{"id":6,"date":"2015-12-23T16:32:08","date_gmt":"2015-12-23T16:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/?page_id=6"},"modified":"2025-08-06T16:44:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T16:44:34","slug":"course","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/course\/","title":{"rendered":"226 Course"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>FALL 2025 COMS 226<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Instructor: Prof. William (Bill) Kovarik,<br \/>\nSchool of Communication, Radford University<br \/>\nEmail: wkovarik@radford.edu<br \/>\nOffice hours:\u00a0 T-Th 2-3:15 pm also M-W mornings via zoom<br \/>\nTextbook: <a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\">https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm<\/a><u>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/u><\/p>\n<p><strong>Catalog description of the course<\/strong> \u2014 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. \u00a03.000 Credit hours<\/p>\n<p><strong>Welcome to the course\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2527 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kovarik-269x300-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"148\" height=\"165\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hello. I\u2019m <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billkovarik.com\/bio\">Professor Bill Kovarik<\/a>, your instructor for Digital Imaging.\u00a0 Contact me any time at <a href=\"mailto:wkovarik@radford.edu\">wkovarik@radford.edu<\/a>\u00a0 Also, I have regular zoom office hours on Monday and Wednesday mornings. \u00a0 You can learn more about my background at <a href=\"https:\/\/billkovarik.com\/bio\/\"><u>https:\/\/billkovarik.com\/bio\/<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p>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;\u00a0 3)\u00a0 assessment methods, and 4) support and accessibility policies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>COMS 226\u00a0 is an introduction<\/strong> to the how and why of visual communication &#8212; the methods as well as some historical context and aesthetic issues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your learning objectives<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Design a web page using the WordPress content management system\n<ul>\n<li>Understand basic html and css coding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Shoot, edit, optimize, and display images on your web pages\n<ul>\n<li>Understand the aesthetics and history of photography<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Design publications in InDesign, convert to pdf, and display on your web pages\n<ul>\n<li>Understand principles of composition and visual communication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Capture audio and video, and learn basic editing techniques and\u00a0 formatting procedures, upload to YouTube and similar free sites, and then display on your web pages\n<ul>\n<li>Understand foley and film logic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Create animated gifs and display on web pages<\/li>\n<li>Use artificial intelligence (AI) prompts to create images and videos<\/li>\n<li>Understand drone video and livestreaming<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong> Getting started\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Digital camera (or phone camera),\u00a0headphones or earbuds, plus thumb drive for backups. Camera must be available for use during class time.\u00a0 For serious students, a digital SLR type camera is very helpful.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">No required textbooks.\u00a0 Instructional materials are here: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\">https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com<\/a><u>\/viscomm<\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The main organizing prompts will come from <u>D2L Brightspace<\/u> It is accessed through a web browser (as you probably know);<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Log in using your RU ID and Password at <a href=\"http:\/\/learn.radford.edu\">learn.radford.edu<\/a> If you are registered for the class, you will see COMS 226.<\/p>\n<p><strong> Goals for the class\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u2022 Create a professional web portfolio page using WordPress<br \/>\n\u2022 Create, edit, optimize, and display media on your web portfolio<br \/>\n\u00b6\u00a0 Create: Shoot &amp; capture photo, audio and video files.<br \/>\no Edit: Employ basic editing and formatting software<br \/>\no Display: Upload and display photo, audio and video information<br \/>\n\u2022 Design a publication in InDesign,<br \/>\n\u2022 Create a simple animation<br \/>\n\u2022 Create a podcast<br \/>\n\u2022 Optional: Fly a drone and record video<br \/>\n\u2022 Understand principles of composition and visual communications.