TELEPHONE: 435-652-7970
OFFICE: Üdvar-Hazy Bldg., Room 324
SPRING 2007 CLASS INSTRUCTION:
11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., MWF (section 01)
Üdvar-Hazy Bldg., Room 120
This is an advanced course in interactive multimedia. It builds on the concepts learned in the VT 3100 course. Macromedia Director will be the primary authoring tool to develop the products of this course. Specific techniques used for creating professional interactive multimedia and integrating it with other channels of communication will be explored.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Upper division course on the integration and application of multiple media with appropriate delivery systems. For advanced students in the CIT baccalaureate degree program. Also for students in the visual technology certificate interested in advanced training on how to develop commercial grade multimedia projects using the full repertoire of graphics software that has been learned through previous courses in the visual technologies program. Portfolio grade projects developed through this course will add credibility to students' job skills. Course is 3 hours of lecture per week, with significant homework assignments wherein there will be a high expectation of professional-quality work. Upon completion, students should have a solid grasp of how to develop and deliver content-rich projects with high production values via CD-ROM, Internet, and DVD media.
PRE-REQUISITES
VT1300, VT 2500, VT 2600, and VT 3100. CS 1400 is optional, but highly recommended. Familiarity with the Macintosh and Windows interface is assumed. An advanced knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator is expected. (Lack of formal training in these software packages may adversely affect your ability to obtain a passing grade in this class.) Courses that teach the pre-requisite software should be taken BEFORE enrolling in this class.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK and SUGGESTED SUPPLIES:
- Storage media to backup and/or manage your coursework during the semester
- Multiple blank DVD-R/RW disks (to hold data and files)
- A USB flash drive of sufficient size (512 MB or larger)
- An external hard drive of usable size (80 GB or larger)
- Multiple blank DVD-R/RW disks (to hold data and files)
- At least three DVD-R blanks (to submit two of the assignments)
- Textbook: Macromedia Director (MX 2004) for Windows & Macintosh
Copyright ©2004 by Mark Shaeffer and Andre Persidsky
Peachpit Press
Cost is approximately $25
If you are a student with a physical or mental impairment and would like to request accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (652-7516) in Room 201 of the Student Services Center. The Disability Resource Center will determine your eligibility for services based upon complete professional documentation. If you are deemed eligible, the Disability Resource Center will further evaluate the effectiveness of your accommodation requests and will authorize reasonable accommodations that are appropriate for your disability.
ESCAPE CLAUSE:
The instructor reserves the right to change the specifics of this syllabus and the schedule (weekly topics of instruction, assignments, assignment details, due dates, etc.) as determined for the betterment of the class. Any changes will be announced in a timely manner during class instruction periods.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this course is to teach students how to develop and integrate advanced media into an interactive multimedia product and deliver it through multiple communication channels, inlcuing CD-ROM, Internet and Print. Students will explore the advanced aspects of the interactive authoring publishing model. Students will be expected to produce and deliver a single completed, commercially-viable product by the end of the semester. This product will have many facets that must be addressed for the product to be accepted. Projects will be chosen that require students to understand all of the issues of bringing such products to market. Students will receive several design challenges related to their project throughout the semester, which they will be expected to produce on the computer. Assignments will be tailored to require the application of concepts presented in class periods. Students will learn to distinguish between effective and ineffective authoring approaches through instruction, exposure to expert examples, and the learning that occurs via successfully completing their chosen projects.
At completion of the course, students should know and be able to demonstrate the following technical skills:
- Understand the delivery issues of developing interactive multimedia.
- How to access and use advanced features of multimedia authoring software.
- Construct complete, stand-alone presentations using multimedia tools.
- How to build intuitive interfaces for a multimedia product.
- How to choose the most appropriate software for a given project.
- Prepare graphics for most efficient use in the authoring software.
- How to script advanced interactivity using Macromedia Director's "Lingo" scripting language.
- How to prepare Director files for use on a self-running CD-ROM.
- How to prepare Director files for use in HTML pages on the Internet (Shockwave format).
POLICIES, PROCEDURES and ASSIGNMENTS
Attendance is important to your success in this course; therefore, the grades earned will reflect your attendance habits (this is a department policy). No points are allotted toward the total points possible to determine your grade, but attendance will be used as a measure of participation.
TEXTBOOK READINGS. Although the textbook was written to take a beginner by the hand, it will be used as a reference manual in this class. A CD-ROM is included with the book, which contains related files that can help in explaining the various topics. By using the index and table of contents to find the specific information needed at the moment, you can jump in anywhere and read those parts most relevant to your immediate questions and needs. Additionally, each topic typically includes one or more tips, notes, cautions, and cross references. No specific reading assignments are scheduled in the textbook. However, you are encouraged to keep this book with you while working on the projects for this class.
