Texas State University  School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Advanced Online Media  MC 5317  Spring 2010
Professor: Dr. Cindy Royal
Email: croyal@txstate.edu; ph. 245-3481
Course Web site: www.cindyroyal.com/webdesign
Office Hours, OM 224
MW 10-11am; M 3:30-4:30pm; W
3:30-6:30pm or by appt
376391– Sect. 251 – W 6:30-9:15pm (OM 238)
Most course materials and announcements will be delivered through the course Web site
www.cindyroyal.com/advanced. TRACS (http://tracs.txstate.edu) will be used primarily for
communication and posting grades. You will need your Texas State NetID and password to
access the TRACS site.
Required Textbook
No textbook. We'll have lots of online readings and handouts. You will be upgrading your
Doteasy domains ($5.95/month for one year) so we can work with a personal Wordpress
installation and PHP.
Course Description
In Advanced Online Media, we will continue exploring Web design topics, moving more heavily
into the area of development. The course will focus on application of these topics in the
communication discipline.
The format of the class will be largely decided by the students. The goal is to spend several
weeks going over new topics and doing exercises, then working on a group deliverable with the
topic to be decided by the students. Instructor may choose to deliver some lectures and
assignments online.
Objectives
Upon completing this course, students can expect:
 To have an advanced understanding of Web Design and Development issues
 To be able to apply techniques to advanced multimedia projects
 To use advanced Javascript, JQuery CSS, HTML, Web Framework, PHP, Ruby on Rails
and MySQL skills.
Teaching Methods
This class uses a variety of teaching methods to accommodate various learning styles. Lecture
is but one method in which students will be introduced to course concepts. Students are
expected to participate in news and current event discussions, providing topics that are of
interest to them. The instructor will cover skills session in class as a group, and students will
practice skills both in and out of class in order to complete projects. The course Web site
provides a variety of resources for reinforcement of learning, including downloadable handouts
and video tutorials. Students will also participate in online discussions and a blogging activity
that will further provide an opportunity to communicate and contribute.
Email
You must use an active Texas State email account. Communication via TRACS uses your
Texas State email, and the university is required to send grade information out only through the
Texas State email system. Make sure you check your email on a regular basis, as schedule
changes will be communicated there as well as on TRACS.
Course Requirements
1.
Weekly Homework and Assignments (20%)
2.
News Presentations (10%)
3.
SXSW Project (30%)
4.
Final Group Multimedia Project (30%)
5.
Attendance/Participation (10%)
These requirements are subject to change during the 1st week of class as students provide
input into the requirements. The final project will be graded in sections for individual and group
contributions.
Late Assignments and Attendance
You must attend class during the scheduled time each week. We will be covering advanced
topics, and it will be difficult (near impossible) to catch up. Some lectures and assignments may
be delivered online.
Grade Scale
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
< 60 F
There is no extra credit available for this class. Please contact the instructor early in the
semester if you are having problems with any of the course requirements.
Supplies and Equipment
You will need a USB storage device (Flash drive) to save a backup of your files. You will also
receive access to a shared folder on the department server, but it is best to have a backup on
disk. Students should also have a TX State email account that they check frequently. This will
be the main method of course communication.
Equipment Checkout
We have two digital still cameras and five DV camcorders assigned to this class. Please contact
me in advance if you want to check one out. You will be allowed to keep it from one class period
to the next, so plan your shoots accordingly. On the day you return a still camera, you must
download your photos and delete them from the memory stick at the first available lab time and
return the camera to the Instructor (n/a for camcorders, as you will be using your own tape). You
will need to purchase a DV cassette tape for the camcorders. To reserve a camera for a specific
date, email instructor.
You MUST return the camera(s) in full working order on the following class period. It is
important to respect other classmates' needs to use the equipment. No Excuses will be
accepted. Failure to return the equipment on the next class period will result in an automatic
reduction of 10% from your final course grade, and your equipment checkout privilege will be
revoked for the remainder of the semester.
You are responsible for the equipment that you checkout. Failure to return any equipment due
to loss, damage, theft or any other reason will result in the replacement value of that equipment
being charged to your TX State account.
Student Conduct
In this class, you should feel comfortable to participate and express opinions and ideas. Please
respect the opinions of others and be considerate of their need to contribute and learn. Turn off
cell phones before entering class, and do not take calls during class. Do not use your phone for
text messaging during class. Surfing the Web, checking email, IMing or other non-related
activities during class are not acceptable. Please do not have private conversations with your
neighbors during class time, whether the instructor or other students are talking.
Any student who does not adhere to these conduct policies will be asked to leave the
classroom. In general, please be respectful of others desire to learn and help to create a fun
and beneficial classroom environment.
Student work will be displayed on the Web, which means that it will be available to anyone with
Internet access and a browser. Please see the instructor if you have any concerns about
posting your projects to the Web.
Dropping a Course
Texas State has a new course drop policy. You can drop this or any course by March 24 and
receive an automatic W. After the drop date you cannot drop a single course. You must
withdraw from all courses. This drop date is much earlier than in the past.
Academic Honesty
Students are required to submit original work in this course unless otherwise specified in the
assignments. This includes text, content, graphics and photography. Students may use clip art
from "free" clip art sites with appropriate credit and identification, but are encouraged to design
their own artwork (grades will be higher for using original work as opposed to another's artwork).
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication commits itself to the preparation of mass
media professionals and scholars. Such a mission demands the highest standards of academic
honesty and integrity. Violations of academic honesty, including but not limited to plagiarism,
unauthorized collaboration, collusion, deception, conflict of interest and theft, are not tolerated
and can lead to severe penalties. Disciplinary actions for violations of the standards for
academic honesty are outlined in the Texas State Academic Honesty Statement, printed each
year in the Student Handbook. The policy is also available at
http://www.mrp.txstate.edu/studenthandbook/rules.html#academic.
Note to Students with Disabilities
Texas State University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals
with disabilities. This university will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Office of
Disability Services (ODS) at (512) 245-3451, and register with that office. ODS is located in
Suite 5-5.1 at the LBJ Student Center. If you are a student with a disability certified by ODS
and you require accommodations in this class, it is your responsibility to notify the professor no
later than the fifth class day of this semester so that accommodations can be discussed and
promptly provided.
Instructor may notify you of changes or updates to policies in this syllabus throughout
the semester.
Texas State University  School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Advanced Online Media  MC 5317  Spring 2010
Schedule of Topics
This is a brief outline of topics to be covered in this class. Please see the course outline on the
class Web site (www.cindyroyal.com/advanced) for readings, assignments, and handouts.
Jan. 19
Group SXSW Project Discussion; Web Dev Presentation; HTML5/CSS3
Jan. 26
Intro. To Wordpress; Custom Wordpress installations
Feb. 2
Forms /Templates/ SQLite Manager
Feb. 9
Javascript and JQuery
Feb. 16
Javascript and JQuery
Feb. 23
No class – online assigments; Animated Infographics
March 2
PHP MySQL
March 9
Final SXSW prep
March 16
Spring Break/SXSW project
March 23
SXSW Wrap Up
Google Fusion Tables
March 30
Google Visualizations
April 6
Advanced Video Techniques
April 13
Web Frameworks – Ruby on Rails and Django
April 20
Web Frameworks, continued
April 27
Drupal; Mobile Development
May 4
Final Group Project Work – We will meet throughout week and during final exam time on May
4th (8-10:30pm) to work on projects.
May 11
Final Group Project Presentations