This course is part of the CSN Computer Graphics Program offerings and applies toward a Computer Graphics Design degree and certificate.

GRC 104
(3 Credits)

Section DED001—#50866
(online)
&
Section CY001—#46207
(Mon. & Wed. 10–11:50am)

Syllabus
Fall 2008

CSN Online Campus CE

Course Overview

Index

Course Description

Course Objectives

Course Outline

Course Outcome

Textbooks

Supplies

Testing

Grading

Submitting Assignments

Class Policies
General & Inclass

10 Principles of Success

Special Help

Course Description:

Introduction to typography and page layout rendered traditionally and manipulated by computer. Typographic theory, copy acquisition, proofreading, and fundamentals of typographic layout and design for publications and collateral pieces. (from CSN Catalog)

This course is organized for an inclass experience of about four hours of lecture (presentation of new material) and four hours of lab (student works on his/her own) each week during class period. Online students can expect this sort of time commitment (minimal) to be successful.  

It is highly recommended that students plan on additional time be allocated to the work in this course..

Prerequisite: None

Course Objectives:

1. To understand and apply basic design principles as related to layout.
2. To successfully operate word processing, graphic generation, page assembly, and image scanning software.
3. To understand the basic principles of typography and relate them to layout.
4. To become familiar with an electronic page-layout application.

Course Outcomes:

1. Develop methods of type specifications.
2. Identify type anatomy and properly use type specification and measurement terms.
3. Identify and compare the similarities and difference between the major type classifications.
4. Choose an appropriate typeface for a particular background, match a particular type personality with a message.
5. Design a piece solely with type.
6. Establish a hierarchy of information through type treatments.
7. Craft type using a page layout program by controlling all character and paragraph formatting, including control over kerning and tracking, tabs and indents, leading.
8. Create proportioning thumbnails, roughs, and comprehensive layouts.

Course Outline:

1. Communication Process
2. Design Process
1. Pre-design decisions
2. Thumbnails
3. Roughs
3. Design and Layout Basics
1. Terminology
2. Emphasis
3. Dominant Element
4. Contrast and Conflict
5. Proximity
6. Balance
7. Unity
8. Alignment
9. Repetition
10. Coherence
11. Flow (Eye movement)
4. Typography Basics
1. Terminology
2. Basic Typographic Rules
3. Typesetting/Word Processing
4. Fonts
5. Orientation to Page Layout software
1. InDesign basics
6. Graphics
1. Working with images
7. Using Color
   1. Color Models and Terminology
   2. Use of Color
   3. Defining and Applying Color

Required Texts:

Basics of Design—Layout & Typography for Beginners, 2nd Edition, by Lisa Graham, ISBN 0-4018-7952-7, Delmar --Thomson Learning (used copies should be available in the campus bookstore Cheyenne campus)

AND

A Typographic Workbook: A Primer to History, Techniques, and Artistry, 2nd Edition Kate Clair, Cynthia Busic-Snyder, ISBN: 0-471-69690-0 This book is available in the Cheyenne Campus bookstore; you can find an earlier version online (see below).

Highly Recommended Texts:

An InDesign reference book like this one from the Visual QuickStart Guide series by Peachpit Press, both by Sandee Cohen, US list 29.99.
InDesign CS3 for Macintosh and Windows, ISBN-10: 0-321-50306-6, 600 pages.
Acessible free through Safari Tech Books Online (see below)

NOTE: InDesign CS2 for Macintosh and Windows, ISBN 0321322010, 582 pages. is available at half.com for less and work be just as good a reference for this course.'

Safari Tech Books Online is a collection of thousands of full text electronic technical books from industry-leading publishers such as SAMS, O'Reilly, Cisco Press, Adobe Press, Macromedia, Java. Access from CSN campus computers is direct, however, CSN students can also access it from off campus by logging on as they would in the CSN Online Campus CE. (See help if necessary.)

NOTE: Some software demo videos of InDesign software are available to students in this course, for those who wish to use that application to create their layout projects. Students can use any software (or do the projects manually) to complete their assignments, however, InDesign is one of two--if not the leading--standards in the industry.

