Visual Communication of Information Course Descriptor

Course Summary

This course covers the history of multimedia technology, focusing on the uses of multimedia in website development. Examines the technical and design aspects of basic components of multimedia: text, audio, graphics, video, sound, animation, and virtual reality. Emphasizes the use of multimedia in user interfaces. This is a hands-on course in which learners practice techniques throughout the course.

Course Aims

• Train learners in the use of multimedia technology.
• Introduce learners to website development.
• Train learners in the technical and design aspects of multimedia.
• Expose learners to responsive design techniques.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, learners will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Professional Skills

Teaching and Learning

This is an e-learning course, taught throughout the year.

This course can be offered as a standalone short course.

Teaching and learning strategies for this course will include: 

• On-line learning
• On-line discussion groups
• On-line assessment

Course information and supplementary materials will be available on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Learners are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Learners are also expected to manage their self-directed learning and independent study in support of the course.

The course learning and teaching hours will be structured as follows:

• Off-the-job learning and teaching (6 days x 7 hours) = 42 hours
• On-the-job learning (12 days x 7 hours) = 84 hours (e.g. 2 days per week for 6 weeks)
• Private study (4 hours per week) = 24 hours

Total = 150 hours

Workplace assignments (see below) will be completed as part of on-the-job learning.

Assessment

Formative

Learners will be formatively assessed during the course by means of set assignments. These will not count towards the final degree but will provide learners with developmental feedback. 

Summative

Assessment will be in two forms:

Feedback

Learners will receive formal feedback in a variety of ways: written (via email or VLE correspondence) and indirectly through online discussion groups. Learners will also attend a formal meeting with their Academic Mentor (and for apprentices, including their Line Manager). These bi- or tri-partite reviews will monitor and evaluate the learner’s progress.

Feedback is provided on summatively assessed assignments and through generic internal examiners’ reports, both of which are posted on the VLE.

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to learners; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.

Books 

• Flusser, V., (2011), Introduction to the Universe of Technical Images, Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press
• Reas, C. and Fry, B., (2016), Processing: a programming handbook for visual designers and artists. Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT Press
• Nixon R., (2009), Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites, O’Reilly

Journals

Learners are encouraged to consult relevant journals on visual communication of information. 

Electronic Resources

Learners are encouraged to consult relevant electronic resources on visual communication of information. 

Indicative Topics

• How to incorporate multimedia into website design and development
• How to effectively use multimedia for communication to a specialist and non-specialist audience
• What can we learn from the history of multimedia?

Version History