NCHNAL593 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. Emphasises the use of multimedia in user interfaces. This is a ‘hands-on’ course in which students practice techniques throughout the course.

Course Aims

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

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students 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: 

• Online learning
• Online discussion groups
• Online assessment

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

Students are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Students 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:

• Learning and teaching (6 days x 8 hours) = 48 hours 
• Independent study = 102 hours 

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150 hours 

Assignments (see below) will be completed as part of private study.

Assessment

Formative

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

Summative

All summative assessments will be assessed in accordance with the assessment aims set out in the Programme Specification.

Feedback

Students will receive formal feedback in a variety of ways: written (via email or VLE correspondence) and indirectly through online discussion groups. Students will also attend a formal meeting with their Mentor. These reviews will monitor and evaluate the student’s progress.

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; 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

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

Electronic Resources

Students 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?