Portions of this book will be referred to concerning basic concepts that need to be understood to do basic layouts. Knowing InDesign or having access to it is not required because this is not a software course. However, if you are working on a Computer Graphics Design degree, you will need to learn this software eventually.

Supplies:

REQUIRED:

A sketchbook of any type. It must be bound and have no lines (non-ruled) on it. You will be keeping all of your thumbnails and sketches in this book for presentation at the end of the course. (Don't use anything but plain white paper; lines are distracting to what you sketch.)

A portfolio binder of any type (book, folder). This could be expensive, but it is something that you will eventually need to get a job, so you might as we start putting together one now.

RECOMMENDED:

Each student is recommended to have some backup storage (a USB jump drive, separate hard drive) for the purpose of saving any work done on the computer.

Remember that data can become corrupt, or may accidentally be erased or destroyed. Backup up all of your work.

Grading:

Final grades are determined by accumulated scores (out of 600 total points possible) on the exams and assignments according to the following scale
 

NOTE: Most students will not have accumulated enough points to pass the course until the very end of the course. Keep in mind that work totaling 33% of your total grade (200 points) is not due until the last week or so.

Even perfect scoring up until the final week (when the Sample Book, Final Project / Portfolio is due and the Final Exam and Practicum is taken) a student could accumulate only enough points for a D.

Conclusion: You must finish the course earn a passing grade.

The emphasis is on doing, producing, and finishing. Scoring is weighted as follows:

Extra Credit

There are some opportunities for extra credit. Some extra credit points may be offered as a correct responses to certain emails or Discussion Board entries.

The only extra credit project is the Type Specifications Book that can be handed in at the end of the course. (This is accepted only if all other projects have been completed. This is not for substitution for a required project.)

Additional points may be earned for extra entries in the Sample Book and during the Final Practicum. (see below).

Assignments—Projects, Sample Book, Portfolio

PROJECTS

Submitting Projects

Basically all assignments must be submitted using WebCT's Assignments Tool. Details for submitting assignments are explained in the Online Procedures section.

File Nomenclature

ALL FILES submitted with each assignment are REQUIRED to be named according to a specific naming structure (e.g. a1-lastname.jpg--see Online Procedures). Consequences for failing to do this is a 10% decrease in your scoring at best, or a failure to have your work graded at worst.

Resubmitting Projects

If a student loses points on an assignment and would like to bring the scroe up, she can do so at the end of the semester when her work is reviewed during the Final Project, which is a portfolio of all of your work in this course.

Late Projects:

All projects can be submitted up to three weeks after the due date, however, penalties for late assignments are as follows.

SAMPLE BOOK:

At the very end of the semester students are required to submit a collection of tear sheets (examples of layouts from publications), each with an appropriate label and commentary explaining the principle of layout or typography it clearly depicts.

Students should start to collect these from the very beginning as 10 are due for Assignment #3 and 25 additional are due at the end of the term.

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.

Testing—Quizzes, Final Exam, Final Practicum

Quizzes and exams are released in WebCT. The student has a window of opportunity to begin the test and has a given number of minutes to finish it. Each quiz can be taken twice and is really used as a learning experience.

The final exam/practicum will be taken within a classroom on the Cheyenne campus, it will be timed and proctored.

MISSED QUIZZES AND EXAM:

Missed quizzes and exams count as zero points. You can take these quizzes at any time, however, they each have a cutoff date afterwhich it cannot be taken.

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 (log on)
2. Pay attention (read all the materials)
3. Ask questions (use the email and Discussion Boards and Live Classroom sessions)
4. Get help before you really need it. ( email the instructor or contact Tutoring Services)
5. Willingly help others. (respond to Discussion posts)
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.

General Policy:

Academic Honesty:  Academic dishonestly will not be tolerated. Refer to page 24 (in the Intro) of the CSN College Catalog.

Use of Class ListServs (Mailing Lists): Effective July 1, 1998, a new "anti-spam" law went into effect in Nevada, which makes it an offense to send unsolicited email on the internet (unless a prior business relationship exists or you have given your consent to receive it).

The law makes the offense punishable by a fine of $10 per mail address. This shows how serious society has gotten to assure a non-harassing environment on the internet. In that spirit, the CSN Computer Graphics Program will not tolerate messages sent to the listserv or WebCT email that are not relative to the course content, the computer graphics program, CSN or of an academic nature, especially those that contain comments that are offensive, obscene, or of a intimately personal nature.

