FALL 2024 COMS 226
Section 1 T-Th 9:30, HH 1005; Section 3 T-Th 11:00, HH 1005 (Mac lab)
Instructor: Prof. William (Bill) Kovarik,
School of Communication, Radford University
Email: wkovarik@radford.edu
Office hours: M-W 10 -12 am via zoom
Textbook: https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm
Catalog description of the course — Four hours lecture and laboratory. Instruction in the technology of digital imaging and photojournalism. Practice in the creation, editing and processing of digital images for use in various media with some emphasis on the World Wide Web. Visual communication theories and history of photography are also covered. 3.000 Credit hours
Welcome to the course
Hello. I’m Professor Bill Kovarik, your instructor for Digital Imaging. Contact me any time at wkovarik@radford.edu Also, I have regular zoom office hours on Monday and Wednesday mornings. You can learn more about my background at https://billkovarik.com/bio/
This syllabus will help you get started in the COMS 226 course, describing 1) How to get started and where resources are located; 2) our learning objectives; 3) assessment methods, and 4) support and accessibility policies.
COMS 226 course is an introduction to the how and why of visual communication — the methods as well as some historical context and aesthetic issues.
Your learning objectives
- Design a web page using WordPress content management system
- Take, edit, optimize, and then display images on your web pages
- Capture audio and video, and learn basic editing techniques and formatting procedures, along with, uploading and displaying on your web pages
- Understand principles of composition and visual communication
- Learn a little about the history and background of photography
Getting started
Digital camera (or phone camera), headphones or earbuds, plus thumb drive for backups. Camera must be available for use during class time. For serious students, a digital SLR type camera is very helpful.
No required textbooks. Instructional materials are here: https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm
The main organizing prompts will come from D2L Brightspace It is accessed through a web browser (as you probably know);
Log in using your RU ID and Password at learn.radford.edu If you are registered for the class, you will see COMS 226.
Goals for the class
• Create a professional web portfolio page using WordPress
• Create, edit, optimize, and display media on your web portfolio
¶ Create: Shoot & capture photo, audio and video files.
o Edit: Employ basic editing and formatting software
o Display: Upload and display photo, audio and video information
• Design a publication in InDesign,
• Create a simple animation
• Create a podcast
• Optional: Fly a drone and record video
• Understand principles of composition and visual communications.
• Understand the history and principles of photography
HOW THIS WORKS
We’ll start the week on Tuesdays with a zoom lecture and introduce a learning module about some key aspect of digital imaging. You’ll also have some reading / watching to do each week, and a practical assignment or two. Thursdays we will refine the assignment or, later in the semester, leave some time for individual help and catching up.
All of the readings and assignments will be organized through D2L, so if you’re not sure of what you need to do for that week, just go to the D2L class page and look for the course schedule.
Submitting Assignments and Projects: All assignments and projects will placed on your own WordPress content management system web site, but quizzes and written exercises will be taken through the class D2L site.
ASSESSMENT
4.1 Grading criteria for individual assignments
• Technical issues:
o Files optimized for web display with correct format
o Light and colors are level and balanced
o Pixel depth is 72 ppi for web
• Aesthetic issues:
o Your own original work is required for all assignments, except practice assignments when we specify public domain images, audio or video
o All work for credit must be done this semester, but you may wish to post previous semester work on your web portfolio
o Subjects should be ethical and appropriate
o Human subjects should be close to the camera.
o Theme is emphasized within the frame
o Composition is balanced and proportional
o Eye travel, sequence and rule of thirds are considered
4.2 Overall course grading assessment — Course grades will be based on a combination of participation, written research, and performance on quizzes and exams. To earn an A in the class, score at least 1,000 possible points in these categories:
• Five Quizzes — 10 points each (50 0verall)
• Section 1 – WordPress site; 25 points each (100 overall) for:
o Establish site – 25 points
o Display images – 25 points
o Organize menus – 25 points
o Header and theme development – 25 points
• Section 2 – Ten image editing exercises, 15 points each (150)
• Section 3 – Four personal photo galleries, 20 points each (100)
• Two projects of your choice from the following sections:
o Section 4 – Graphics (pdf), 100 points
o Section 5 – Audio project, prototype podcast (m4a, mp3), 100 points
o Section 6 – Video project, 100 (H264, mp4) points
o Section 7 – Animation project, (gif) 100 points
o Section 8 – Drone video project (H264, mp4), 100 points
4. CLASS POLICIES
Attendance – If you miss ten percent of the classes your grade starts to drop proportionally.
Assessment — Course grades will be based on a combination of participation, written research, and performance on quizzes and exams.
