New York University - School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Spring 2004 - Y10.3000.01

Fundamentals of Interactive Multimedia

Instructor: Toni Sant, Ph.D. [ contact ]

Thursdays 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Woolworth Building - Room 219

This course offers an introduction to historical, cultural, creative, and practical perspectives of interactivity and multimedia. Designed as an overview, addressing ideas rather than techniques, this class examines the concepts that drive interactive multimedia, by focusing on media convergence, hypertext/media, information architecture, and user experience. Through lectures, readings, and guest speakers, this class explores the fundamentals of interactive multimedia and offers enrolled students the opportunity to experiment with their own ideas through hands-on prototype projects developed for the Web. Students will learn about the development of interactive multimedia throughout history and how to apply basic concepts inherant in interactive multimedia to their own projects, which will be presented in class and/or online at the end of the semester.

Required technical skills before taking this course:
- Familiarity with the Internet
- Use of email and basic web browsing
- Rudimentary web design and/or digital image manipulation

 

Reading List

Several online articles are assigned according to the class schedule, for details see the Blackboard interface for the class. Each student is also required to read 3 books for this class.

Course Schedule (subject to change)

UNIT A: Introduction to Interactive Multimedia
01/22 Introduction & Overview

01/29 Hypertext/Hypermedia
Readings:
- Landow on Hypertext (available through Blackboard)
- Howard & Jones - Chapters TBA

02/05 Multimedia/Convergence (+ Grouping)
Readings:
- What is Multimedia? (available through Blackboard)
- Howard & Jones - Chapters TBA

02/12 Inter-active/action/activity/act/acting
Readings: Assigned articles about Interactive Multimedia available through Blackboard.
Guest Speaker: Xiao Lee Tan, Multimedia Producer

UNIT B: Turning Physical Concepts into Virtual Experiences
02/19 User Experience
Reading: Garrett

02/26 Information Architecture
Reading: Wodtke

03/04 Turning Physical Concepts into Virtual Experiences
Guest Speaker: Martha Wilson. Founding Director, Franklin Furnace Archive Inc.

03/11 Tools for Creating Web-based Multimedia Environments
Mid-term Proposals for Final Projects DUE TODAY IN CLASS
[Lab session at Lab 105 - 48 Cooper Sq.]

03/18 Spring Break

UNIT C: Project Development
03/25 Presentation of Works in Progress
[Lab session at Lab 105 - 48 Cooper Sq.]

04/01 Open Lab session at Lab 105 - 48 Cooper Sq.

04/08 Open Lab session at Lab 105 - 48 Cooper Sq.

04/15 Presentation of Works in Progress

UNIT D: Final Projects and Presentations
04/22 Final Projects I

04/29 Final Projects II

05/06 Final Projects III

 

Attendance Policy

Absence on day of your own presentations will automatically result in "F" as a grade for that day's assignment. Every student is allowed up to 2 absences during the semester, including absences for religious holidays and medical/personal emergencies. Each absence after the second will result in a lowered grade: an "A" becomes an "A-", a "B-" becomes a "C+", etc. No exceptions.


Grading - Participation: 15% | Mid-term paper: 35% | Final Project: 50%