course calendar

Below are:

A month-by-month calendar with important dates and deadlines
A class schedule with specific reading assignments, deadlines and topics to be covered

Please note that this both these items are guides and not comprehensive lists. Additional assignments and readings will be distributed and added to this site throughout the semester.

If assignment dates/deadlines change, the changes will be announced in class and updated on this page.

Quick link to specific weeks -- Week of: Jan. 9 | Jan 16 | Jan. 23 | Jan. 30 | Feb. 6 | Feb. 13 | Feb.20 | Feb 27 | March 5 (Spring break) | March 12 | March 19 | March 26 | April 2 | April 9 | April 16 | April 23

• Week of: Jan. 9
Lecture/discussion/lab work:
Introduction to the course of study
Orientation to the multimedia lab
Server space sign-up
Setting goals
Complete student survey
Evaluating multimedia design

Exercise: Farm storyboard

Readings:
• Web design features by Robin Williams
• Counterspace (typography information)
• Color, Contrast and Dimension in News Design

• Week of: Jan 16
To prepare for this week's classes (due BEFORE class begins):
• Complete farm storyboard exercise
Read/view/listen:
• Links to examine
• Online Media Types
• The Principles of Beautiful Web Design book (.pdf on class server in "class materials" folder)
For Thursday speaker:
The Lives They Loved
Where Were You on Sept. 11 2001?
How Many Households are Like Yours?

Lecture/discussion/lab work:
Five key areas of multimedia design (Tuesday)
GUEST SPEAKER: Jim Roberts, Assistant Managing Editor of the New York Time(Thursday)

• Week of: Jan 23
To prepare for this week's classes (due BEFORE class begins):
• No readings this week

Lecture/discussion/lab work:
• Evaluating multimedia design, continued.
• In class group work: critique sites based on key areas.

• Week of: Jan. 30
To prepare for this week's classes (complete by end of week):
Read/view online:
• Eyetrack III results on multimedia
• Forrester's Best Practices
• The Usabaility Group Eyetracking Study
• Multimedia learning: Empirical Results and Practical Applications
• Multimedia Instructions and Cognitive Load Theory
• Poynter Eyetrack '07
• Evaluating the Usability of Search Forms Using Eyetracking
• Top Five Eye-tracking Labotory Test Results
• Hot Spots and Hyperlinks
• An eye-tracking study of information usage in Web search (PDF file)
• Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design

Lecture/discussion/lab work:
• Small groups present their critiques to class
• Key research studies to evaluate multimedia design

** Assign critique one. Due Thursday, Feb. 9. **

• Week of: Feb. 6
To prepare for this week's classes (due BEFORE class begins):
Read/view online:
• Up and Running with Illustrator (at lynda.com)
• Illustrator CS5 for Web and Interactive Design (at lynda.com)

Lecture/discussion/lab work:
• Illustrator and Web design

** Complete critique one. Due Thursday, Feb. 9. **

• Week of: Feb. 13
To prepare for this week's classes (due BEFORE class begins):
Read/view online:
• Up and Running with Photoshop for Design (at lynda.com)
• Photoshop CS5 for the Web (at lynda.com)

Lecture/discussion/lab work:
• Photoshop and Web design

**Complete No Words Guess assignment. Due 9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13.**

• Week of: Feb. 20
To prepare for this week's classes (due BEFORE class begins):
Read/view online:
• Up and Running with InDesign (at lynda.com)

Lecture/discussion/lab work:
• InDesign and iPad publishing.

• Week of: Feb. 27
To prepare for this week's classes (due BEFORE class begins):
Read/view online:
•