JRL 225: Media Tools & Applications
Spring 2015
Prof. Mu Lin
E-mail: mulin@mix.wvu.edu
Spring 2015
Office Hours: online; by appointment
Course Description
This lab course covers fundamental principles and practice of
multimedia content gathering and editing in preparation for upperlevel courses at the WVU Reed College of Media.
Course-Level Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Gather, produce, and present information and content using still
photos, audio, video and graphics
2. Use current multimedia tools and technology to conduct multiplatform storytelling using still photos, audio, video and text
3. Demonstrate a grasp of the language of each medium through
discussion and projects
4. Integrate ideas, values, ethics and history of multi-platform
communications into practical applications
5. Use online tools to independently find answers about new media
forms and how to use them
6. Understand basic principles of web design and coding
7. Tell the stories of diverse individuals and groups in West Virginia
What's Expected of You
1. Regular attendance to labs and completion of all assignments
2. Responsibility for materials and course communication (e.g.,
email)
3. Creativity, teamwork, style, and brilliance
About the Course Structure
This is a hybrid course, consisting of online and lab components.
However, the majority of the content will be taught online through
eCampus. This places the responsibility for learning on you. If you are
not prepared, you will quickly fall behind in the class.
Students are responsible for completing readings, watching videos and
posting to a discussion board before attending the weekly labs. In
order to complete the exercises within the lab session, you will need to
come to class with a strong understanding of the skills and concepts
covered each week.
Although there will be separate instructors for the online and lab
components, the online instructor is the lead instructor for the course
and will be grading all assignments and providing feedback. All
questions about assignments and grades should be directed to them.
Open Labs
There may be times when you will not be able to complete
assignments during the scheduled lab time, or you may have
unanswered questions about assignments or use of tools and
technology. To help you with problems or questions you may have,
there will be two open labs each week specifically for students in
JRL225. The labs will be staffed with students and faculty who will be
able to answer most of your course-related questions. Your instructor
will send details about the times and locations of these labs during the
first week of the semester.
Required Materials
1. Website to display your portfolio. More information will be
provided in lesson 1.
2. iPhone, iPod Touch, Windows or Android phone with 5 GB free
space.
3. A portable storage drive (USB thumb or hard drive) for saving all
course work. The drive should have be at least 16GB.
4. Lapel microphone compatible with your phone (before Lesson
5). VERY IMPORTANT - although you can find fairly cheap lapel
microphones, the only one that will work with iPhones and all
Android phones is the Rode SmartLav. You have a few options:
o Purchase it online: http://amzn.to/1wy5R1P
o Buy one from a student who has already taken this class
o Share the cost with a classmate
5. Tripod compatible with your phone (before Lesson 8).
o The Joby Gorillapod is a good option. You can also find
several similar, cheaper tripods like this one. Be careful
that you don't order one from overseas, or shipping may
take several weeks: http://amzn.to/1yqiQ5h
o If you have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, or a large Android phone
(like the Galaxy S5), you’ll need to get a larger tripod
mount:
1. http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GripTight-GorillaPodSmartphone-Tripod/dp/B00M9C9EVS
2. http://www.amazon.com/Universal-SmartphoneHolder-Flexible-Samsung/dp/B00I58VB3Y
6. Headphones or earbuds.
Highly Recommended Materials
1. One year subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud software suite
(Photoshop, Premiere Pro). This is the software we will use in
class, and buying it will allow you to complete major
assignments at home without having to rely on the computer
labs. Visit www.wvu.onthehub.com for a student discount of
$68/year.
o One important note: Be sure to check the "system
requirements" to make sure your computer is fast enough
to run the software before purchasing.
2. We'll use Text Wrangler for the Web Design/Coding assignment.
It's free, and can be downloaded
here: http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/
Equipment Checkout
You are required to purchase all of the required materials listed above.
However, the College of Media has a limited number of kits available
for students to check out in extenuating circumstances only on a
case-by-case basis. If you think you will need to check out equipment,
you should obtain permission by emailing David Smith at
clifton.smith@mail.wvu.edu at least three days before you plan to
check out the equipment. Explain your circumstances and reason for
needing the required equipment.
Assignments
The class is broken into five segments. The first three (photo, audio
and video) are three weeks each. In each module you'll complete one
exercise worth 25 points and one major project worth 50 points. The
exercises are designed to be completed during the scheduled lab time,
while the projects will be completed primarily outside of lab. More
detailed criteria will be provided at the times of the assignments.
All of the exercises and assignments you complete in this class will be
published on a website you create for this course. The portfolio
assignment is worth 50 points and will be graded at the midterm and
at the end of semester. Full details will be provided at the time of the
assignment.