<br \/>\n\u2022 Understand the history and principles of photography<\/p>\n<p>HOW THIS WORKS<br \/>\nWe\u2019ll start the week on Tuesdays with a zoom lecture and introduce a learning module about some key aspect of digital imaging. You\u2019ll 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.<br \/>\nAll of the readings and assignments will be organized through D2L, so if you\u2019re not sure of what you need to do for that week, just go to the D2L class page and look for the course schedule.<br \/>\nSubmitting 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.<br \/>\nASSESSMENT<br \/>\n4.1 Grading criteria for individual assignments<br \/>\n\u2022 Technical issues:<br \/>\no Files optimized for web display with correct format<br \/>\no Light and colors are level and balanced<br \/>\no Pixel depth is 72 ppi for web<br \/>\n\u2022 Aesthetic issues:<br \/>\no Your own original work is required for all assignments, except practice assignments when we specify public domain images, audio or video<br \/>\no All work for credit must be done this semester, but you may wish to post previous semester work on your web portfolio<br \/>\no Subjects should be ethical and appropriate<br \/>\no Human subjects should be close to the camera.<br \/>\no Theme is emphasized within the frame<br \/>\no Composition is balanced and proportional<br \/>\no Eye travel, sequence and rule of thirds are considered<br \/>\n4.2 Overall course grading assessment \u2014 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:<br \/>\n\u2022 Five Quizzes \u2014 10 points each (50 0verall)<br \/>\n\u2022 Section 1 \u2013 WordPress site; 25 points each (100 overall) for:<br \/>\no Establish site &#8211; 25 points<br \/>\no Display images &#8211; 25 points<br \/>\no Organize menus &#8211; 25 points<br \/>\no Header and theme development &#8211; 25 points<br \/>\n\u2022 Section 2 \u2013 Ten image editing exercises, 15 points each (150)<br \/>\n\u2022 Section 3 \u2013 Four personal photo galleries, 20 points each (100)<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Two projects of your choice from the following sections:<br \/>\no Section 4 \u2013 Graphics (pdf), 100 points<br \/>\no Section 5 \u2013 Audio project, prototype podcast (m4a, mp3), 100 points<br \/>\no Section 6 \u2013 Video project, 100 (H264, mp4) points<br \/>\no Section 7 \u2013 Animation project, (gif) 100 points<br \/>\no Section 8 \u2013 Drone video project (H264, mp4), 100 points<br \/>\n4. CLASS POLICIES<br \/>\nAttendance \u2013 If you miss ten percent of the classes your grade starts to drop proportionally.<br \/>\nAssessment \u2014 Course grades will be based on a combination of participation, written research, and performance on quizzes and exams.<br \/>\nTo earn an A in the class, earn at least 900 out of 1000 possible points in these categories<br \/>\nDiscussions &#8212; 200 points<br \/>\nQuizzes &#8212; 200 points<br \/>\nMid Term &#8212; 200 points<br \/>\nFinal exam &#8212; 200 points<br \/>\nFinal project or paper &#8212; 200 points<br \/>\nSubmitting 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<br \/>\nSmith.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.<\/p>\n<p>FREE SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION<br \/>\nPlease 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.<br \/>\nNaturally, 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.<br \/>\nHowever, we will not tolerate hate speech, obscenity, threats of violence or other forms of expression not protected under the First Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>UNIVERSITY POLICIES<br \/>\nAcademic 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\u2019s office.<br \/>\nHonor 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.<br \/>\nYou&#8217;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<\/p>\n<p>Confidentiality \u2014 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. \u00a7 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). This means the instructor will be happy to talk with your mom or dad, but only with your permission.<br \/>\nDisabilities \u2014If 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.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>CALENDAR COMS 226<br \/>\nAug 27 &#8211; Create WordPress CMS web page https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/cms1\/ Read 1.1 &#8211; 1.3<br \/>\n\u2022 What\u2019s a content management system (CMS)? How does it work?