PROJECTS: There are four projects for the semester. See the weekly assignments calendar for descriptions and due dates. These will reflect techniques learned in the course up to the time of each scheduled assignment. Project assignments will be graded according to the design and artistic layout of the piece. Each project is worth a maximum of 50 points. More points will be given for effective designs that communicate the multimedia concepts learned in class.
All assignments must be submitted on time to earn up to the maximum of 200 points allotted toward your grade. Projects will be submitted to a designated folder on the Stargate server. The projects will be presented and discussed in class during the week following each assignment's due date.
Several weeks are allowed for each assignment to be completed and submitted. This should be enough time to turn in well-designed and completed assignments ON TIME. All assignments will be due by 10:00 P.M. on the day(s) specified. Points will be deducted for late assignments. Assignments more than fourteen (14) days late will not be accepted - NO EXCEPTIONS!
WRITTEN MID-TERM TEST: A mid-term test will be given during week nine (9) of the semester. There are 50 points possible. The written test may be taken at the Campus Testing Center at a time of your convenience -- from start of business on Monday morning until close of business on Friday night. (Click here for more info. about the Testing Center -- part of Campus QTVR tour.) A standard 100-question ScanTron card (green ink, 50 questions per side) is required to participate in the mid-term. Also be sure to take some identification with your photo. Students arriving for the test without a photo ID and a ScanTron card will be turned away.
WRITTEN FINAL TEST: A final will be given during the scheduled time for this class period, in the week following the last day of classes for the semester. There are 50 points possible. A standard 50-question ScanTron card is required to participate in the final. Students arriving for the final without a ScanTron card will be turned away. While the time allocated for the final test is two hours, you should be able to complete this test in 30-45 minutes. Any student not present one-half hour after the final exam begins will be considered a "no show" for the final and will not be allowed to take the test. DO NOT BE LATE!
To review for both the mid-term and final exams, check HERE for example questions and suggested areas you should know.
MISSED ASSIGNMENTS AND TESTS. All interim delivery dates and the final test are given specific due dates. An important part of college is learning to set priorities and budget time. Projects are expected to be finished and submitted on time. Late projects will have points deducted. Projects more than fourteen (14) days later will not be accepted. This is detrimental to your grade for the course and should be avoided at all costs.
Exams will be administered at the time specified in this syllabus. No tests will be given late -- no exceptions, don't even ask. If you cannot take a test at the scheduled time, due to an approved time conflict, you must contact the instructor and arrange to take the test early.
GRADING PHILOSOPHY: The design quality of work on assignments is a significant factor in the points evaluation. Adherence to the technical specifications of the assignment will also be checked -- document size and color modes are the most-often ignored issues that will lose points. If you hand in all the assignments on time and score well on the tests, you will receive at least a "C" grade. A higher grade can be earned on the creative and design components you add to your assignments. I am looking for more than the minimum work required to meet the assignments. Be sure to review the rubrics established for each assignment. These rubrics can help you better understand what is expected from your coursework. Further, if you have questions about what is considered "A"-, "B"-, or "C"-level work for this course, read this discussion about establishing grading criteria. If you have any questions, contact the instructor for this class.
GRADING
Points for course work are earned by meeting interim deadlines and taking tests on time. (See the schedule for the due dates.) Allocation of points for the three major components of course work are as follows:
| 200 | ...Four (4) creative projects | (Max. 50 points each) |
| 50 | ...Written Mid-Term Exam | |
| 50 | ...Written Final Exam | |
| 300 | ...Total points possible |
Letter grades will be earned based on the following percentages of the total points possible:
| A | ......95% or higher | |
| A- | ......90% to 94.99% | |
| B+ | ......85% to 89.99% | |
| B | ......80% to 84.99% | |
| B- | ......75% to 79.99% | |
| C+ | ......70% to 74.99% | |
| C | ......65% to 69.99% | |
| C- | ......60% to 64.99% | |
| D+ | ......55% to 59.99% | |
| D | ......50% to 54.99% | |
| D- | ......45% to 49.99% | |
| F | ......44.99% or lower |
IMPORTANT: Letter grades below a "C" in any course designated as part of the Visual Technologies program cannot be used toward obtaining a Certificate of Competency or a degree. For further information, contact Dana Kelvington, advisor for ATE programs, or Shari Gowers, advisor for 4-year baccalaureate degrees.
Send questions and comments to
woodland@dixie.edu
