Photo of Professor Lawley

Professor Lawley

Introduction to
Interactive Media

IGME-110 / Fall 2018

Schedule of Content

This page contains detailed information about each week of the course, including readings (which should be completed before the class for which they're assigned), topics covered, in-class exercises and due dates, and any project deliverable due dates for that week.

If all you need is a list of due dates, those can be found in the myCourses calendar, with links back to the relevant exercise or project page.

Expand All Weeks Collapse All Weeks

Week 1 (Aug 28/30):
Course Overview & Tools

On Tuesday, I will review the syllabus, goals, and requirements for class, as well as methods for accessing course materials on both GitHub and myCourses. On Thursday, we’ll discuss communication tools you’ll be using in the class, including email, Slack, and Google Docs.

Tuesday Readings

Tuesday Homework: Communication Tools

You'll set up your Slack account, add a photo and a post to the #introductions channel, and send an email with your Slack username to the professor and the TA. Due by 10am Thursday, 8/30.

Thursday Readings

Thursday Exercise: Collaboration Tools

Hands-on practice with both Google Docs and Slack. Due by end of class on 8/30.

Week 2 (Sep 4/6): Research and Critical Assessment

This week we’ll be talking about information--how to find it, and how to evaluate it. On Tuesday, we’ll talk broadly about critically evaluating information online. On Thursday, we’ll focus on research tools and methods, with a focus on library resources you can use for your research paper assignment.

Reminder: Your paper topic idea(s) must be submitted to the myCourses dropbox by 8am on Tuesday, 9/4.

Tuesday Readings

Tuesday Exercise: Evaluating Information

In class, you’ll complete an online exercise and then we’ll discuss it as a group.

Thursday Readings

Thursday Exercise/Homework: Bibliography Creation

In this exercise, you will use the NoodleTools resource provided by the RIT Library to create an annotated bibliography, using a topic from the list provided. You'll start this exercise in class, but it's not due until 8am on Monday, 9/10.

Week 3 (Sep 11/13): Legal Issues for Media Creators

As a creative professional, you need to be familiar with the laws governing the use of creative works–that includes not just copyright, but also trademark and patent laws. It’s also important for you to be familiar with how employment and freelance contracts impact your ownership and use of your own creative work.

Tuesday Readings

Thursday Readings

Week 4 (Sep 18/20): Understanding the Web

This week we’ll talk about how the web differs from other types of media, and you'll learn how to create basic web pages using HTML and CSS.

(For the Getting Started with the Web articles in this week's readings, make sure you work through the hands-on exercises!

Tuesday Readings

Tuesday Exercise: Basic HTML Markup

In today's exercise, you'll create a basic HTML page, with links and images.

Thursday Readings

Thursday Exercise: CSS Formatting

You'll use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to format the page you created in Tuesday's exercise.

Thursday Homework: Testing Server Access

Next week, you’ll be publishing web pages to RIT’s web server. This exercise will help you to determine if your RIT web account was properly configured. Make sure to do this exercise before next week, so that if there are problems you have time to correct them!

Week 5 (Sep 25/27): Internet & Web Infrastructure

Once you’ve created your web pages, how do you publish them? We’ll talk about how the Internet and web servers work. Since most web servers use the UNIX operating system, you’ll learn how to use a terminal emulation program to connect to a server and enter commands, and how to use FTP (file transfer program) to transfer files from your computer to a web server.

Tuesday Readings

Tuesday Exercise: UNIX Basics

In this exercise, you’ll develop familiarity with the UNIX command line environment by logging into RIT’s banjo.rit.edu server and executing a number of UNIX commands.

Thursday Readings

Thursday Exercise: Publishing Web Pages

In this exercise, you'll use an FTP client to upload your web files to banjo.rit.edu, so that they appear on the people.rit.edu web server.

Week 6 (Oct 2/4): Understanding Design

Design doesn’t just mean graphics and visual aesthetics. On Tuesday we’ll talk about the different types of design for interactive media, as well as discussing design as a process. On Thursday, we’ll focus on visual design concepts for the web.

Tuesday Readings

(I forgot to post these, so you're not responsible for having read them by Tuesday. You should, however, read them by Thursday.)

