Advanced Online Media Production

Students in this course develop familiarity with the best uses and practices for delivering non-textual material on the Web. They also develop their critical thinking skills so that they are able to make intelligent decisions about the use of non-textual material, such as:

• Determining the best media for conveying particular kinds of information.
• Considering the requirements of the users.
• Budgeting time for production.
• Justifying the effort required (relative to the whole project) to develop a non-textual component.
• Integrating various media into a coherent, appealing package.

Students move beyond print-based models of online presentation of information and learn to make wise choices about using non-textual media -- based on the strengths and weaknesses of those media on the Web.

By the end of this course, each student will have an online portfolio that demonstrates the student's ability to:

• Present photos in a slideshow format using both HTML and Flash.
• Deliver sound on the Web using both an embedded player and Flash.
• Design and use HTML forms (suitable for surveys and quizzes).
• Connect a Web front end to a back-end database.
• Create a functional HTML image map.
• Conceive and design a clear navigation system for a Web site.
• Conceive and design consistent page layouts for use across multiple sections of a Web site.
• Use CSS to control fonts and colors.