For a printer-friendly summary of the course information, click on this Course Description document.
Because the field of digital media involves both design and technology, we will explore the practice of web design in two parallel tracks.
In the design track, you will learn about things like dealing with clients, understanding their needs, developing project ideas, mocking up designs, communicating your concepts, testing and usability, and presenting your solutions. In this track, you will mostly be using a web design tool and content management system (CMS) called WordPress.
In the technology track, you will learn how websites function and are constructed, the technical work to create pages and sites, and some of the languages and tools for making them (like HTML and CSS). For this track, most of the work will be done using the web page editor DreamWeaver.
There will be a series of short, simple assignments, typically one per week during the semester. Assignments will be due the following Monday, but you will have time during class to work on them, in order to use the computers and required software.
At the end of the course, the two tracks will come together and you will use your combined knowledge from both tracks to design and build a small, working website. Teams of two or three students can be formed to collaborate on the project.
The subject of the website project will be up to you to decide (with guidance and approval from me), so that you can explore an area that interests you and allows you to follow your own passions.
Each week, we will spend two days on the design track and two days on the technology track, typically with one day of lecture or demo and one day of lab work for each. Fridays will be reserved for other activities such as guest speakers, discussions or debates about topical issues in technology and culture, or project work sessions.
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