Discussion Assignments (10 points each)
Each week you will be required to:


Post one answer to the weekly question.
Respond to a total of four of your classmates’ discussion
postings.
Each week's discussion board posts are worth a total of 10 points.
Please note that all posts should contribute something substantial to
the discussion. You should avoid posts that merely compliment (e.g.
"Interesting post...") or support (e.g. "I agree with you...") another
student's work; you will not be given credit for these sorts of
comments because they don't intellectually contribute to the
discussion. Since the discussions happen in real time, no late posts will
be accepted for any reason. Do not post on the Discussion Board in
advance unless you will be out of town or will not have Internet access
the following week.
You can find a detailed rubric for the discussion board on ecampus, but
the guidelines are simple:





Well-written posts with proper grammar and spelling.
Answer all parts of the discussion board prompt.
Make clear connections to course content and direct references
to concepts from the lessons.
Ask thoughtful questions to encourage discussion.
Respond to direct questions. If the instructor or another student
asks you a question, you must respond. In the real world, it's
generally considered rude to ignore someone who asks you a
direct question. The same applies to online communication.
Grades
Each student should keep track of his/her own grades. There are a
total of 520 points possible in this course, and grades will be based on
the following:





12 discussion board posts worth 10 points each for a total of 120
points.
3 projects worth 50 points each for a total of 150
points.
6 exercises worth 25 points each for a total of 150
points.
2 portfolio assignments worth 25 points each for a total of 50
points.
Lab attendance and participation grade worth 50 points.
Grading Scale
Final grades will be based on the following scale:
Grade Earned
Minimum Pts.
Maximum Pts.
A+
502
520
A
481
501
A-
466
480
B+
450
465
B
429
449
B-
414
428
C+
398
413
C
377
397
C-
362
376
D
310
361
F
0
308
Things to Be Aware Of
Attendance: Attendance and participation are expected and can help
or hurt your final grade. Attendance is recorded for each lab, and you
are expected to use the entire lab time to work on class assignments,
and not leave class early unless excused by your instructor. One
unexcused absence is permitted (this does not include the first week,
which is mandatory). After that, your grade will drop 5 points with
each subsequent unexcused absence. Three or more unexcused
absences is grounds for failure.
Office Hours: If you have questions about the course or problems
with course material, please direct your questions to the online
instructor. They are the lead instructor for the course. The lab
instructor will be able to help with any technical issues you might have
during lab, and will provide more information about their availability
during class.
Electronic Resources: Communication in this course will be primarily
through MIX email. You should be in the habit of checking your MIX
email account on a regular basis. Missing an email sent more than a
day in advance is not an acceptable excuse. It is easy to have your
MIX mail forwarded to your phone or the account you usually use.
Diversity: You will find that several of these assignments require you
to seek out individuals to interview and profile. WVU, Morgantown and
North Central West Virginia are diverse communities, and your stories
should reflect this. Whenever appropriate, you are expected to actively
seek out individuals who are not involved with the same organizations
and activies as you are. Do not photograph or interview your friends
and acquaintances.
Academic Integrity
As journalists and communicators, your reputation for honesty and
integrity is the basis of your credibility. In this course, you will be held
to the highest standard of ethical behavior. If you are caught cheating,
or engaging in plagiarism or fabrication*, you could receive an F for
the course, or an F for the assignment. You could also receive an
Unforgivable F on your academic transcript.
The Reed College of Media defines fabrication as the invention of any
fact, quote or source in a work of journalism. Any student who
presents work that knowingly, and without instructor approval,
fabricates quotes of sources can be found guilty of cheating.
The University defines plagiarism in terms of proscribed
acts. Students are expected to understand that such practices
constitute academic dishonesty regardless of motive. Those who deny
deceitful intent, claim not to have known that the act constituted
plagiarism, or maintain that what they did was inadvertent are
nevertheless subject to penalties when plagiarism has been
confirmed. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. Submitting as ones own work the product of someone elses
research, writing, artistic conception, theme, thesis, dissertation,
commercially prepared paper, musical piece or other written, visual,
oral or electronic/computerized material that has been copied in whole
or in part from the work of others, whether such source is published or
unpublished.
2. Incorporating in ones submission, without appropriate
acknowledgment and attribution, portions of the works of others; that
is, failing to use the conventional marks and symbols to acknowledge
the use of verbatim and near-verbatim passages of someone elses
work or failing to name the source of words, pictures, graphs, etc.,
other than ones own, that are incorporated into any work submitted as
ones own.
