GRC 140

Instructor: Bob Dempsey

Email: bob@dempseygraphics.com

Course Description:

Computer page design, page assembly, and typography using computer hardware with Quark XPress software. Students will generate and import computer art work, clipart and scanned images. 

Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab each week during class period. 

It is highly recommended that students plan to acquire additional lab time outside of the scheduled class period.

Prerequisite: GRC 103—Introduction to Computer Graphics and GRC 104—Layout & Typography Fundamenals or permission of instructor

Course Objectives:

1. To understand and apply page design principles as related to desktop publishing.
2. To successfully operate  word processing, graphic generation, page assembly, and image scanning software.
3. To understand the academic principles and practical hardware/software operations in a high enough level to be able to directly apply these skills in business and industry publications applications.
4. To learn the basics of Quark XPress and Adobe InDesign.
   

Course Outline:

 I.     Principles of Electronic Publishing
        1. Traditional vs. Electronic
        2. Terminology

 II.   Orientation to Page Layout software using
        Quark XPress and Adobe InDesign for Macintosh or Windows

 III.   Publication/Document Design Principles
        1. Basic Layout Terminology
        2. Layout Design & Specifications
        2. Type & Graphic Usage
        3. Templates, Style Sheets, Master Pages

IV.    Typesetting/Word Processing
         1. Fonts
         2. Type Terminology
         3. Creating, Importing, & Manipulating Text
         4. Paragraph Formatting, Tables & Lists

 V.    Graphics
         1. Creating with Quark XPress and InDesign tools
         2. Importing & Manipulating within Quark XPress and
              InDesign

 VI.   Electronic Page Assembly

VII.   Scanning & Image/Graphic Enhancement
         1. Review of Line Art Scanning
         2. Halftones & B&W Continuous Tone Scans

VIII. Designing and Using Color

 IX.   Outputting
         1. Creating Separations & Printing
         2. Service Bureau Services
         3. Pre-flighting files.

Course Outcomes:

Both Quark XPress and Adobe InDesign will be used in this course as the page layout software. The course will be taught with these objectives:

1. To learn the fundamentals of desktop publishing and how computer user can control every step—from idea to pre-press—of the publishing process.
2. To learn the basics of layout styles in order to produce appealing publications.
3. To learn the basics of computer typography—type specifications, units of measurement, spacing, legibility and readability, and parts of letterforms.
4. To learn the basic types of graphics a page layout program can use.
5. To be able to crop and resize graphics and add graphic elements to a page layout using the basic tools within Quark XPress and Adobe InDesign.
6. To learn to create and setup new documents.
7. To learn how to enter and edit text, including spell checking, search and replace, and find commands.
8. To learn how to place, manipulate, resize graphics and text.
9. To learn how to split text blocks, jump text, wrap copy, and otherwise manipulate and fine tune type.
10. To learn how to set up columns, grids, style sheets and use them to facilitate layouts.
11. To learn basic desktop publishing terminology.
12. To learn how to set up master pages.
13. To learn how to modify graphics.
14. To learn how to specify and use color.
15. To learn the basics of pre-flighting a file.

Required Text:

An InDesign reference book like InDesign CS for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide by Sandy Cohen, ISBN: 0321213483, Peachpit Press, 576 pages . This book is available in the Cheyenne Campus bookstore; it will also be used in the followup course—GRC 240—Electronic Publishing II.

OR

A Quark XPress reference book like QuarkXPress 4 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide by Elaine Weinmann, ISBN: 0201696231, Peachpit Press, 376 pages .

NOTE: When learning the basic of Quark XPress, there is little difference between the version 6 (current) and version 4, which we will be using in class.Texts dealing with version 4 of Quark XPress are out-of-print. The above text is available through Amazon.com (click here). You should have this book ordered by the time class has started.

Visual Quickstart series books by Peachpit Press are the best type of book for this course: excellent as an instructional/tutorial book as well as a reference book; best value.

Recommended Text:

Both of the above required texts.

Supplies:

Each student is required to provide a zip disk (100 or 250 MB) and a USB "thumb" drive for the purpose of saving work done in class..

Students are requested to bring a three-ring binder to each class, with the course syllabus and calendar inserted in the front for easy reference. Any handouts distributed in class, along with notes and exerciese could be kept in this notebook along.

Remember that data can become corrupt, or may accidentally be erased or destroyed. The instructor will not have any sympathy for you if you have not kept a backup file and/or if you attend class without some means of saving your work.

Grading:

In order to acquire a passing grade, the student must  meet  the criteria listed on the syllabus.

Final grades are determined by accumulated scores (out of 500 possible points) on the exams and assignments according to the following scale
 

Because the emphasis is on doing and producing, grades will be weighted as follows:

Submitting Assignments:

All assignments must be submitted with the Project Sheet and Cover Sheet attached with Your Name; Class & Meeting Days, Assignment Name & Number in the following format in the upper right corner.

EXAMPLE:

Dropping files onto the Server:

Submit your dropped file with your last name and the name of the assignment or pract.

