UDDIGMDA - BA Digital Media

The Digital Media BA course at London Metropolitan University equips students to navigate a dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape shaped by the proliferation of digital media technologies, Students will study emerging topics, such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the digital media production process, social media, extended reality (such as augmented reality and virtual reality) and web design. The course develops core competencies and subject knowledge on these topics which prepare students for a range of employment roles in the digital media sector. These digital media advancements have not only transformed how individuals interact but also play an integral role in people's lives, impacting areas such as politics, education, media, art, and industry. Recognising the significant career opportunities in the digital media industry, this course has been designed to address the need for qualified professionals specializing in various aspects of digital media, in the broader pathways of design, development, media production, and research. The rationale for the course is that it equips students with a comprehensive skillset in digital media encompassing theoretical, practical, and academic dimensions. Our commitment to inclusive assessment, as part of the Universities wider strategy for teaching, learning and assessment makes it a distinctive course underpinned by professional practice and core competencies for working in the creative industries.

Students on the Digital Media BA will particularly focus on creativity and the design processes within digital media creation and distribution. This course approaches these from a critical and creative practice-based research perspective, providing students with a broad and well-rounded understanding of the field. The programmes’ objective is to enable students to explore creativity and the design process from multiple angles, including theoretical, social, historical, political, strategic, creative, and practical perspectives. Throughout the Digital Media BA course, students will gain an informed and critical understanding of various digital media forms, such as generative Artificial Intelligence, design systems, project management, digital art, digital communication platforms, social media, interaction design and user experience design, 2D and 3D animation, web and mobile technologies, and extended reality. Students on the course work with professional-standard hardware and software, and with industry specialists honing their skillset in their chosen specialism. By the end of the program, students will have developed a portfolio highlighting their skills in these key pathways, making them highly competitive in the job market.

The program's pedagogical approach blends traditional and innovative teaching methods, fostering practice-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based learning with reflective engagement. This active learning is facilitated through lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials, online resources, work placements, and field trips. Furthermore, employability and professional development are integrated into the curriculum at each level, encouraging students to reflect on their learning journey and prepare for a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and leadership. To enhance the learning experience, a blended learning strategy is employed, promoting communication among students and tutors, and facilitating collaboration. Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) serves as a platform for online activities, formative assessment, feedback, and the integration of valuable online learning materials from research institutions, academic publications, professional organizations, and other relevant sources. As students develop practical skills in innovative design laboratories, they also acquire transferable skills applicable in diverse academic and employment contexts. These skills include critical thinking, creative problem-solving, analysis, and effective presentation.

Our program emphasizes students' creative processes and design abilities, culminating in an adult education experience that covers content creation and digital solutions for corporate, public, nonprofit, and voluntary sectors. Researchers are experienced in usability design, project management, Internet and mobile communications, digital media platform ownership, and social media engagement; networking in these areas to provide invaluable client contacts for digital media students. In addition, students are encouraged to engage with contemporary ethical, political, economic, cultural, and creative debates related to digital media, all whilst building a digital employment portfolio. The BA in Digital Media at London Metropolitan University is committed to nurturing creativity, inspiring students, and guiding them on a transformative journey toward digital excellence and expertise through research-informed teaching.

Course Aims
The aims of the programme are to:

● Develop an understanding of the nature, function, social and cultural contexts of digital media, establishing a sound practical, theoretical, and methodological framework for digital media practice.

● Scaffold professional skills in digital media – conceptualising, designing, planning, development, and project management skills, thereby gaining an understanding of the relationship between design, concept development and a range of practice-based approaches to digital media.

● Expand upon critical practice in interactive digital media - not solely vocational 'how-to' skills but also the ability to think critically about 'why' and 'with what effects'.

● Develop a knowledge and understanding of digital media; expanding knowledge of various global and international contexts increasingly influenced by digital media.

● Advance understanding of student's interests and abilities and the ways in which these might be directed towards specialisms of a particular pathway within the field of digital media.

● Expand the intellectual and imaginative capacities of students, through the development of an understanding of the future of digital media in society.

● Provide opportunities for students to acquire a range of transferable skills that will enable them to engage critically and creatively with digital media; a range of transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving, decision making and information- seeking.

● Enabling students to work in a dynamic job market, by helping them to develop skills in independent study, research and synthesis for digital content design and media production, as well as an in-depth understanding of the structure and practices of the digital media industries.

● Widen access to higher education and to create an enabling environment for non-standard and standard students, thereby promoting equality of opportunity for UK, EU (European Union) and international students.

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on systematic understanding of the key streams of the knowledge base of Digital Media, including a coherent and detailed knowledge of specialist areas selected by the student. Those key streams as mentioned above cover digital media design, development, research, and media production. On successful completion of this course students, will be able to:

UL0. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition, and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative, and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

LO1. Deploy established techniques of design, production, analysis, and enquiry within the digital media field.

LO2. Suggest researched solutions and problems, using ideas and techniques at the forefront of the digital media field.

LO3. Describe, conduct and comment upon aspects of current research in digital media, recognising the contemporary, social and emerging issues for the design of digital artefacts.

LO4. Manage student’s own learning, practice- based and research- based and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, LinkedIn Learning, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to digital media).

LO5. Apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend, and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects within the digital media field.

