Syllabus

TITLE OF COURSE: Multimedia Project Lab

COURSE NUMBER & SECTION: MMP460-0900, Fall 2024

SCHEDULE: Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 9AM-11:15AM. The recurring link for synchronous Zoom sessions will be posted on Brightspace (to insure privacy). Please email me at apinkas@bmcc.cuny.edu if you cannot find the link.

PROFESSOR: Anna Pinkas | email: apinkas@bmcc.cuny.edu | Office hours on Zoom: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:15PM – 2:45PM. The recurring link for these sessions will be posted on Brightspace (to insure privacy). Please email me at apinkas@bmcc.cuny.edu if you cannot find the link or if you’d like to schedule a different time to talk. 

CREDITS: 4| CLASS HRS: 3| LAB HRS/WEEK: 2

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will work collaboratively to plan, design and create a complete interactive, multimedia project. Projects may be drawn from such applications and tools as: media campaign; information kiosks; websites and mobile apps; physical computing, and digital fabrication.

PREREQUISITES: MMP200 and any 200-level MMP or MMA course.

Course Student Learning Outcomes (Students will be able to…) Measurements (means of assessment for student learning outcomes listed in first column
Students will work in a group to plan, design and produce a complete, interactive multimedia project. Campaign project
Students will apply advanced digital skills, and combine several types of media to create a cohesive project. Campaign project
Students will carefully assess their target audience and design their project accordingly. Campaign project
Students will assess and improve their portfolio to assist them in meeting their educational/career goals. Portfolio assignment

REQUIRED TEXT

RECOMMENDED TEXT

  • A good HTML5/CSS book
  • The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition by Don Norman
  • Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition) by Steve Krug
  • 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk

 OTHER REQUIRED RESOURCES

 USE OF TECHNOLOGY

  • The preferred software for this course require the use of a computer (laptop or desktop) with certain specifications as well as a WiFi connection. If you have any concerns regarding access to a computer, software or Internet please email me at apinkas@bmcc.cuny.edu to make me aware of the situation ASAP. We will work together to find a solution.

    You can get a free license for Adobe software for the semester by following these instructions: https://servicedesk.bmcc.cuny.edu/TDClient/KB/ArticleDet?ID=1070

  • In person labs are open on campus. You can find more information here: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/students/lrc/lab-services/ 

  • You will use a variety of software applications to work on your interactive, multimedia projects. Here is a list or recommended software (and open-source/free alternatives when available):
  • Assignments will be submitted via Open Lab, but I will upload grades and comments on Brightspace. For more information on how to login to Brightspace, please visit this page: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/academics/digitaleducation/student-support/brightspace-for-students/
  • All Students are required to use their full BMCC email address when signing into the computers, Wi-Fi, BMCC Portal and other BMCC IT Services requiring authentication. (For example, John Doe would now sign in as john.doe@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu)

TUTORING Take advantage of BMCC’s one-on-one tutoring services (free!).You can find more information on online tutoring on this page (https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/students/lrc/online-tutoring/)

CLASS PARTICIPATION Participation in the academic activity of each course is a significant component of the learning process and plays a major role in determining overall student academic achievement. Academic activities may include, but are not limited to, attending class, submitting assignments, engaging in in-class or online activities, taking exams, and/or participating in group work. Each instructor has the right to establish their own class participation policy, and it is each student’s responsibility to be familiar with and follow the participation policies for each course.

CAMERA: All students enrolled in this synchronous remote course are required to have their cameras on during class.

REQUIREMENTS & EVALUATION OF STUDENTS Grading is based on the successful completion of workshop exercises, a web-based portfolio, the campaign project, and on class participation. Students are expected to attend every synchronous session, to follow the workshops and discussions (in-class and online). Failure to do so will affect the “class participation” grade (see below). Projects must be handed in on time. Points will be deducted for work that is handed in late. It is your responsibility to contact me in the event of an absence or of an issue with meeting a deadline. I will do my best to help you catch up, but I must be notified. You may also re-submit workshop exercises to improve your grade.

