The Digital Media Program explores the interrelated elements of communication, business, design, and computer science in a setting that emphasizes user-centered design and usability testing. The program fosters critical reasoning, creativity, innovation, and problem solving so that graduates have the ability to evolve as quickly as current technology. Rather than focusing on specific applications and technologies, students in the program will complete advanced coursework in one of the six areas to form a concentration in audio engineering, business technology, communications, programming, design, user experience, or videography. The General Education Program at the College, together with the courses in the student's concentration, will expose students to the fundamental questions of how information is created, processed, understood, and communicated.
Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science with a major in Digital Media
Major core requirements:
DIGI 130 Principles of Interaction Design| This class surveys the principles and practices of
information design, information architecture, and
interaction design. Students will learn and
practice human-centered design methods in
designing meaningful and effective interfaces in
which users interact with information. Prerequisite: freshman or sophomore standing, or permission
of the instructor. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with IXD 130) |
| The course emphasizes planning, conducting, and
analyzing usability tests. The course will teach
the basic concepts of usability research. Using
the principles and techniques of usability
testing, students will research the effectiveness
of online and print documents, and physical
objects, using video and digital equipment, with
emphasis on rhetorical effectiveness and usability
of information design and architecture, graphics,
text, design, and format. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with IXD 131) |
| An introduction to the fundamental elements of 2D
design. Students work with graphic symbols,
theories of visual perception, principles of
composition, and color interaction in a variety of
studio projects. The emphasis of the course will
be placed on the design process as students
develop their ability to communicate their ideas
through the use of traditional and digital media. 3 credits. |
| The course will focus on blending the creative and
technical aspects of developing electronic images
and layouts. Students will apply traditional
design methods and techniques to the electronic
canvas. Additionally, the course will serve to
familiarize students with industry standard
software and procedures for producing creative
work for a variety of media. 3 credits. |
| This course will cover the use of tHTML5, CSS3,
and basic JavaScript to create functioning web
sites. The course will enable students to
incorporate critical thinking skills and integrate
web-based principles to develop hands-on projects.
The course will be conducted through lectures,
readings, tests, and assignments. 3 credits. |
| This course examines the benefits and challenges
of entrepreneurship and the process of
innovation. The class explores the business
models, processes, and business functions that
entrepreneurs and innovators apply to effectively
solve problems and create new products, services,
and experiences. 3 credits. |
| This course explores how organizations use and
integrate technology in their business
operations. An emphasis is placed on
understanding and applying the business models
and strategies that support technology and
business decisions. 3 credits. |
| This course is designed to teach the fundamentals
for creating dynamic Web sites using JavaScript.
With a basic understanding of the Web layout
and design process, the student will learn the
basic workflows of Web development and learn how
to use JavaScript to create effective and
interactive web pages. Prerequisite: DIGI 170. 3 credits. |
| This course is designed to teach the fundamentals
of databases and how they might be used to create
dynamic and data driven Web pages. With an
understanding of Web layout and design
process, the student will learn the basics of
industry standard languages for accessing
databases (for example PHP, Ajax or MySQL) and use
these languages to design and develop data-driven
sites and networked applications. Prerequisite: DIGI 270. 3 credits. |
| Those who create and maintain any kind of website
or networked communication platform - for
business, news, commerce, entertainment,
education, government - can only succeed in
communicating information effectively to their
users with careful attention to content strategy
and content creation. Writers and editors have to
engage audiences and provide them with the
narratives that best tell their organizations'
stories. In other words, content creators have to
be good storytellers. In this course, the first
half of a two-semester sequence, students will
focus on considering the human-centered design
process as they research and create content that
follows professional writing standards. 3 credits. |
| Once an organization has developed a coherent and
audience-aware content strategy for its online
properties, it must present content with the
highest writing and production values in order to
fulfill and measure the goals of that strategy.
This course will build on the writing and content
strategy skills students gained in DCOM 282 and
will implement the human-centered design process
as students choose the best way to feature
relevant content on a digital platform. They will
focus on the technical and artistic skills of
storytelling that fulfills planned and persuasive
messaging. They will also fulfill content
strategy goals by solving problems related to
managing and assessing content once it is
published. 3 credits. |
| Portfolio: A formal collection of the student's
completed work to be presented before the Design,
Media and Technology faculty and students as part
of the student's formal request to register for
an Internship. Fulfills requirement: Immersive Experience. Graded pass/fail. Prerequisites: DIGI 130, 131, 151, 262,
270,and 282, or permission of the instructor.
Corequisites: DIGI 261, 271 and 281. 0 credits. (This course is cross-listed with IXD 299) |
| Students will begin with a foundation in media
law and ethical reasoning and examine both legal
and ethical questions surrounding the use of
digital media. They will then move on to examine
the ways that the Web and digital media platforms
have transformed traditional understandings of
concepts like intellectual property rights,
privacy, and free speech. Students will work with
case studies, national and international legal
documents, academic research, and company
guidelines in order to understand whether legal
strictures or ethical reasoning should guide
personal, governmental, and corporate behavior. Fulfills requirement: Critical Thinking through Writing. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or FYE 112, and junior or senior
standing. 3 credits. |
| Internship in Digital Communications. Fulfills requirement: Immersive Experience. Graded pass/fail. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. 1-12 credits. |
or
IME 400 Internship| Practical and professional work experience, off
campus, related to the student's educational
pursuits and/or career interests and involving at
least 45 working hours. This
designation is for internships that are not for
academic credit, but meet the college's criteria
for an immersive experience. Internships must
address required learning objectives related to
professional development. Fulfills requirement: Immersive Experience. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: approval of a faculty member from a
department related to the focus internship and completion
of an internship form, available on the Registrar's Office
website. 0 credits. |
| This capstone course simulates the environment of
a tech startup, with students applying principles
of human centered design to manage projects from
concept to launch. Students will learn to identify
real-world user problems, conduct research to
understand the needs and pain points of target
audiences, and propose innovative solutions in the
form of tech-centric startups. Emphasis is placed
on creativity, iteration, and team collaboration.
The course integrates frequent oral presentations,
pitches, and team status reports to simulate the
agile, dynamic environment of a startup. Fulfills requirement: Oral Communication. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with IXD 410) |
| This practicum focuses on integrating formative
and summative usability testing and qualitative
research practices into the design and development
of both physical and digital products. Students
will learn qualitative and advanced usability
methods to be used to gather qualitative data,
analyze it, and apply the insights to create
user-driven solutions. The course culminates in a
final project and promotional materials informed
by research findings. Fulfills requirement: Social Scientific Inquiry. Pre-requisite: DIGI 131. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with IXD 411) |
In addition to the core, each major must complete one of the following 12-credit concentrations. Students will select courses in consultation with their advisor. Subject to the approval of the advisor, courses may be taken outside of the concentration and/or department.