Cheating
The University defines cheating and dishonest practices in connection
with examinations, papers, and projects as including, but not limited
to:
1. Obtaining help form another student during examinations.
2. Knowingly giving help to another student during examinations,
taking an examination or doing academic work for another
student, or providing ones own work for another student to copy
and submit as his own.
3. The unauthorized use of notes, books, or other sources of
information during examinations.
4. Obtaining without authorization an examination or any part
thereof.
Violations of the Academic Integrity and Responsible Conduct Policy
will be handled by the instructor, the Student Code Administrator, and
the Student Conduct Board, as appropriate pursuant to West Virginia
University Board of Governors Policy 31. Please see the WVU Conduct
Code athttp://studentlife.wvu.edu/office_of_student_conduct.
Inclusion, Diversity and Civility
The West Virginia University community is committed to creating and
fostering a positive learning and working environment based on open
communication, mutual respect, and inclusion. As such, we are
committed to providing students, faculty, staff and job applicants with
a work and educational environment free from all forms of
harassment. Therefore, harassment, in any manner or form, is
expressly prohibited. Any suggestions as to how to further such a
positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and
given serious consideration.
If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of
accommodation to participate in this class, please advise me and make
appropriate arrangements with the Office of Disability Services (2936700).
Through its faculty and student work, the Reed College of Media is
actively committed to presenting diverse viewpoints to a general
audience and to seeking, nurturing and maintaining ties to a base of
multicultural sources. In public relations and advertising, the school
equates excellence in campaigns to representing and communicating
with diverse clients and audiences. In news storytelling, excellence is
equated with the ability to produce stories for and about a wide range
of communities and audiences.
For more information on West Virginia University's Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion initiatives, please seehttp://diversity.wvu.edu.
Days of Special Concern
WVU recognizes the diversity of its students and the needs of those
who wish to be absent from class to participate in Days of Special
Concern, which are listed on WVUs Web site. Students should notify
their instructor by the end of the second week of classes or prior to the
first Day of Special Concern, whichever is earlier, regarding such
absences. Your professor will make reasonable accommodations for
assignments that a student misses as a result of observing a Day of
Special Concern, providing the absence/s are discussed with the
professor in advance.
eCampus Assistance
For Help Desk assistance related to WVU passwords, network
connectivity issues, software issues, etc., please call 1.877.327.9260
or visit: https://oit.wvu.edu/helpdesk/
Student Support Services
The WVU Student Support Services office provides students with a
wide range of options (e.g., academic tutoring, computer assistance,
library access) to help “students overcome class, social, academic, and
cultural barriers to higher education.” For more information, please
visit: http://sss.wvu.edu/links
Questions
If you have any questions about this document, please contact me at
the email address included at the beginning of this syllabus.
Course Schedule
Discussio Respons Assignment
n Post
e Posts
s Due
Dates
Lesson
Assignment (Due by
11:55
s
p.m.
Eastern
Time)
(Due by
(Due by
11:55
11:55 p.m.
p.m.
Eastern
Eastern
Time)
Time)
Intro.
Week
January
12-16
Syllabus,
Course
Intro
January January
14 (Intro) 16 (Intro)
NONE
Unit 1
Introductio
January
n to
Assignment
19-23 Multimedia
Storytelling
Unit 2
Introductio
January
n to
Assignment
26-30 Photograph
y
Unit 3
February
Photo
Assignment
2-6
Editing
Unit 4
Ethics in
February Photograph
Assignment
9-13 y and Photo
Editing
Unit 5
February Introductio
Assignment
16-20 n to Audio
Unit 6
February
Audio
Assignment
23-27
Editing
Unit 7
1
January
21
January January 23
23
-Exercise 1
2
January
28
January
30
3
February February February 6
4
6
-Exercise 2
NONE
February
February February
4
13 - Project
11
13
1
5
February February
18
20
6
February February February 27
25
27
- Exercise 3
NONE
March 26
Audio
Ethics
March 6
March 6 Project
2 and
Midterm
Portfolio
March
13
NONE
March
20
March 20 Exercise 4
-
-
April 1
April 3
April 3 Project 3
First Edit
April 8
April 10
April 10 Exercise 5
April 17
April 17 Exercise
6 and
Project 3
Final Edit
April 24
April 24 Final
Portfolio
Assignment 7 March 4
Unit 8
March 9- Introductio
Assignment 8 March 11
13
n to Video
Unit 9
Video
March
Shooting Assignment 9 March 18
16-20
and Editing
March23
-27
Unit 10
March
30-April
3
Unit 11
Spring
Break
-
Video
Editing
Assignment
10
Infographic
April 6- s and Data Assignment
10
Visualizatio
11
n
Unit 12
April 1317
Coding
Assignment
12
-
April 15
WrapUp
Week
April 2024
April 22