D I G I TA L M E D I A P R O G R A M
Course Syllabus — subject to change with notice
DIGM 4390: Current Issues
in Digital Media
Spring 2013
Professor:
Lab Instructor:
Lab Instructor:
Professor’s Office:
Professor’s Telephone:
Professor’s E-mail:
Program Web Site:
Course Location:
Course Day/Time:
Office Hours:
Open Lab:
Course Description:
Prerequisite:
Credit:
Course Goals:
Dr. Jerry Waite
Mr. Harold Halliday (hhallida@Central.UH.EDU
Mr. Can Le (chle2@uh.edu)
Room 342 T-2
713-743-4089; 832-656-3089 (cell—use your judgement)
jwaite@uh.edu
http://www.digitalmedia.tech.uh.edu
102A-T
W 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
(Main Campus) M 8:00–12:00 Noon; W 8:00–8:30 AM
or by appointment.
See separate handout available from Can Le.
Issues and topics in digital media.
DIGM 2351, 3352, and 4374.
3 semester hours
During Spring 2013, the Current Issues in Digital Media course
will emphasize the production of complete digital media projects
from conceptualization through final production.
Students completing the course will describe, demonstrate, compare, analyze, integrate, and critique Digital Media concepts
related to:
1.
meeting with clients to ascertain their needs;
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2.
preparing a preliminary report to receive feedback from
peers;
3.
preparing complete design proposals;
4.
presenting design proposals to clients; and
5.
producing graphic products chosen by clients.
Required textbooks:
Webb, J., and Romano, R. (2010). Disrupting the Future.
Harrisville, RI: Strategies for Management, Inc. (available in PDF
form on the digital media server).
Important Information:
As a student of the University of Houston, information available
at http://www.uh.edu/provost/stu/stu_syllabsuppl/index.php
will be critical to you in insuring that your academic pursuits
meet with success and that you encounter the fewest financial
and academic difficulties possible. Please take a few moments to
review each of the areas, and become familiar with the resources detailed on the website with regard to: The UH Academic
Honesty Policy: the UH Academic Calendar; Students with
Disabilities; Religious Holy Day FAQs; and Other Information.
Overall course extra credit may be earned through participation in the University of Houston chapter of the International
Graphic Arts Education Association (IGAEAUH). Students who
join IGAEAUH and attend a minimum of three association meetings will earn three points extra credit on their final grades.
IGAEAUH officers will receive five points of extra credit on their
final grades.
Extra credit:
Should the IGAEA not meet during the semester, Dr. Waite will
assign alternative course extra credit assignments.
Attendance at all class sessions is expected. There will be a
grade penalty for all absences. In other words, there is no
such thing as an excused absence. Be on time for
class sessions. Tardies of more than 10 minutes count as 1/2
an absence. You may only accumulate three total absences. You
may be dropped after the fourth absence. Look at it this way:
there is no way to make up any class that you miss. Notes from
friends or textbook readings are no substitute for actually being
present in class. Here’s another thought: you and the taxpayers
of the State of Texas are paying Your professor to be present in
the DIGM 4390 class. Why pay money for something
you don’t take? Another notion: attending class is like attending a live concert. If you show up late, the artist will not repeat
the performance you missed.
Attendance:
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Assignments:
Digital Media Communications Projects
(2 or 3):
The purpose of the team projects is to provide students with
experience in proposing digital media communications strategies
to clients and then producing chosen solutions. Presentations
will simulate what formal strategy presentations would be like in
industry.
Each of the projects will entail various aspects of product market
research, advertising, design (graphic and structural), materials, cost estimating, and product production. Projects must meet
the needs of the clients and be accepted by them. Teams are
responsible for written briefs, verbal presentations to clients and
class, product prototypes (sample print products, banner ads,
websites, magazine/newspaper ads, and other digital media
products), and production of the prototypes chosen by their clients.
Teams:
Dr. Waite will choose a leader for each group...group leaders will be those with the highest overall GPAs in the class. The
remaining students will provide each leader with his or her
resume and a “draft,” based upon the documented skills of each
class member, will be used to assign students to groups. Each
team will develop a “Team Contract” that will serve as a basis
for individual expectations and responsibilities. A copy of the
contract will be kept on file in Dr. Waite’s office.
Grading:
The team projects grade make up a significant portion of your
overall course grade and should be taken very seriously. Team
project grades will be based on the following:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Projects to be Completed
Project 1: All groups will compete to produce the marketing
materials for the Spring 2013 Red Carpet Event. Specifications
for the materials to be created will be determined by meeting
with students who participate in a cooperating TELS course in
Spring 2013.
Preliminary report and presentation to class
Design proposal (including cost estimate)
Verbal presentation to client
Production of final products
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Read Webb and Romano
1
1/16
2
1/23
3
1/30
4
2/6
5
2/13
6
2/20
7
2/27
8
3/6
9
3/20
10
3/27
11
4/3
12
4/10
13
4/17
14
4/24
Foreword
(John Tran)
Chapter 1
(Courtney Banks)
Chapter 2
(Saul Torres)
Chapter 3
(Morgan Callies)
Chapter 4
(Ana Nickles)
Chapter 5
(Nathaniel Dang)
Chapter 6
(Kevin Kuo)
Chapter 7
(Kelsie Ervin)
Chapter 8
(Maria Rubi)
Afterword; Your Weapons of
Mass Disruption (M. Hickey)
5/9
—
Milestones
Introduction and orientation
Meet at Museum of Printing History at 9:00 am.
Preliminary Report (Project 1)
Preliminary Report (Project 2)
Design Proposal Presentation to TELS class (Project 1)
Design Proposal Presentation to Project 2 client
Project 1 Products due
during this period as required by client
Week
Project 2 Products Due to Clients (Due dates may vary per client needs)
Project 3 Proposals due to Dr. Waite
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All groups will present their proposals to the TELS class.
