William M. Pegram
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Revised: August 19, 2012

Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale Campus

ITE 170 - Multimedia Software, Fall 2012 (3 credits)

Sections
004N: Monday 4:30-7:10
006N: Wednesday 7:30-10:20, CT 228
Instructor: Dr. William M. Pegram, wpegram@nvcc.edu

Web Site for Class: www.billpegram.com; PowerPoints available on Blackboard

Prerequisite: ITE 115 (because it provides a limited introduction to HTML). If you plan on taking ITD110 (Web Design I) or ART 116 (Design for the Web I), I would recommend taking these courses before ITE170.

Course Description:

The course will have several aspects:

  1. An introduction to XHTML, CSS and FTP, building on the XHTML/FTP knowledge now taught in ITE 115
  2. A hands-on introduction to multimedia software, in particular Dreamweaver (the leading web authoring/HTML editor), Flash (the leading web animation program), and Fireworks (computer graphics).
  3. Concepts relating to web design, web graphics, XHTML, CSS and tools, web animation, and copyright and fair use.

The goal is roughly 50% tools and 50% concepts.

A college-wide course content summary is available at www.nvcc.edu/academic/coursecont/summaries/ITE170.pdf which shows topics and approximate time allocation per topic.

Required Textbooks

(1) The Non-Designer's Web Book, Third Edition, Robin Williams and John Tollett, Peachpit Press, ISBN 0-321-30337-7. list $44.99 ($23.21 on Amazon)

(2) Visual QuickStart Guide: Dreamweaver CS6 by Tom Negrino and Dori Smith, ISBN-13: 978-0-321-82252-9, Peachpit Press, 2012, $34.99 ($19.52 on Amazon),

(3) Visual QuickStart Guide: Flash CS6 by Katherine Ulrich, ISBN-13: 978-0-321-83219-1, Peachpit Press, 2012, $39.99 ($23.36 on Amazon)

Software

You will need access to this software outside of the classroom. Here are some alternatives:

  1. Some of the computers in the CA Building and the new open lab in CT122 have the software.
  2. There are 30 day free downloads of Dreamweaver CS6, Flash CS6, and Fireworks CS6 at www.adobe.com/downloads/ . You can have a separate 30 day period for each of the three programs but to do this, download the individual programs, and not the suite since if you do the suite, you will have a single 30-day period.
  3. Purchase of software - Because you are students at NVCC, you are eligible to purchase software at greatly reduced prices. If you want all the programs taught in this course, you would want the Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium ($360) using the link at the top of the page from the Annandale bookstore site). This is about less expensive than if you buy the software from other academic software sites and much less than the commercial price. Another possibility is to buy the programs individually -- e.g. Dreamweaver $125, Flash $140 through the Annandale bookstore link. Patriot Computers at GMU is not allowed to sell Adobe software to non-GMU people.

The free download or purchase of software at academic prices is limited to the current version of the software (CS6). If you have access to CS4, CS5, or CS5.5 this should be fine for doing homework and the project; a small portion of a test might cover features found only in CS6.

Homework

Late homework will be penalized.

Inclement Weather Policy:

Frequently asked questions about closings can be found at www.nvcc.edu/depts/homepage/closing.htm#faq In cases of class cancellation, students must go to Blackboard for specific communication and instruction for the course.

Attendance:

If you miss class, please check the class website for any changes to the schedule, including new assignments.  You are welcome to attend class in the other section on an occasional basis, subject to capacity constraints. I will cover the same material in each of the two sections. Which section discuss the material first will depend on holidays, class cancellations, etc. so check the current version of the schedule page.

Office Hours Schedule/Tutoring:

After class and by arrangement. As a student at NVCC, you are eligible for free tutoring through the Tutoring Center. If you think you might want to do this, let me know and I will see whether they have anyone capable of tutoring in these subject matter areas.

Communication with Instructor:

In addition to office hours, most class periods will have time for one-on-one questions with the instructor.  Asking questions in this way is generally more efficient than email.  

Required Email Address

I will email you at the email address on my class list which is your VCCS email address unless you specify a different address in Nova Connect. If you do not check this address frequently, I would recommend you set it up for automatic forwarding to an email address you do check more frequently. I will show you how to specify a different address in Nova Connect and to specify a forwarding address. Please remember to include your name in all emails to me since I often can't tell who you are from your email address.

Grading Policy:

Your grade will be a function of two to three tests (60%), homework and project (40%). There will not be a lot of homework so failure to complete an assignment could affect your final course grade. Much of the grading of homework and tests will emphasize mastery of concepts and the ability to do a task according to the requirements and directions rather than artistic ability or creativity. Although in other classes I offer students the ability to take makeup tests in the Testing Center, the software used in this class may not be available in the Testing Center, and so please try to be present for all tests. The project will utilize getting started skills, graphics, HTML, and Flash. The topic must be a business or non-profit organization; a personal website is not acceptable..

Academic Integrity

Students are encouraged to help each other out; it is a large class which limits my ability to help each student during the class period. However, on work that is graded, there are restrictions on helping other students: On homework assignments and projects, students may ask for and receive some assistance from others, unless otherwise directed by the instructor.  Yet those helping a student should avoid "doing the work" for the student.  No assistance is permitted on exams and quizzes and your use of the computer may be monitored.

Cheating may be reported to the Division Dean and the Annandale Judicial Affairs Officer.

Dropping and Withdrawal from the Class:

Monday, September 10 is the last day to drop the class and get a tuition refunds (use NovaConnect) or to switch to audit (which requires my signature).   Wednesday, October 31 is the last day to withdraw without grade penalty. The award of W after the last day to withdraw REQUIRES official documentation and the Dean's signature. Practically all of the people who get an F as a final grade from me in this class are those that stopped coming to class and doing the work but didn't withdraw by this second deadline, even sometimes after email and telephone reminders.

Classroom Conduct

Sustained talking during lecture is distracting to the instructor and to other students. During hands on instruction, it is appropriate to ask me to repeat what I said or briefly ask your neighbor if you don't see where to click, etc. However, if I've moved onto another topic, it's better for everyone concerned if you move on as well, and then deal with the issue later.

Learning Environment

NVCC is a place for learning and growing.  You should feel safe and comfortable anywhere on this campus.  In order to meet this objective, you should: a) let your instructor, his/her supervisor, the Dean of Students or Provost know if any unsafe, unwelcome or uncomfortable situation arises that interferes with the learning process; (b) inform the instructor within the first two weeks of classes if you have received a special needs or disability accomodation that may affect your performance in this course.

Fire/Emergency Evacuation Procedures

In case of emergency, please follow the emergency procedures as discussed on the first day of class and as posted in the classroom. Students should familiarize themselves with both the primary and secondary routes that are to be used, in case you need to evacuate the building, as well as other evacuation or shelter-in-place procedures to be followed.

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