Those who do not abide by this policy will lose class email privileges.

You are also encouraged to follow basic email etiquette.

Withdrawals: 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 to the left will be used to determine the final grade, most likely leading to a failure mark on the transcript.

See Responsibility Statement

ONLINE COURSE

Is Online Learning
the way for you to go for you?
Take the DE Online Learning Assessment Test

If you are having doubts about taking an online course, the good news is there will besome oncampus meetings for extra help, demos, and review.

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Overview

This course is taught both oncampus and online. Students from either section can participate in either group of students through WebCT. Online students can attend the campus class sessions; the campus section goes online to access course work.

Weekly participation required. By the end of the first week, links to all assignment instructions, drop folders, and quizzes will be released. While this allows students who can devote more time to get ahead, all students are required to weekly participate in this course (see below)

Weekly assistance. Some sort of personal interaction with the instructor will be available each week, either as a Live Classroom Session within WebCT or an oncampus meeting. The latter are offered [not required] probably on a bi-monthly basis so that students can meet face-to-face meeting with the instructor.

The actual meeting time will be determined from the feedback of students via a survey given the first week of the course. You can also email the instructor and tell him all of the available times when you can go to the Cheyenne Campus for a one-to-two-hour meeting.

Final Exam oncampus. You are required to attend the final exam oncampus so that it can be proctored in person by the instructor. Multiple sessions will be schedule to accommodate everyone's schedule.

Inclass Portion

You will be able to attend scheduled on-campus meetings for extra help, one to be held the first week and others according to what is best for the students, determined by a survey conducted the first week. These meetings will be held on the Cheyenne Campus in Room 2665 or 1228. The first one-hour will be an online Live Classroom session that student not on-campus can attend and a one-on-one help session afterwards.

The Introductory and the Midterm meetings might be the most beneficial as it involves an orientation and a review respectively.

Participation Policy:

This is not a home study or independent study course. Whereas you can progress at your own pace, you are expected to participate weekly in this course.

Because an online course is remote—and leaves the instructor and students physically detached—it is especially important that the student makes an effort to use the online communications resources of the course (see Online Procedures) to establish a weekly virtual participation.

Layout and Typography is not something that can be learned overnight and requires a consistent effort. (See Responsibility Statement. Part of that effort is class participation which the instructor tracks. (See 10 Principles of Success),

Attendance cannot be taken, as within a classroom environment, however, there are other mechanisms to measure student participation online, such as: (see Online Procedures for details)

• Discussion Board entries
• eMail
• Chat interaction
• Live Classroom session attendance
• Online Office Hours

Participation Defined

Online students are required to contribute to the class discussion groups and respond to emails as outlined within the course, just as inclass students are required to participate by showing up in the classroom and interacting with the instructor and students. Participation is required (points are assigned, up to 3 points per week). Points will be posted at the end of each week in My Grades.

Class Participation is acknowledged as any of the following activities:

• Posting a comment or question concerning course content materials on the Discussion Board
• Responding to any request from the instructor
• Submitting a response to a Discussion Point.
• Using the class mailing list or WebCT Mail to communicate with ALL other students enrolled in the class—answer another's question, raise a question or send a comment.
• Attending a Chat or scheduled Live Classroom sessions.

NOTE: Comments must be of a minimal quality—and within a timely manner—to count as participation. (If in doubt, give more than one comment.)

Points are awarded each week following the scoring guide below.

Points Rubric:

Excellent participation   more than one quality contribution	3 points
Average participation   more than one contact / single contribution	2 points
Minimal participation   at least one contact with instructor / students	1 points
No participation	0 points

NOTE: The quality and quantity of your participation, and the points they accumulate (up to 45), can make a difference of one or two steps in your final letter grade.

The student is responsible for her own learning. In the event the student doesn't understand the material or assignment, he should take the initiative to get the help he needs. The instructor is available during lab periods, office hours and by appointment. Tutorial Services, as well as fellow students via the listserv, can provide additional assistance.

The student is responsible for communicating with the instructor concerning tardies, absences, missed work, difficulties in understanding the material or assignments and for saving and protecting his own work.