the webcast will be available as a continuous rebroadcast directly after.

There’s loads more exciting news and things to tell you about this week, so stay tuned to the blog, or head over to the @AdobeUK Twitter to keep your finger on the pulse of all our news – and let us know how you are going to use the Creative Cloud!