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 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:
DCOM 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: DCOM 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: DCOM 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: DCOM 130, DCOM 131, DCOM 151, DCOM 262, DCOM
270, and DCOM 282, or permission of the instructor.
Corequisites: DCOM 261, DCOM 271 and DCOM 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. |
| This capstone course teaches the theory and application of planning projects in the field of digital communications. The course covers principles of project management, research, and project strategy. Additionally, topics of professionalism, client interface, modes of communication, and collaborative group theory and practice are explored. 3 credits. (This course is cross-listed with IXD 410) |
| This course simulates the collaborative and interdisciplinary environment of the field of digital communications and emphasizes usability testing in the identification of a problem, in formative testing and prototyping of potential design ideas and summative testing of the final project. The course takes the integrative theory and skills from the areas of concentration and builds upon the theory and application explored in the first Capstone course to develop a multi-disciplinary team of students to deliver an appropriate project. 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. With the exception of the programming concentration and subject to the approval of the advisor, one course may be taken outside of the concentration and/or department.