To earn an A in the class, earn at least 900 out of 1000 possible points in these categories
Discussions — 200 points
Quizzes — 200 points
Mid Term — 200 points
Final exam — 200 points
Final project or paper — 200 points
Submitting papers: Exercises and research papers should be turned into Assignments (drop box) in the LMS system. Papers should have your name in both the name of the document and inside the document. So for example you would turn in a file with the name
Smith.Research1.docx or Jones.MovieReview.txt Also, at the beginning of that document, you should also have your name and the name of the exercise in the upper left hand corner. Students who miss these basic guidelines will have to resubmit their papers.
FREE SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION
Please feel free to speak up and ask questions, either in class or in private, via zoom or inperson office conferences. Please let the instructor know if you find mistakes in the textbook, the instructions, the syllabus or the web site.
Naturally, you are free to say what you think about the course topics or the course itself. Your opinions will be respected, especially insofar as they reflect reasoned arguments and efforts to clarify or improve. We will not tolerate bias against conservatives, liberals, whigs or tories. All reasonable views are welcome, especially if what you say is guided by a sense of ethics, consideration for others, and respect for diversity of citizenship and scholarship.
However, we will not tolerate hate speech, obscenity, threats of violence or other forms of expression not protected under the First Amendment.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Academic integrity, as pointed out in the Standards of Student Conduct, prohibits falsification, cheating, forgery and other dishonest academic practices. Students who have problems in this area will fail the course and be reported to the dean’s office.
Honor Code: By accepting admission to this university, each student makes a commitment to understand, support and abide by the honor code without compromise or exception.
You’ve probably already read the applicable university policies on student conduct: http://www.radford.edu/content/dam/departments/administrative/policies/Studen tAffairsPoliciesandProcedures/SA-PO-1300_StandardsofStudentConduct.pdf
Confidentiality — Discussions about your grade or other aspects of your life at RU are kept in strict confidence by the instructor under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). This means the instructor will be happy to talk with your mom or dad, but only with your permission.
Disabilities —If you are seeking academic accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act at Radford University, you are required to register with the Disability Resource Office (DRO). To receive academic accommodations for this class, please submit your documentation to the DRO in the lower level of Tyler Hall Suites 54-69, by fax to 540-831-6525, by email to dro@radford.edu. After submitting documentation to the DRO, you will set up an interview with a Disability Services Specialist to discuss accommodations. You will be notified via email once your accommodation package is complete and ready to be picked up. Once you have picked up your accommodation package, you will need to meet with each course professor during their office hours to review and discuss your package. For more information and/or for documentation guidelines, visit www.radford.edu/dro or call 540-831-6350.
CALENDAR COMS 226
Aug 27 – Create WordPress CMS web page https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm/cms1/ Read 1.1 – 1.3
• What’s a content management system (CMS)? How does it work?
Course sequence in digital design (COMS 326, 426)
• Take Quiz 1 by Sept 3
• Create a Word Press web page and site content 1a, 1b
Sept 3 – Digital imaging basics / Read 2.1 – 2.5
• How to size and format images for a CMS
• Take Quiz 2 by Sept 10
• Do exercises 2a, 2b, 2c
Sept 10 Image editing /
• Do exercises 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f
Sept 17 Image editing
• Do exercises 2g, 2h, 2i
• Start Section 3
• Photography and photojournalism: How to get your first job with National Geographic https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm/photo/
Sept 24 Image editing / Read section 3.1 – 3.3
• https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm/photo/
• Start exercises 3a – 3b Take portrait and landscape photos & display them on your web site
• Take Quiz 3.1-3.3 by Oct 1
Oct 1 Photograph & composition Read section 3.4 – 3.5
• Take Quiz 3.4-5 by Oct 8
• Exercise 3c – 3d Take photos in the style of a famous photographer
MID TERM ASSESSMENT (no exam)
Oct 8: Graphic design Read section 4.1 – 4.4
• Take Quiz 4 by Oct 15
• https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm/graphics/
Oct 15 Audio Section 5 Read section 5.1- 5.7
• https://revolutionsincommunication.com/viscomm/digital-audio/
• How Podcasting Works and how to post to audio.com
• Take Quiz 5 by Oct 22
• Do exercises 5.a
Oct 22 Video Editing Section 6 / Read 6.1 – 6.6
• Film theory
• How to post to youtube or vimeo
• Take quiz 6 by Oct 29
• Exercises 6a
Oct 29 Animation Section 7 / Read 7.1 – 7.4
• Animation theory and practice
• Exercises 7a
• Nov 5 No class election day
Nov 7 Drone video Section 8
Preparing for the FAA Part 107 professional drone license
Nov 12 – Nov 21 Continue work on projects in & out of class
Dec 3 – Present projects
Dec 10 – Last day to turn in assignments and finish quizzes
FINAL ASSESSMENT (No Exam)