Proposals must be given prior to midterm. Students in the TELS
class will choose the “winning” proposal. The “winning” team
will have the honor of producing the digital media products for
the 2013 Red Carpet Event and will receive an “A” for their
preliminary report, design proposal, and project estimate. The
“winning team” will not be required to produce Project 3.
All other groups will receive grades as determined by Dr. Waite.
Project 2: All groups will complete a second digital media
project assigned by Dr. Waite. Students will meet with the curator of the Museum of Printing History, ascertain her needs, produce a design proposal, rework the proposal as necessary, and
complete the production of the required products.
Project 3: Groups that do not win the Red Carpet Event competition will each produce a proposal for digital media products to
market the Digital Media Program to potential high school students
in Fort Bend and Lamar Independent School Districts.
Preliminary Reports (Projects 1 and 2):
It is essential to get started as soon as possible. Marketing
research takes time. You will be required to give a preliminary
reports (See Course Schedule for due dates). The report will
require a brief (no more than four pages, 12 points, doublespacing) with any relevant, supportive materials to explain the
project history and preliminary marketing strategy. An oral presentation of your preliminary study is required. Dr. Waite and
the class (your clients) will provide feedback on the report during class.
Design Proposals (Projects 1-3):
Each team will be required to submit a written report of their
design proposals. The report should be written in APA format
and organized to include the following items:
1. Title page—Title, date, course, and team members’ names.
2. Table of Contents.
3. Executive Summary (Abstract) of the report.
4. Background information—stating company and brand
history
5. Marketing research—trends, competition, positioning,
statistical information.
6. Target market—demographics, consumer insight, consumer behavior.
7. Project life-cycle (per TELS 3355):
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a. Break down the project into the various stages of its life
cycle.
b. Identify the processes that are required to complete the
various stages of the project. This will include the milestones, documentation, and checklists.
c. Identify the resources required to complete the project in
terms of time, money, personnel, equipment, technology,
etc.
d. Identify the leadership skills required to successfully execute the stages of the project life cycle.
e. Identify the parameters required to evaluate the outcome
of the project.
8. Production issues & constraints—Database acquisition, work
flow, estimated time, production methods, materials, and
distribution considerations.
9. Budget & cost issues—Database acquisition, advertising
rationale (elements, graphics, emphasis, and appeal to audi ence) production cost and pricing, distribution cost and
pricing.
10.Regulatory (legal) issues, if any.
11.Environmental and sustainable practices and policies
12.Design—including preliminary designs, design development and final designs for all digital media products. Rationale
should be included for the decisions that were made regard- ing the design process.
13.Bibliography and appendices.
The written brief must be no more than 10 pages in length (double-spacing, 12 pt typeface), include appropriate appendices,
and be professionally documented (well written, organized, and
presented in a quality manner). Cite sources properly using the
format mentioned above. Statistics, if accurate, are very effective
in convincing the client to accept your proposal. Remember that
statistics and any other information that is not your own must
have a reference cited. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Verbal Presentation (Projects 1 and 2 only):
Each team will be required to give a formal presentation to your
client. All team members must take an active role in the presentation. You are encouraged to take this presentation very seriously. As a professional, you should dress and act the part. You
should use some type of presentation software. The presentation
should take no more than one half hour to present.
The sequence of the presentation should be similar to the written
report. You should have samples of all your digital media prod–6–
ucts in hard copy or on-screen versions as applicable. While
addressing your clients, you should have the appropriate visuals
(charts, statistics, etc.) to graphically support your presentation.
Expect questions from your clients. The more involved the client
becomes in your presentation the easier it is for them to accept
your proposal.
Use clear and concise organization that only includes pertinent
facts. Do not bore your clients with trivial information. To conclude, clearly define what the benefits will be to your client and
try to sell benefits not a package. Remember, you are trying to
sell a proposal, which, as you know, will provide substantial revenue to your company.
Grading: Item Percent of grade
Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%
Project 1
Preliminary Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Design Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Verbal Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%
Production (or Project 3 Design Proposal) . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Project 2
Preliminary Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Design Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Verbal Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%
Production (or Project 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Percent/letter grades:
A. . . . . . 94-100
A- . . . . . 90-93
B+. . . . . . 87-89
B. . . . . . . 84-86
B- . . . . . . 80-83
C+. . . . . . 77-79
C. . . . . . . 74-76
C- . . . . . 70-73
D+. . . . . . 67-69
D. . . . . . . 64-66
D- . . . . . 60-63
Grade expectations:
Dr. Waite expects students in the course to be capable and motivated professionals. No such student should be content with a
grade less than “B.” Please provide the attention, motivation and
effort necessary to reach this grade expectation.
Due date policy:
Adds/drops:
Please refer to the University’s Undergraduate Catalog and the
Schedule of Classes for the appropriate add/drop dates and procedures. Those procedures must be followed to the letter.
Incompletes:
An “incomplete” grade will only be issued if the student is maintaining an acceptable level of achievement and cannot, due to
some factor beyond the control of the student, complete
one or more major assignment. If a student wishes an “incom-
Late work is “yesterday’s news.” In keeping with this idea,
assignments must be turned in as scheduled.
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plete” grade, s/he must explain the situation to Dr. Waite in
advance and make specific arrangements to make up missing
work no later than one year after the “incomplete” is issued.
Classroom cleanliness:
Janitorial services are rarely provided in rooms 102A-T, 102B-T
and 102F-T. For this reason, and to keep the equipment clean,
no food or drink is allowed in the room for any reason at any time. Please clean up after yourself!
Any student who may be in need of additional help under the
ADA guidelines should contact Dr. Waite ASAP.
Americans
with Disabilities Act:
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