Course Home Page

Course Description:

This course explores the development of interactive and dynamic media components for multimedia and hypermedia products. The course examines the design, creation and integration of text, 2D animation and sound for use in various forms of media. Students also learn the basics of scripting and how it can be used to create interaction.

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Further understand the emerging capabilities of delivering Web content.
2. Further examine the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of multimedia content on the Web.
3. Extend proficiency in using advanced HTML features such as frames and forms.
4. Develop skill in utilizing JavaScript and VBScript for customized, user-centered Web pages.
5. Learn about extension languages such as JavaScript, VBScript, ActiveX, dynamic HTML, XML, style sheets, and Web multimedia technologies.
6. Further the student's understand of the effect of bandwidth and data transfer rate on the development of Web content.
7. Extend the students ability to systematically develop content for the Web, from concept to implementation.
8. Further the students cognitive skills in problem solving, debugging, and programming.
9. Discover the capabilities of emerging Web authoring programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver.
10. Develop skill and proficiency in creating professional vector animations and interactive components using Macromedia Flash.

Course Textbooks:

Required:

Title:  Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training
Author:  Todd Perkins
Publisher:  Peachpit Press
ISBN-10: 0321509838
ISBN-13: 978-0321509833

Title:  ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training
Author:  Todd Perkins
Publisher:  Peachpit Press
ISBN-10: 0321293908
ISBN-13: 978-0321293909

Title: ActionScript 3 Bible
Author: Roger Braunstein, Mims Wright, Joey Lott, Josh Noble
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN-10: 0470135603
ISBN-13: 978-0470135600

Recommended:

Title: ActionScript 3.0 Game Programming University
Author: Gary Rosenzweig
Publisher: Que
ISBN-10: 0789737027
ISBN-13: 978-0789737021

Title: Essential ActionScript 3.0
Author: Colin Moock
Publisher: Adobe Dev Library
ISBN-10: 0596526946
ISBN-13: 978-0596526948

Course Equipment:

• 1Itoya Presentation/ Display Books - (8.5x11- for submitting assignments)
• Several storage disks (CD-R(W)s or DVD-R(W)s)
• Plastic diskette holder (for project submission - affixed inside Itoya)

Course Administration - Lectures and Demonstrations

Lectures will concern the body of knowledge surrounding hypermedia and multimedia production. Demonstrations will cover specific operations and techniques. It is your responsibility to secure all materials and information presented in class. Lectures and demonstrations will not be repeated. Lectures may be recorded with the professor's permission.

Student Conduct and Policies:

• No swearing, or derogatory comments about, or towards, any member of the class will be tolerated in any class period. 
• No food or drinks of any kind will be allowed in any lab sessions. 
• Students are expected to arrive on time for all class and lab sessions. 
• Standards set by Purdue University as outlined in the Student Handbook and the University Regulations (1996-1997) will be observed in this course. Students are expected to be present at each and every meeting of the class. In the event that a student must miss a class period, they must inform the supervising instructor of the course of their absence and NOT a teaching assistant (TA). Should the student not be able to reach the instructor they are to leave a message for him/her at their office with the secretary. Should circumstances not allow this, the student may contact the Dean of Students Office and explain their emergency. The Dean's office will then pass the word along to each of the student's professors for them. Upon your return to Purdue, contact the supervising instructor as soon as possible in order to make arrangements for work, handouts, quizzes, or tests that they may have missed. The supervising instructor has the final word on what work, etc. students may be allowed to make up. Every student has the right to appeal to the university any decision made by their supervising instructor.
• Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the Instructor and because of extreme circumstances. (Not coming to lab, or forgetting, doesn't rate as an extreme circumstance.) 
• No student will be allowed to make up any written exam, lab practical, exam, or quiz unless they have an official or medical excuse.
• Standards set by Purdue University as outlined in the Student Handbook and the University Regulations (1996-1997) will be observed in this course. Any student found participating in cheating, plagiarism, copying material from another person's disk, using illegal cribs or other materials during a written examination, lying to course instructors and lab assistants about his or her own work, stealing tests, quizzes, or answer keys, and any such activities will be considered in conflict with the printed academic honesty guidelines as set out by Purdue University and the School of Technology. In such cases the matter will be reported to the Office of the Dean and the appropriate Purdue University administration officers for consideration and possible disciplinary action. (See Student Conduct Action Report).
• Students who have special needs, i.e. hearing or visually challenged, etc., or in need of tutoring, etc., may contact the Dean of Students Office located in Schleman Hall, Room 207, 494-1747 for further assistance.

Campus Emergencies

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines, and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. The following are methods for getting information about changes in this course:

• Official course web page (current location)
• Blackboard web page
• Instructor email address: maicher@purdue.edu
• Instructor office phone: 496-1831

Course Assignments, Exercises, and Projects

Textbook Assignments: The books required for this course are tutorial-based. Although many tutorials are not collected or graded, it is assumed that students are progressing through the tutorials within the chapters they will be reading. If students do not complete the tutorials and lessons from the book, it is highly unlikely that they will be successful in the class. Attending class and watching demonstrations is not enough. There is no substitute for drive-time in the application. Success on projects and on exams will depend upon (but is not limited to) student expertise with the software.

Exercises are designed to expose students to a broad range of areas. Some exercises will directly apply to the class projects while others will serve to introduce various aspects of media development. Students are expected to apply the same consideration and effort to all exercises.

Projects: Students will be expected to successfully complete 3 projects during the course. A complete description, scenario, and deliverables listing is provided on subsequent pages on this site. Click here to see a sample of a project evaluation form. Each project will conclude with an in-class, peer review/ critique as listed on the weekly layout.

Note: Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the Instructor and because of extreme circumstances. (Not coming to lab, or forgetting, doesn't rate as an extreme circumstance.) 

Exams: 

Exams: There are two exams given in CGT 353, a midterm exam and a comprehensive final exam. Both exams will be worth 30% of the final class grade (15% each).

The midterm exam will cover material from the readings, lectures, demonstrations, and lab sessions of the course and be administered during the regularly scheduled lecture period. The final exam will be a comprehensive exam and given at the appropriately scheduled time. 

Evaluation:

Note: Regardless of the above percentages, any student who completes less than 80% of the course work will receive an F for the course. 

Grading Philosophy: