Interactive Media Associate Degree
Digital Audio/Video Production Major
Webtech: Web Design Certificate
 

The Interactive Media program provides the community with skilled professionals who can create and assemble multimedia products for corporate interactive training, advertising, and marketing purposes. Graduates are able to develop and produce scripts and computer animation, and apply multimedia technology to assemble graphics, text, sound, and video into meaningful productions.

The program supports an industry need to provide multimedia professionals to work in the ever-expanding market of integrated and interactive media communications, with a growing emphasis in Web site development.

The Interactive Media Associate Degree program is designed to impart four critical skills to its graduates:

• Design

• Scripting (source code and application), including HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Actionscript

• Familiarity with various design-oriented application programs including: Adobe Photoshop, ImageReady, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and Maya

• Experience in both the Macintosh and Windows platforms

By mastering these four areas, program graduates will be able to go beyond basic design and layout to complete the “big picture” regarding media structure and flowcharting. As a result, program graduates can cross cultural, aesthetic and technical boundaries.

The Digital Audio/Video Production major is designed to address the need for professionally trained graphic design and interactive media professionals who have the skill set to utilize audio and video assets (typically called “rich media”) in the production of new media whether it be in a CD-ROM, DVD, interactive Web sites or other delivery systems.

The Webtech: Web Design Certificate is designed specifically for the needs of the working multimedia professional. It covers the skills required to design effective and attractive Web pages including use of color, typography, buttons, and animation, and on the skills required for structuring and implementing the use of multimedia features such as sound, animation, and interactivity. Because of the scope of content covered and the accelerated pace of delivery, certificate courses are recommended for those individuals with significant multimedia experience.

The jobs available in interactive multimedia are varied. Typical job possibilities for program graduates include: multimedia technician, multimedia specialist, multimedia developer, media specialist, instructional design technician, computer graphic artist, 3D computer animator, multimedia illustrator, desktop media publisher, interface designer, animator, script integrator, digital journalist, and presentation artist.

Upon completion of the Associate Degree program in Interactive Multimedia, the graduate will be able to:

• Possess a working-level knowledge of the interactive multimedia field and how it affects society and industry.

• Comprehend the relationship between design, marketing, and interactive multimedia projects.

• Understand the purpose and interrelationship between design, scripting, and software.

• Be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of project design including storyboarding, diagramming, flowcharting, and brand relevance.

• Know the core concepts of scripting as they apply to multimedia and Web development

• Be familiar with many of the programming languages used by the multimedia professional (HTML, CSS, Javascript, MySQL and CGI Scripting) by creating sites using various scripting languages.

• Have gained exposure to industry standard digital imaging programs (Photoshop/ImageReady) by using the software to solve a variety of “real world” design problems.

• Know how to retrieve, enhance, create, optimize, store and otherwise modify images for digital use (Web or CD development).

• Be familiar with basic concepts of digital conversion, video coding and processing, and integrating digital audio with video.

• Learn the basic principles of digital video editing using various original or provided video clips.

• Understand the basic principles of 2D design, the elements of design, and concepts of forms and structures.

• Use digital design software (such as Illustrator) to acquire technical and aesthetic 2d design skills.

• Comprehend the basic concepts of 3D modeling: model construction, rendering, lighting, and animation.

• Create a functional interactive, animated Web presence from conceptual stages to finished product.

• Possess extensive knowledge of industry standard Web animation software (Flash with a 30-week course sequence).

• Gain important insights on the actual functioning of working multimedia groups and how those groups function as part of a large system.

• Understand the interrelationship between front-end design and back-end results.

• Gain working knowledge of Web design application software using Dreamweaver.

• Use storyboard, flowchart and drawing skills to represent finished versions of a Web site, an interactive CD or a video.

• Complete an interactive portfolio.

• Gain real-world experience working as an intern in a multimedia-related company.

In addition to the Interactive Multimedia competencies, graduates completing an Audio/Visual Production major will be able to:

• Understand the role of audio/visual production in an integrated marketing communications plan.

• Use software tools to capture audio and video from various sources.

• Use sound and sound editing channels to enhance video productions.

• Understand copyright and fair use laws as they relate to audio/video production.

• Stream and import video for web productions.

• Identify ways to incorporate text and character animation into video productions.

• Demonstrate an ability to record voice, music, and effect for multimedia products.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the processes involved in planning, scripting, recording, and editing a digital audio/video production.

NOTE: For many Interactive Multimedia courses, majors may wish to purchase the relevant software. Interactive Multimedia labs have limited availability outside of class time; access to software outside of the lab will enable students to work on class assignments outside of the lab setting.