COM 115 – Introduction to Design and Digital Media Environments
INSTRUCTOR: STEVEN HAGER
EMAIL: steven.hager@csi.cuny.edu

SECTIONS:

COM 115-D003 (19140) Th 4:40PM – 6:20PM Jan 30 – Mar 12, 2020
COM 115-D002 (19139) Fr 8:00AM – 9:55AM Jan 31 – Mar 13, 2020
COM 115-S001 (19971) Sa 12:20PM – 2:15PM Feb 1 – Mar 14, 2020
COM 115-D005 (20701) Th 4:40PM – 6:20PM Mar 19 – May 14, 2020

All Sections meet in the Digital Design and Multimedia Laboratory (DDM LAB) Room 1P-231

Office hours:

Wednesday 12:00PM – 1:00PM in  the Adjunct Office Room 232

All links to the readings for this class, study questions for our quizzes and any updates to this syllabus will all be found on the class blog:

https://com115csicuny.commons.gc.cuny.edu/

Course Information
This course introduces the fundamental tools, skills and principles that are a prerequisite to using a computer for graphic design, digital imaging, and web design.  We will start with navigating the computer’s operating system, and end with creating simple animations.  In between we will cover scanning, digital cameras, basic illustration, digital imaging, and web-design.  You will learn about vector and raster graphics, graphic file types and naming conventions, and how to get master files ready for print or the web.  It seems like a lot, (it is a lot,) but it will be very exciting.

Materials and Supplies

TEXT BOOK:

Digital Foundations: Intro to Media Design with the Adobe Creative Suite, by xtine burrough & Michael Mandiberg, Peachpit Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0321555984

This book and all materials therein are updated regularly from the 2008 edition  and are available to you for free at:

http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Main_Page

Also: a USB pen drive (also called key drive, or thumb drive)

Grading Criteria:
Attendance: Lateness and absences will affect your grade. Because of the length of the course, one absence will significantly reduce your grade (as a result of missed material and quizzes) and two absences will prompt a grade of WU (withdrew unofficially) because you will be missing 25% of class.

Scale:
Participation – 10%
Quizzes – 50%
Final Examination – 40%

Quizzes:

Quizzes begin at the start of every class, and last 5-10 minutes (duration reflecting difficulty, and chosen at the discretion of the Instructor.)  Quizzes cannot be made up.  Which is to say: come on time.

Final Exam:

The Final exam will cover the core material we have learned.  It will be both an on-computer exam as well as some short answer questions that reflect the core course material and the daily quizzes. It will be a closed book exam, which is to say that while the exam is taking place you may not look at web sites or wikis related to the course material.

 

Lab Policies:
Turn your phone off and leave it off during class time.
No instant messaging or texting during class, I will penalize students points from their class participation for repeat offenses.
No food allowed in class or lab at any time.
No private software is to be brought to lab or loaded onto school computers.
No software games are allowed in lab.

Class Outline
Session 1: Welcome to your Mac
Exercise 1: Opening, saving and closing files with Illustrator
Digital Foundations, Chapter 1, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_1_Sandbox

Exercise 2: become an expert user on the web
Digital Foundations, Chapter 2, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_2_Sandbox
Google Image Search (w/ Advanced Search)
Get a real email account (with a name that is not xxxjonzz1991xxx@aol.com)
ASSIGNMENT: get USB drive
ASSIGNMENT: bring in something to scan next week
ASSIGNMENT: bring in digital camera (if you have one)
Session 2: Scanning and Digital Cameras

Exercise 3: Scanning with Photoshop
Digital Foundations, Chapter 7, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_7_Sandbox
Lab time for student scanning
Session 3: Drawing Shapes: Illustrator
Exercise 4: Color + Illustrator Basics (w/ Albers)
Digital Foundations, Chapter 5, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_5_Sandbox
Session 4: Digital Imaging: Photoshop
Exercise 6: Tonal Range
Exercise 7: Color Correction
Digital Foundations, Chapter 8, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_8_Sandbox
Session 5: Web Design: Dreamweaver
Exercise 8: Hello World
Digital Foundations, Chapter 15, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_15_Sandbox_CS4
Session 6: Motion Graphics: After Effects vs Animate
Exercise 8: Elements of Motions
Digital Foundations, Chapter 18, http://wiki.digital-foundations.net/index.php?title=Chapter_18_Sandbox
Additional Readings in After Effects Terminology
Session 7: Uploading & Final Exam
Exercise 10: Getting it out there
Blogging Basics
how to set up a blogging account w/ WordPress
Upload to Flickr
Create free account
Upload image
Tag image
Web Hosting
how to set up a web hosting account w/ Dreamhost
Final Exam
Learning Goals
• Students will gain an understanding of the software applications used in the Communications program, and which types of files and design situations require the specific applications.
• Students will develop basic competency in the core design applications.
• Students will begin to build aesthetic composition skills.
Learning Assessment Plan

Students will be asked to define key terms and explain key concepts in quizzes and exams. The final exam will have questions that test skills in each design application. Final exam questions will present a range of tasks asking student to properly identify the software application in order to complete the exam. A selection of these exam questions will be used as a data set to assess outcomes.

Coursework and exercises are built around aesthetics and composition. The final exam questions will focus on aesthetics and composition. A selection of these exam questions will be used as a data set to assess outcomes.

 

Please go to Professor Tevere’s, Professor Mandiberg’s or Professor Han’s office hours for all Design and Digital Media advising. ​