Thursday Readings

Thursday Exercise: Design Critique

In class today you'll break up into groups, and work together to critique some websites.

Week 7 (Oct 11): Digital Typography

We will not have class on Tuesday of this week, because it is a reading day. On Thursday, you’ll learn the importance of typographic choices, including font families and formatting. You’ll also work with CSS to implement typographic formatting on web pages.

Readings

Thursday Exercise: Typography

In this exercise you’ll work with CSS for typographic formatting, learn how to add Google Fonts to your documents, and work with HTML entities.

Week 8 (Oct 16/18): Web Site Design Process

Tuesday Exercise: Initial Site Design

Thursday Exercise: Style Tiles

In this exercise, you'll modify and upload several html-based style tile pages with color and font ideas for your website project.

Homework for Next Tuesday

Before class, upload at least one visual mockup of your site to your note-taking group's folder for peer review in class. (We'll create a "Mockups" folder for you to place them in.) These can be done in whatever graphics or prototyping tool you prefer, or even in HTML and CSS. All you need to provide is a screenshot or explorted image.

Week 9 (Oct 23/25): Web Layout

On Tuesday I'll talk briefly about web layout techniques, but the bulk of the class will be spent doing peer reviews and iteration on your mockups.

Tuesday Readings

Week 10 (Oct 30/Nov 1): Digital Image Concepts

This week we’ll talk about the underlying concepts critical to understanding digital images–including resolution, color models, compression, and file formats. I expect you to already have a basic understanding of Photoshop; if you don't, review Adobe.com: Image Essentials before Thursday's class.

Tuesday Readings

Tuesday Exercise: Color, Compression, and File Optimization

We will finish any remaining content from Tuesday's lecture, and then you'll have time to work on the exercise.

Week 11 (Nov 6/8): Animation Concepts

Tuesday Readings

Thursday Readings

Thursday Exercise: Basic Animation

Week 12 (Nov 13/15): Digital Audio Concepts

Tuesday Readings

Thursday Homework

Thursday Exercise: Audio Narration

In this exercise you will use Audacity to record narration for a PowerPoint presentation, and then attach the narration to the presentation. If you choose to work on this on your own rather than coming to class on Thursday, the completed presentation, with working audio, must be submitted to the myCourses dropbox by the beginning of Thursday’s class. If you come to class on Thursday, the exercise is due by 6pm on Saturday, November 17th.

Alternate Thursday Exercise: Captioning Video

In this exercise you will create a video from a PowerPoint presentation, and then use YouTube’s editing tools to create closed captions for the video instead of audio narration. If you choose to work on this on your own rather than coming to class on Thursday, the completed presentation, with working audio, must be submitted to the myCourses dropbox by the beginning of Thursday’s class. If you come to class on Thursday, the exercise is due by 6pm on Saturday, November 17th.

Week 13 (Nov 20): Presentation Skills

This week we’ll discuss the importance of good presentation skills, and look at examples of effective short-form presentations.

If you will be missing Tuesday’s class due to travel plans, you will need to watch the playlist of videos on your own, and complete the “Week 13 Lecture Materials Homework” in the Quizzes section of myCourses no later than Monday at 8am. Students attending class on Tuesday do not need to complete the homework; they will get full credit for it.

Video Playlist from Lecture

Readings

REVISED WEB PROJECT DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26!!

Week 14 (Nov 28/30): Digital Video Concepts

It’s unrealistic for me to think you’ll do much reading over Thanksgiving, so there are no readings for Tuesday. :) Instead of giving a readings quiz at the beginning of class, I’ll give a lecture quiz at the end of class.

Thursday Tutorials

Thursday Exercise: Video Editing

In this exercise you will use Photoshop to create a short video trailer for a game, and then upload the resulting video to YouTube. If you choose to work on this on your own rather than coming to class on Thursday, the completed presentation, with working audio, must be submitted to the myCourses dropbox by the beginning of Thursday’s class. If you come to class on Thursday, the exercise is due by noon on Sunday, December 2.

Week 15 (Dec 4/6): Responsible Social Media Use

Thursday Exercise: Assessing Your Social Media Presence

Thursday Readings