Revised: January 12, 2021
Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale Campus
The schedule page contains the week-by-week material for my sections; for week-by-week information.
ITE 170 - Multimedia Software, Spring 2021, 003N - TTh 11:10-12:30 via Zoom - no meetings in a classroom
Web Site for Class: www.billpegram.com
Course Content
My course includes the process of developing a web site, web design principles, page layout, image formats, accessibility, and copyright issues, but HTML and CSS, the basic coding used in web pages, receives greater emphasis and time. In the second half of the course, we will do animation, photo editing, and video editing. The first six weeks of my ITE 170 course has substantial overlap with ITD 110. ITD 110 does not cover the photo editing and video editing programs,and may not cover animation, and thus can cover HTML and CSS to a greater depth than is possible in ITE 170.
Grading
20% midterm, 25% final, 25% project, 30% exercises. These are the weights specified in the ITE 170 common syllabus. That common syllabus provides that the 30% be equally divided between those done in class and homework done outside of class. However, due to the fact that all instruction will be remote this semester, there may or may not be any exercises done "in class".
Transfer to GMU
The current situation regarding transfer of ITE 170 to GMU is described at https://ist.gmu.edu/students/transfer-students/transferring-from-another-institution/
Software
Text editors such as Notepad or Notepad++ (Windows), Brackets, Atom, or Sublime Text (Windows and Mac) are free downloads and are available on some campus computers. For photo editing, it is likely that students will have free access to Photoshop, and we will use daVinci Resolve, which is a free video editing program.
Hardware/OS Requirements
NVCC established minimum computer requirements for students in May 2020 - https://www.nvcc.edu/admissions/_files/Student-Computer-Specifications.pdf. The two key requirements for this course are 1) a webcam - so that I may proctor you during exams and 2) Windows 10. The operating system requirement is important for this course because the Adobe software requires Windows 10. If you will be using a MacIntosh computer, see instead the Creative Cloud requirements at https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html
Textbooks
The Photoshop Classroom in a Book is shown as required on the bookstore website. This book can be accessed online: login to your myNova account and then click the link specified below. The number of simultaneous users is limited, so if you can't get access, try back at another time. Accessing the book this way does not provide you access to the exercise files. I can provide the exercise files through Canvas if desired.
Photoshop CC 2020 release Classroom in a Book - https://learning-oreilly-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu:2443/library/view/adobe-photoshop-classroom/9780136177401/
I do not think you need to purchase this book; however purchasing will be useful if you wish to go deeper into this tool than we will go in class.
HTML and CSS are an important part of this course. The schedule page has links to some good online material on HTML and CSS. You might consider purchasing - HTML & CSS design and build websites by Jon Duckett. It is very good and inexpensive and we will spend more time on the subject matter covered in this book than we will on any single one of the four software programs listed above. You can also view it online through the NVCC library at https://proquest-safaribooksonline-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu:2443/9781118206911.
Homework
Homework assigned will generally be due 8 days after the homework is assigned. This will permit you to work on the homework during the week, get any questions resolved in the next class, and submit the homework on time. Late homework will not be accepted but your two lowest homework grades will be dropped; this policy of dropping the two lowest two grades is designed to cover illness, computer problems, work or family responsibilities, etc. so exceptions to this policy will not be granted.
You must submit your homework so that the files can be read on a Windows machine. Thus if you are using a Mac, you must do any necessary conversion of the files. If you are required to submit a zipped folder, make sure that whatever you submit can be opened by WinZip. If you are using software that is not properly licensed, make sure the resulting files can be opened on another Windows machine.
Canvas
Practically all of the course content can be found at www.billpegram.com. Therefore the use of Canvas will be primarily for
- announcements and communication back and forth between students and myself (in addition to email)
- submission and grading of assignments
- administering and taking of some tests
Please let me know of problems when they arise.
Office Hours Schedule
Office hours will be held on Zoom immediately following the end of class. If these times are not convenient, please email me to arrange a mutually agreeable time - the URL for office hours is posted in Canvas.
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. 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 forwarding address.
Please remember to include your name in all emails to me.
Academic Integrity
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.
Unless specifically stated in the assignment, students may work together to complete an assignment. However my experience is that students who turn in essentially identical work on an assignment tend not to do well on subsequent tests either because they have not learned the material or are too reliant on another person.
No assistance is permitted on exams and quizzes and you must have your webcam on during these times so that I may monitor you. The college policy on student conduct is found at www.nvcc.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html. You will be asked to submit your student ID or equivalent ID in Canvas to take exams.
Cheating on a test will result in a grade of 0 on the test. Cheating on a subsequent test will result in a grade of F for the course. Cheating may be reported to the Division Dean and the Annandale Judicial Affairs Officer.
Dropping and Withdrawal from the Class:
Wednesday, January 27 is the last day to drop a 15 week class and get a tuition refunds (use NovaConnect) or to switch to audit (which requires my signature). Friday, March 19th is the last day to withdraw without grade penalty in a 15 week course. The award of W after the last day to withdraw REQUIRES official documentation and the Dean's signature which is very difficult to get..
Student Success Tips
- Attend the Zoom session at the regularly scheduled time. Although all sessions will be recorded and available on Canvas, my personal experience with webinars since March 2020, is that I am much more likely to watch something if I watch it live.
- Watch the Zoom session - although I do not grade on whether you watch the Zoom session live or at a later time, it may be easier for you to understand something if you hear me explain it, instead of just relying on other sources.
- Don't procrastinate - If you are having a problem logging in or transfering files to your website, fix it or email me. Do the homework on time and definitely before the tests. If you need help, ask.
- Keep your files organized in folders - perhaps one folder for each class session or homework assignment. The file and folder structure on your website should be the same as on your computer or flash drive, and uploading files is a good way to back them up.
- Pay attention to the dates to drop and withdraw from the class.
- As long as you attend class once, I will not drop you from the class. If you do poorly on the midterm, you need to decide whether to withdraw from the class before the deadline or to continue in the class. If you continue in the class, you need to continue to "come to class", to do homework and to take the final, otherwise you will likely fail the course.
- Take advantage of office hours.