Course Information

This is a wide ranging, fast moving course in design, with a focus on visual communication, information architecture and web design. Each week we will focus on a different topic and explore how is it being applied within the web and other digital media. There will be readings, discussion and assignments as a part of the exploration process.

Course objectives

Required text

Universal Principles of Design; William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler; Rockport Publishers; ISBN: 1-59253-007-9 available through amazon. In addition to the textbook, there will be weekly assigned readings. These readings are stored online.

Required Software

This class will require the use of some sort of graphics software. In the past I have found the most people have access to a program such as PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements (a simplified version of Photoshop) or Gimp (a free, open source alternative.)

This course may be quite time intensive, depending on your familiarity with web technologies.You should plan on spending at least six to nine hours per week working on assignments, readings or projects.

Discussion Forum

The discussion forum constitutes our virtual classroom, and you are required to "come to class" by participating in each week's discussion on a consistent basis. Witin each module ther are several topical questions.

Submit your reactions to the questions in the related Blackboard forum. Your responses can and should include thoughts and opinions on the readings or other students' comments, additional information about the topic from web sites, journal or newspaper articles, and other related sources from which the class might benefit. Your participation is a vital part of your grade.

Please complete the readings prior to the assigned week. Discussion will begin on Saturdays. You should post your contributions to the discussion board. Check the discussion boards daily. There is a time management component to this. You are not expected to read and respond to each and every comment. With a full class, the time required would be prohibitive. What you are expected to do is to comment thoughtfully; expand the conversation; bring in your background and experiences and share your viewpoints and solutions.

Participation Rubric

1.

Participating in group discussion forums

Attendance rating

Did not participate in any discussion topics or dominated discussion forums in a way that made it difficult for all to participate 1 - Not adequate
  Missed multiple discussion topics or dominated occasional discussions to the extent that others found it difficult to participate 2 - Adequate
  Participated in several discussion topics and did not dominate the discussion; comments encouraged or extended discussion with other students. 3 - Fully satisfactory
  Participated in all discussion topics; supported and encouraged the participation of other students. 4 - Excellent
     

2.

Preparing for group discussion forums(reading textbook; reading articles and supplementary materials)

Preparation rating

  Contributions to discussion forums suggest that student has not read assigned textbook readings, or articles, or is significantly behind schedule. 1 - Not adequate
  Contributions to discussion forums suggest that student has usually read or listened to textbook or articles. 2 - Adequate
  Contributions to discussion forums suggest that student has regularly studied textbook, or lectures in a timely manner. 3 - Fully satisfactory
  Contributions to discussion forums suggest careful and timely study of course materials and also outside reading. 4 - Excellent
     

3.

Making good quality contributions in discussion forums

Contribution rating

  Barely contributes to group discussions, knowledge, awareness, and understanding. Comments are off-topic or chatty. 1 - Not adequate
  Makes occasional contributions or largely superficial ones. 2 - Adequate
  Regularly makes relevant contributions that reflect careful reading of others' comments and add to the group's knowledge, understanding, insight, or awareness 3 - Fully satisfactory
  Regularly makes multiple thoughtful or insightful contributions that reflect 1) careful reading of others' comments and also 2) knowledge beyond the required course material 4 - Excellent

Grading

Your grade will be based upon your participation in the forums (30%) and your assignments (70%). Forum participation equivalent to classroom participation. There is a thorough rubric above. Succinctly though, I am looking for thoughtful comments on the readings and considered responses to your classmates' postings.

You will probably not be able to read every posting every week, much less respond to each one. You will not be able to (nor need to ) respond to every question that I have posted. In this course, you will need to pace yourself. Plan to spend 6-9 hours per week. You may want to spend an hour a night and 3 hours on Saturday, or some other combination that works for you. I have found that it works well to set up a schedule and stick to it! If you get through all of the forum postings in your scheduled time, great! If not, just keep going. What we should be striving for is to inspire each other and expand out horizons. Please focus on quality comments! If you don't know much about visual communication or graphics, then you will need to ask some thoughtful questions or ponderings.

In the forums, there are NO wrong questions, NO wrong answers, but there are lazy postings. Please stretch yourself and the topics.

Graduate students will be awarded the following grades:

Grade
Meaning
H
High pass - Clear excellence; this is equivalent to a high A. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and displays a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations
P
Pass - Entirely satisfactory. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials and meets or exceeds course expectations on all tasks as defined in the course syllabus
L
Low pass - Equivalent to a C or a D. Assignments may be missing or incomplete
F
Failing. Student performance is well below designated course expectations. Student may have had extended or frequent absences. Multiple assignments may be missing or incomplete

It is your responsibility to save copies of any work (not forum comments) submitted via Blackboard or e-mail. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your assignments until they are graded. Best practice would be to save copies of all work until the end of the semester.

Course changes

The instructor reserves the right to change course content, requirements for assignments, grading procedures and other alterations, as appropriate, to the course. While such changes will be discussed and decided in the course forums, under exceptional circumstances, the instructor may incorporate changes without notice. Please check the announcements in Blackboard for any changes.

Grade issues

We are committed toward grades that are fair and appropriate. It is important for students to know that the final grade is an average of several grades that are earned over the semester. Final grades are not negotiable. Doing extra work to improve a final grade is not an option because that would not be fair to other students in the course. If you wish to earn a good grade, work hard from the beginning of the semester.

Honor Code

Remember that as a student of UNC-Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code: "It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity." An especially serious Honor Code violation is plagiarism. If you are uncertain about what is considered plagiarism, please consult your course instructor.