  • Workshop exercises: 25%
  • Portfolio: 15%
  • Campaign project: 50%
  • Class participation: 10%

OUTLINE OF TOPICS

  • Digital media workshops (four from the following list: Typography, HTML/CSS, Bootstrap, WordPress, UX, Design Systems, Designing for Social Media, Kinetic typograph, AR/VR, Physical computing, Digital fabrication)
  • Portfolio review and enhancement
  • Teamwork/collaboration strategies
  • Campaign project – Project research
  • Campaign project – User Experience
  • Campaign project – Visual Design
  • Campaign project – Development
  • Campaign project – Presentation

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN (subject to change)

Week One (Thu 8/29 & Tue 9/3)

  • Intro to course
  • Portfolio review
  • Intro to OpenLab

Deliverable: portfolio review: gathering, organizing, describing + OpenLab portfolio creation and link

Week Two (Thu 9/5 & Tue 9/10)

  • Crit: portfolio review
  • Campaign project overview
  • Creating groups for the campaign project
  • Brainstorming ideas

Deliverable: team contracts + shared folder creation and link + pitch presentations

Week Three (Thu 9/12 & Tue 9/17)

  • Brainstorming ideas
  • Creating a pitch
  • Planning the digital media workshops

Weeks Four (Thu 9/19 & Tue 9/24)

  • Pitch presentations (9/19 or 9/24 – groups can pick the date)
  • In-class workshop: portfolio review update

Deliverable: portfolio review – formatting

Weeks Five (Tue 9/26 & Thu 10/1)

  • Group meetings to debrief the pitch feedback
  • Digital media workshop I  & II (TBD)

Deliverable: Work on digital media exercises (all of them are due on 10/17) 

NO CLASSES on 10/3

Week Six (Tue 10/8 & Thu 10/10)

  • Digital media workshop III (TBD)
  • Target audience
  • Creative Brief
  • Time management

Deliverable: persona, creative brief, digital media exercises (10/17)

NO CLASS on 10/15 (follows Monday schedule)

Week Seven (Thu 10/17 & Tue 10/22)

  • Sketching and developing ideas
  • Writing and presenting project proposals

Deliverable: text, start sketches (due on week 10)

Week Eight (Thu 10/24 & Tue 10/29) 

  • Color
  • Typography

Deliverable: style guide Week Nine (Thu 10/31 & Tue 11/5) 

  • Preparing the preliminary design presentations

Deliverable: preliminary design presentations (including sketches) NO CLASSES 11/28 (Thanksgiving)  Weeks Ten (Thu 11/7 & Tue 11/12), Eleven (Thu 11/14 & Tue 11/19), Twelve (Thu 11/21 & Tue 11/26)Thirteen (Tue 12/3 & Thu 12/5)

  • Preliminary design presentations (X/X)
  • Revising and finalizing the design
  • Portfolio reviews

Deliverables: Revisions based on feedback received during the design review + portfolio requests for feedback (last chance)

Week Fourteen (Tue 12/10 & Thu 12/12)

  • Final Portfolios due (in the form of a live URL via email). We will look at 5-6 portfolios together in class (please consider volunteering – this can help with your class/participation grade) (Thu 12/12)
  • Campaign project finishing touches + final presentation preparation

Deliverables: campaign project assets + presentation prep + final portfolio submission (in the form of a live URL on Open Lab)

Week Fifteen (Tue 12/17 & Thu 12/19)

  • Deliverables: Final campaign projects presentations
General Education Learning Outcomes Measurements (means of assessment for student learning outcomes listed in first column
Communication Skills- Students will be able to write, read, listen and speak critically and effectively Class presentations, critiques and project briefs.
Quantitative Reasoning: Students will be able to use quantitative skill and the concepts and methods of mathematic to solve problems. n/a
Scientific Reasoning– Students will be able to apply the concepts and methods of the natural sciences n/a
Social and Behavioral Science– Students will be apply the concepts and methods of the social sciences n/a
Arts & Humanities– Students will be able to develop knowledge and understanding of the arts and literature through critiques of works of art, music, theatre and literature. Design assignments and class critique discussions.
Information & Technology Literacy– Students will be able to collect, evaluate and interpret information and effectively use information technologies. Design assignments and project briefs.
Values– Students will be able to make informed choices based on an understating of personal values, human diversity, multicultural awareness and social responsibility. Design assignments, project briefs and class critique discussions.

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