Course Title: Possible Worlds: Interactive Media
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Possible Worlds: Interactive Media
Credit Points: 12
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
COMM2330 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
345H Media and Communication |
Face-to-Face |
Course Coordinator: Dean Keep
Course Coordinator Phone: see part B
Course Coordinator Email:dean.keep@rmit.edu.au
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
This course is an elective at Masters by coursework level. It is open to students in the Masters in Communication, the Masters of Creative Media and other postgraduate students with approval of the coordinator.
Course Description
Possible Worlds will introduce students to theoretical and practical issues surrounding interactive media, specifically DVD, Flash and Web production, with a special focus on narrative and interactivity. Classes will be run on a studio/lab model.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
In undertaking this course, students will:
- develop an understanding of issues and techniques in interactive media;
- explore issues of research, experimentation and the possibility of failure that are inherent when engaging with innovative media;
- develop a sense of the evolutionary nature of the mediascape and learn techniques for coping with this;
- develop their ability to justify their use of technology with reference to theory and appropriate content outcomes.
Overview of Learning Activities
Class time will be divided between exemplifying and theorizing the interactive media environment in which we live and work and acquiring technical skills. An emphasis will be placed on students acquiring the skills and knowledge to meaningfully reflect on interactive media developments, with a view to implementing some of these developments in future projects.
Students will be expected to undertake self-directed learning to expand their technical skills, if required. Students will find it difficult to grasp some concepts and acquire the technical competencies if they don’t attend classes. Students will be learning to use Macintosh computers.
Overview of Learning Resources
Students will be required to purchase the course dossier. Students will be obliged to download and print some readings from the Internet.
Students will also be provided with a course blog.
Some relevant resources will be on Jenny Weight’s blog: http://mmp.adc.rmit.edu.au
Dean Keep’s blog url TBA.
All students are required to regularly access their RMIT student email account. An account on the student file server and web server (if required) shall be provided.
Students should habitually bring a blank CD/DVD or their external disk drive to production classes. Advice on purchase of an external disk drive is available.
Library media guide:http://www.lib.rmit.edu.au/pathfinders/media.html or contact the Subject Librarian, Mary Mavroudis (mary.mavroudis@rmit.edu.au).
Overview of Assessment
Assessment details are included in part B of this course guide. They consist of:
1. a small project;
2. small project pitch;
3. reflective blogging based on playing a computer game.