 EXAMPLE:

Resubmitting Assignments:

Students may resubmit each assignment or project (except quizzes, exam, midterm and final projects) with the necessary corrections or adjustments to raise their score, however, resubmissions must be made within a week from the time the assignment or project was returned.

Only one resubmission per student per assignment.
Late assignments will not be accepted for resubmission. 

Resubmissions must include the graded project sheet, the cover sheet, digital file on the server and the resubmission.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

  FIRST WEEK 10% off the final grade
  SECOND WEEK 25% off the final grade
  THIRD WEEK  Zero points.

MISSED QUIZZES AND EXAMS: 

All late quizzes and exams count as zero points, unless the student has made arrangements beforehand or is victim to an emergency beyond his/her control.

PORTFOLIO:

Grading individual assignments does not always reflect the totality of the learning experience. To give you the opportunity to demonstrate that the sum of your knowledge is greater than the individual parts, the submission of a well organized, neat, clean portfolio of work will be due for review on the last day of class.

FINAL PROJECT:

Students are required to formally meet with the instructor to discuss their final project in stages. The project should follow the criteria listed on the instruction sheet and should be well-prepared before attending the meeting.

Dates for  meeting with the instructor are  listed on the calendar (enclosed in the syllabus)-a grade will be given for each stage of the project so be prepared for these meetings.

All projects must utilize  the tools and techniques taught in this class. If you don't understand something, make an appointment for individual tutoring with the instructor.
The final project also requires you to use a service bureau. Professional output of the final piece must include 2 prints-one for the instructorâs student portfolio and one for your own portfolio. A disk with all files and fonts is also required.

This is an opportunity to obtain a professional piece of work for your portfolio. This is something that  you should be thinking about and planning from the first day of class. Projects from other classes are unacceptable.

Attendance:

Because of the nature of this class--learning new and/or unfamiliar computer software--it is critical that the student attends each and every class and lab period.

Attendance is taken each class and lab period.

TARDINESS :

If you arrive to class later than 10 minutes after starting time, you are tardy. Three tardies are the same as being absent. Leaving early counts th same.

1 or 2 times	=	No Penalty
3 times	=	One Absence
6 times	=	Two Absences

ABSENCES:

If you arrive to class later than 30 minutes after starting time, you are considered absent.

Absences is recorded only to benefit the student. (see Excellent Attendance below)

EXCELLENT ATTENDANCE:

Students who maintain a minimum of 90% attendance will have their final grade raised to the next half-letter grade--for example, from an A- to an A. 

No extra credit assignments will be given if the student's grade is low because they opted to be absent, come late or leave early .

If the student selects to withdraw from the class, they must do so, through the registrar's office, within the  time period designated by that office. Otherwise, the above criteria will be used to determine the final grade. (See also Withdrawls, Incompletes, Failures below)

Other Policy:

WITHDRAWALs, INCOMPLETES, FAILURES:  Students who have attended at least one-half of the course or submitted at least one-third of the assignments and then fail to complete the course will be given the grade they have earned, usually an F. Incompletes are only given under grave situations where the student cannot complete the course because of circumstances beyond his control, e.g. long-term hospitalization. The student is responsible to withdrawl herself in the event she cannot complete the course; the instructor will give an administrative withdrawal to those students who have not attended more than the first few class meetings. Anyone handing in a final project and/or taking the final exam will be given a grade at the end of the semester unless circumstance merit receiving an incomplete.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:  Please refer to the CCSN College Catalog.

HEADPHONES are not permitted during class lectures and discussions.

TELEPHONES: What did we do before the cellular phone? Please do not bring your phone to class unless there is an emergency and this is the only way that you can handle it--keep emergencies to a minimum!

SAFETY, LAB POLICY AND CONCERNS:
Whenever you are working in a lab environment you should be aware of the safety issues respective to the equipment and materials with which you will be working. There are no major life or health-threatening conditions of concern to the typical student in the computer graphics lab, however, a few simple rules should be followed. These rules are mainly to protect the lab equipment, nevertheless, the student stands to benefit from their general observation.

1. Do not plug or unplug any power cords or cables attached to any of the lab equipment. If you feel you must do this, please discuss it first with the instructor or lab assistant.

2. Be careful where you place your belongings. Keep them off the floor so as to prevent any unplanned trips.

3. DO NOT even think of bringing food and/or drink into the lab area. A strict open container and open package law will be enforced. Crumbs in the keyboard and drinks in the disk drives are more than damaging to the hardware÷they will cost you lab privileges.

10 Principles of Success

These rules apply no matter if you want to succeed in the classroom, in the boardroom, on the playing field, on stage, in the studio, or any other place

1. Show up.
2. Pay attention
3. Ask questions
4. Get help before you really need it.
5. Willingly help others.
6. "I can't" is not synonymous with "I don't want to."
7. You don't have to "like" a task to excel at it.
8. Curiosity always beats intelligence.
9. The problem isn't the problem. How you handle the problem--that's the problem.
10. Don't even think of quitting.

If you need help to succeed beyond following the basic wisdom these principles provide, please seek help by considering the following services provided to students at CCSN (see below):

• Tutoring Services
• TRIO
• Access Office
• Retention Office