TC891 is an online course requiring lots of student participation.
The university guidelines on how many hours students should spend per
student credit hour list a minimum of 45 hours per credit per semester.
TC891 is a four credit course.
Because the TC Department is in the midst of curriculum revisions,
it will be possible for students to take TC891 in fall as a substitute
for TC446. The two courses cover similar material. TC891 has a stronger
emphasis on creative design, while TC 446 has a stronger emphasis on
technology. You can enroll in both if you wish, but you may use TC891
as a substitute if you need or want that for your scheduling needs.
Every week there are assigned readings from the textbooks, online readings
and explorations, design assignments, and discussion assignments. In
some weeks there are also quizzes. Expect to spend about three times
as long doing assignments as you spend doing readings. Assignment deadines
matter. It is too tempting to get behind, especially in an online class.
So, I will help you by insisting you turn things in when they are due.
The first half of TC891 focusses on design. If we were merely learning
how-to use Flash software, it could be done in two week. But we take
each step slowly using Flash as a tool to learn about and experiment
with typography, animation, color, sound, and layout.
When you have completed the first half of TC891, you will have basic
Flash and design expertise. Then it is time to move to concepts of interactivity,
design for user experience, user testing, and intermediate action scripting.
In the final five weeks of class, I offer each student the choice of
working on a final project or conducting a series of programming projects
each chosen to advance the student's programming knowledge. This semester
two thirds of students chose the programming option, and one third had
large projects they really wanted to create.
You should expect lots of communication with me and with your fellow
students throughout TC891. You'll get emails from me every week. You'll
post discussion comments and respond to other student comments. Believe
it or not, an online course is a great way to get to know your prof
and your fellow students.
Many students who will enroll live in the Lansing area. But some are
in other states and even other countries. This spring I had students
living in Sumatra, Indonesia, Switzerland, Texas, and Michigan. In fall
I expect at least one student in Brasil, and we'll see where else.
If you turn in an assignment to TC891 which you also used for another
course, you may fail the assignment. DMAT professors DO compare notes
and students.
I live in San Francisco and work full time for MSU. I am a design and
teaching advisor to MSU's Virtual University, I teach DMAT courses like
this one, and I run the Comm
Tech Lab. You will find me very available and very interested
and involved in your weekly progress.
You may wish to get together virtually or in person with other students
as a group or as subgroups at convenient times during the semester to
talk in person about what you are learning and creating. Some assignments
are required to be done individually, while others can be individual
or group work, depending upon your preference.