AVT 180: New Media in the Creative Arts or permission of instructor.
An introduction to contemporary web design, in particular to standards, as a successful tool in design communication. Students gain hands-on experience on design issues specific to Web-based presentations, learn web page layout, effective navigation and delve into the design process.
Building a website or web application is a multi-disciplinary design process that encompasses visual design, interface design, interaction design, functional and content development, as well as business strategy. Exceptional web design is attentive to these different facets whether it is viewed from the perspective of product design, graphic design, or industrial design. Every student stretches him or herself in this course. We will learn from many who have come before us as well as each other.
This hands-on course teaches students how to conceive, prototype, and program websites. In order to better understand the possibilities and constraints of browser-based design, participants of this course learn how to build websites using modern web standards. We will talk about content management systems but this is not a course that will teach students about building websites that use a CMS or framework like Wordpress, Squarespace, Bootstrap, or any others. All projects in this course will be hand coded from scratch.
Participants should finish the course with a working knowledge of HTML and CSS, improved Web imaging and typography skills, and familiarity with more technical facets like jQuery and designing for mobile devices.
This course consists of many shorter exercises and a few longer projects. The exercises are to begin to familiarize students with specific concepts and ideas and the projects combine many concepts and ideas.
Project 1 & 3: Responsive Single Page
Today websites are viewed on screens of all shapes and sizes and different sizes require different design considerations. Students will design and code a responsive, one page website based on a current issue with considerations to how the content is reflected in each screen size.
Project 2: Linking Narratives
The structure of a website is equally important as the design of a website. Getting from page X to page Y needs to be intuitive and simple. This structure also needs to be reflected on the back end. Students will build a site that takes the user through a narrative using text, links, and multiple pages.
Project 4: A Collection of Things
Most websites can be viewed as a container for a collection of digital objects. Amazon collects items to purchase, the Washington Post collects articles to read, a portfolio collects work to view. Students will design their own collection website using all of the skills and knowledge learned in the class.
You must be physically, mentally and verbally present and prepared. Punctuality is of prime importance. There are few good excuses for being late to class, try and be as early as you can. Tardiness will also affect your final grade—three late arrivals equals an absence. Please come to class prepared and ready to work for the entire scheduled time. Being prepared includes having all work printed or uploaded and ready to discuss.
You are expected to attend all meetings of each class. I understand that sometimes issues arise that prevent you from making it to class. It is your responsibility to send me any work that was due that day and talk to a classmate to go over what you missed. You cannot participate if you are not in class. Every absence after 1 will drop your grade by 5 points. Again, participation in class is extremely important.
You will need to take an active role in both the presentation and discussion of your work. We will review projects in a variety of ways and you are expected to be able to talk about your own work and give feedback to your peers about their work. The ability to talk about your work and other student’s work is a very important part of your education at GMU. Use this class to improve on those skills too.
Your grade will depend on your participation and attendance (35%), exercises (25%), and projects (40%). The projects and exercises will be graded based on the goals of the assignment.
In accordance with George Mason University policy, turn off all beepers, cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices at the start of class. The instructor of the class will keep his/her cell phone active to assure receipt of any Mason Alerts in a timely fashion; or in the event that the instructor does not have a cell phone, he/she will designate one student to keep a cell phone active to receive such alerts.
This class will be conducted as an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and welcomes the participation in the life of the university of faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society. All may feel free to speak and to be heard without fear that the content of the opinions they express will bias the evaluation of their academic performance or hinder their opportunities for participation in class activities. In turn, all are expected to be respectful of each other without regard to race, class, linguistic background, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, veteran’s status, or physical ability.
As professionals responsible for the education of undergraduate and graduate art and design students, the faculty of the School of Art adheres to the ethical standards and practices incorporated in the professional Code of Ethics of our national accreditation organization, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
SOA teaching studios are open to students for extended periods of time mornings, evenings and weekends whenever classes are not in progress. Policies, procedures and schedules for studio use are established by the SOA studio faculty and are posted in the studios.
Once the add and drop deadlines have passed, instructors do not have the authority to approve requests from students to add or drop/withdraw late. Requests for late adds (up until the last day of classes) must be made by the student in the SoA office (or the office of the department offering the course), and generally are only approved in the case of a documented university error (such as a problem with financial aid being processed) , LATE ADD fee will apply. Requests for non-selective withdrawals and retroactive adds (adds after the last day of classes) must be approved by the academic dean of the college in which the student’s major is located. For AVT majors, that is the CVPA Office of Academic Affairs, Performing Arts Building A407.
If you have a diagnosed disability or learning difference and you need academic accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the semester and contact the Disabilities Resource Center (SUB I room 234, 703-993-2474). You must provide me with a faculty contact sheet from that office outlining the accommodations needed for your disability or learning difference. All academic accommodations must be arranged in advance through the DRC.
Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for the content of university communication sent to their Mason e-mail account, and are required to activate that account and check it regularly.
Students are expected to attend the class periods of the courses for which they register. In-class participation is important not only to the individual student, but also to the class as a whole. Because class participation may be a factor in grading, instructors may use absence, tardiness, or early departure as de facto evidence of nonparticipation. Students who miss an exam with an acceptable excuse may be penalized according to the individual instructor's grading policy, as stated in the course syllabus.
Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code, as stated in the George Mason University Catalog. The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas. (This does not prohibit collaborative work when it is approved by your instructor.) As a faculty member, I have an obligation to refer the names of students who may have violated the Honor Code to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously. No grade is important enough to justify cheating, for which there are serious consequences that will follow you for the rest of your life. If you feel unusual pressure about your grade in this or any other course, please talk to me or to a member of the GMU Counseling Center staff.
Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism, a very serious Honor Code offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using material from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words and punctuation just as the passage appears in the original and must use quotation marks and page numbers in your citation. If you want to paraphrase or summarize ideas from a source, you must put the ideas into your own words, and you must cite the source, using the APA or MLA format. (For assistance with documentation, I recommend Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference.) The exception to this rule is information termed general knowledge—information that is widely known and stated in a number of sources. Determining what is general knowledge can be complicated, so the wise course is, “When in doubt, cite.”
Be especially careful when using the Internet for research. Not all Internet sources are equally reliable; some are just plain wrong. Also, since you can download text, it becomes very easy to inadvertently plagiarize. If you use an Internet source, you must cite the exact URL in your paper and include with it the last date that you successfully accessed the site.
Students who are in need of intensive help with grammar, structure or mechanics in their writing should make use of the services of Writing Center, located in Robinson A116 (703-993-1200). The services of the Writing Center are available by appointment, online and, occasionally, on a walk-in basis.
The Collaborative Learning Hub Located in Johnson Center 311 (703-993-3141), the lab offers in-person one-on-one support for the Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Blackboard, and a variety of other software. Dual monitor PCs make the lab ideal for collaborating on group projects, Macs are also available; as well as a digital recording space, collaborative tables, and a SMART Board. Free workshops are also available (Adobe and Microsoft) through Training and Certification; visit ittraining.gmu.edu to see the schedule of workshops and to sign up.