module specification

CODE: CMPP04N
TITLE: Digital Project
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:This module is taken by students who wish to develop an interactive final
project rather than a dissertation. This module aims at enabling students to research, plan and
develop their final Digital Project. The module addresses issues about the research tradition in
digital media, the main issues in the production of interactive projects and the process of
managing research and development in digital media productions.
The module will allow students to develop both theoretical and research skills in the area of
interactive media and digital communications.
SEMESTER: Autumn and Spring
PREREQUISITE: None
ASSESSMENT: Proposal(25%)+Digital Project (50%)+Evaluation Report (25%)
NOTES

None

? Consolidate and advance skills and knowledge in the research, production and design of the Digital Project

? Apply analytical, technical and problem solving skills to the production of a digital project

This module is taken by students who wish to develop an interactive final project rather than a dissertation. This module aims at enabling students to research, plan and develop their final Digital Project. The module addresses issues about the research tradition in digital media, the main issues in the production of interactive projects and the process of managing research and development in digital media productions.
The module will allow students to develop both theoretical and research skills in the area of interactive media and digital communications.
An indicative programme of study covers the following
? History and development of Digital Media and interactive communications
? Digital Media research issues
? How to produce a Project Proposal
? How to research and write a Literature Review
? Digital Media research and evaluation methods
? What makes a suitable research topic for a Digital Media Project
? Selecting and evaluating the appropriate development tools
? Managing the design and production process
? Managing the research and evaluation process

This module will be delivered via time-tabled workshops, tutorials and online resources. Students are expected to manage their own learning, not only defining their own topic, but also managing their own time and resources in the process of researching, producing and evaluating the Project. They will receive support and guidance from their project supervisor and will be required to attend individual and group supervision tutorials.
This module runs across Semester 1 and 2, it assessed in August and January.

On successful completion of this module post-graduate students will be able to:

LO1 research, develop and implement the proposal for the Digital Project
LO2 plan, organise and manage the production of the Digital Project
LO3 research, analyse and critically evaluate the production process and the final outcome

A) a 3,000 words Proposal for Digital Project (weighting 25%). The proposal should include: aims and objectives, a review of available literature on the chosen topic for the project, a treatment, timetable, story board or flow chart, resources statement. This part of the assessment will test the studentsí ability to evaluate the current debate and research trends on the chosen topic, analyse and investigate the feasibility of the proposed project and to evaluate the resources implication of the production of the project.
Due in week 14 of the first Semester. [LO1].

B) a Digital Project (weighting 50%), topic and platform will be determined by the students in consultation with the tutor. The project can be group work. [LO2, LO3] . This part of the assessment is designed to test the studentsí ability to research, plan and produce a Digital Project. Students will also demonstrate ability to manage all the production phases.

C) a 6,000 word Evaluation Report (weighting 25%) designed to test studentsí ability to assess their own interactive project, collect and synthesis their production activities and critically reflect on the production process. This part of the assessment must be individual work. [LO3]

Students may pass on aggregate.

Required reading:

GAUNTLETT David (2000) Web.studies. Arnold.

England, Finney (2001) Managing Multimedia: Project Management for Web and Convergent Media: Technical Issues. Addison Wesley.

England, Finney (2001) Managing Multimedia: Project Management for Web and Convergent Media: Book 1. People and Processes (3rd Edition). Addison Wesley.

Friedlein Ashley (2000) Web Site Project Management. Morgan Kaufmann.

Shayne Gilbert (2001) 90 Days To Launch: Internet Projects On Time And On Budget. J. Wiley & Sons

Shelford, Gregory A., Remillard (2002) Real Web Project Management: Case Studies and Best Practices from the Trenches. Addison Wesley.

Background reading:

BELL Judith (1999) Doing Your Research Project. Open University Press.

BURDMAN Jessica (1999) Collaborative Web Development: Strategies and Best Practices for Web Teams. Addison Wesley.

JONES, Steve (1999) Doing Internet research: critical issues and methods for examining the net. Sage Publications.

LIENTZ, Bennet P., REA Kathryn P. (2001) Breakthrough Technology Project Management, Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

SIEGEL, David. (1997) Secrets of successful web sites : project management on the world wide web. Hayden.

VAUGHAN T. (2003) Multimedia: Making it Work. Osborne/McGrawHill


URLs

http://www.aaim.org/ AAIM - The Association for Applied Interactive Multimedia

http://www.mmcf.org The Multimedia Communications Forum


Journals/Periodicals

Internet Magazine - web version http://www.internet-magazine.com/

.net. Magazine, London: Future Publishing.

Wired Magazine. San Francisco:Wired