<br \/>\nCourse sequence in digital design (COMS 326, 426)<br \/>\n\u2022 Take Quiz 1 by Sept 3<br \/>\n\u2022 Create a Word Press web page and site content 1a, 1b<br \/>\nSept 3 &#8211; Digital imaging basics \/ Read 2.1 \u2013 2.5<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"2pGPuivQdf\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/2-1_intro\/\"><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;&#8221; &#8212; Digital Imaging COMS 226\" src=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/2-1_intro\/embed\/#?secret=yOp6j6cmId#?secret=2pGPuivQdf\" data-secret=\"2pGPuivQdf\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n\u2022 How to size and format images for a CMS<br \/>\n\u2022 Take Quiz 2 by Sept 10<br \/>\n\u2022 Do exercises 2a, 2b, 2c<br \/>\nSept 10 Image editing \/<br \/>\n\u2022 Do exercises 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f<br \/>\nSept 17 Image editing<br \/>\n\u2022 Do exercises 2g, 2h, 2i<br \/>\n\u2022 Start Section 3<br \/>\n\u2022 Photography and photojournalism: How to get your first job with National Geographic https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/photo\/<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sept 24 Image editing \/ Read section 3.1 \u2013 3.3<br \/>\n\u2022 https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/photo\/<br \/>\n\u2022 Start exercises 3a \u2013 3b Take portrait and landscape photos &amp; display them on your web site<br \/>\n\u2022 Take Quiz 3.1-3.3 by Oct 1<\/p>\n<p>Oct 1 Photograph &amp; composition Read section 3.4 \u2013 3.5<br \/>\n\u2022 Take Quiz 3.4-5 by Oct 8<br \/>\n\u2022 Exercise 3c \u2013 3d Take photos in the style of a famous photographer<\/p>\n<p>MID TERM ASSESSMENT (no exam)<\/p>\n<p>Oct 8: Graphic design Read section 4.1 \u2013 4.4<br \/>\n\u2022 Take Quiz 4 by Oct 15<br \/>\n\u2022 https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/graphics\/<\/p>\n<p>Oct 15 Audio Section 5 Read section 5.1- 5.7<br \/>\n\u2022 https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/digital-audio\/<br \/>\n\u2022 How Podcasting Works and how to post to audio.com<br \/>\n\u2022 Take Quiz 5 by Oct 22<br \/>\n\u2022 Do exercises 5.a<br \/>\nOct 22 Video Editing Section 6 \/ Read 6.1 \u2013 6.6<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Aj94SJYbLN\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/video-cameras\/\">Video camera tutorials<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Video camera tutorials&#8221; &#8212; Digital Imaging COMS 226\" src=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/video-cameras\/embed\/#?secret=r8HVeQAdUT#?secret=Aj94SJYbLN\" data-secret=\"Aj94SJYbLN\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n\u2022 Film theory<br \/>\n\u2022 How to post to youtube or vimeo<br \/>\n\u2022 Take quiz 6 by Oct 29<br \/>\n\u2022 Exercises 6a<\/p>\n<p>Oct 29 Animation Section 7 \/ Read 7.1 \u2013 7.4<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"NVEbp6XsOS\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/animation\/\">Animation<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Animation&#8221; &#8212; Digital Imaging COMS 226\" src=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/animation\/embed\/#?secret=C76pnnqMZI#?secret=NVEbp6XsOS\" data-secret=\"NVEbp6XsOS\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Animation theory and practice<br \/>\n\u2022 Exercises 7a<br \/>\n\u2022 Nov 5 No class election day<br \/>\nNov 7 Drone video Section 8<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"txwlK8fJCV\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/drone-video\/\">Drone video<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Drone video&#8221; &#8212; Digital Imaging COMS 226\" src=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/drone-video\/embed\/#?secret=ds79TteZJd#?secret=txwlK8fJCV\" data-secret=\"txwlK8fJCV\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nPreparing for the FAA Part 107 professional drone license<\/p>\n<p>Nov 12 \u2013 Nov 21 Continue work on projects in &amp; out of class<br \/>\nDec 3 \u2013 Present projects<br \/>\nDec 10 \u2013 Last day to turn in assignments and finish quizzes<\/p>\n<p>FINAL ASSESSMENT (No Exam)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FALL 2025 COMS 226 Instructor: Prof. William (Bill) Kovarik, School of Communication, Radford University Email: wkovarik@radford.edu Office hours:\u00a0 T-Th 2-3:15 pm also M-W mornings via zoom Textbook: https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Catalog description of the course \u2014 Four hours lecture and laboratory. Instruction &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/course\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"full-width-page.php","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4024,"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6\/revisions\/4024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/viscomm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}