LO6. Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts, and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem.

LO7. Communicate verbally and visually information, ideas, problems, and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

LO8. Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts.

LO9. Engage with practice- based projects enabling students to facilitate an employment portfolio.

LO10. Undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

The following subject benchmark's classified under the following codes in the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) contained below the subject benchmark URL link.

A. Art and Design: 2020 - Available at

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/sbs-art-and-design-17.pdf?sfvrsn=71eef781_16

B. Communication, Media, Film and Cultural Studies: 2024 - Available at

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/sbs/sbs-communication-media-film-and-cultural-studies-24.pdf?sfvrsn=c401b481_4

The Digital Media course combines practice-based and theory-based modules which embed assessment and feedback practices informed by reflection, consideration of professional practice, and subject-specific and educational scholarship. Educational scholarship is guided by specialist academics in design, digital media, and education. This Digital Media (BA) embeds both professional practice and subject- specific topics throughout the curriculum core modules. These core modules require students to engage with both theory and practice in the digital media field. Modules at level 6 enable students to extend their expertise in specific areas of digital media, information, and communications. The level 6 project module enables students to develop an in-depth understanding of a sector of their choice; through research, design, development, and media production of a self-defined brief.

Staff and students engage in dialogue to promote a shared understanding of the basis on which academic judgements are made, with student-led module feedback, and formative and summative assessment strategies. Self-assessment, peer assessment and reflection on the process of learning are part of the modules’ assessment strategies. All assessments are coursework- based. Assessment tools for each module are determined by the aims of the module and its learning outcomes. Students are expected to produce a mixture of written, visual, and oral work and must demonstrate working within a team, working with different multimedia and multidisciplinary concepts. Students are provided with opportunities to develop an understanding of, and the necessary skills to demonstrate, good academic practice. This is through the variety of types of assessments and adherence to strict principles on plagiarism, originality, and academic integrity. The volume, timing and nature of assessment enable students to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes through clear marking criteria; for example, if it is a written assessment a 10% above or below the word count rule. Feedback on assessment is timely, constructive, and developmental, and should contain a clear indication of at least 3 points for allowing improvement of grade. Processes for marking assessments and for moderating marks are clearly articulated and consistently operated by those involved in the assessment process, and in line with university policy, employing external moderators who review student’s work.

Embedded throughout every level of the course is a focus on digital media- related work. Such tasks may include identifying skills required to produce the project, building a team, and managing various stages of the production process. A work placement module option forms part of the module diet. The student will have an opportunity to engage with digital media- related work experience in an organisation and prepare a reflective piece of assessment associated with this placement. In addition, students can be part of the Study Abroad programme which involves an exchange with universities in the United States and Europe. Furthermore, our students can engage with the Study Abroad team and spend a semester at a university in another American or European country. Work-based learning in a fictional company is offered in a module on AI and Project Management. On the module, students are given work tasks to complete. Such tasks may include identifying skills required to produce the project, building a team, and managing various stages of the production process.

Part time (half time) students would normally proceed through the programme in the following order:

• Year one: Introduction to Digital Practice, Writing and Research, Digital Media Design, Introduction to Motion Graphics
• Year Two: Interaction Design, Introduction to Motion Graphics, Moving Image Practice, 3D Modelling & Texturing, Game Design
• Year three: Web Design, Augmented Reality Design, Social Media Strategies, Creative Coding,
• Year four: Motion Branding, Visual Culture, Option modules (default: e.g. Documentary Photography; Popular Music: history and culture)
• Year five: Urban Media, App design, UX Design, Design of Virtual Reality
• Year six: Project modules; option modules (default: Queer Media; Graphical Communications)

Part time students progressing at more or fewer than 60 credits per year would follow the same broad structure. Part time students beginning in February would be encouraged to take sufficient credits to enable them to join the September cohort from the first September after they begin their studies.

All core modules are required to gain the BSc (Hons) Digital Media awards. Awards below this can be gained with any combination of modules on the programme to the requisite credit values; these can be made-up of core or option modules from the programme or suitable alternative option modules agreed by the course leader.

Reflective learning and personal development planning is core to this course. A variety of learning, teaching and assessment methodologies are deployed, to assist the student in their self-reflected personal development. In the course, students engage with theory-based material and practice- based work, producing creative solutions to pre- defined client briefs and a project brief they set themselves in Level 6. Students reflect on theory in their practice, applying practice to theory; at the same time analysing and documenting their work in progress. Working on projects, they actively construct their learning process by producing conceptual frameworks to then continue to the design and production, whilst being supported by their tutors. In many modules, project proposals, design notes and reports form part of the assessment, together with self- and peer-assessment exercises. Presentations to industry representatives and group critiques help the students to reflect critically on their work and achievement.

Portfolio-based learning, teaching and assessment is another main characteristic of the course. Group work and group projects invite peer-led teaching and assessment and contribute to the development of a wide range of reflective learning practices. Graduating with a portfolio of work to take to employers, the students produce a portfolio of work of their personal development throughout the course of their study. Reflective learning will vary across modules but will always involve engagement with peers and tutors in dealing with both formative and summative feedback on essays and reports. Practice- based modules all offer the opportunity for reflection on design process and apply theory together with critical analysis of academic literature and policies. Theoretical modules present opportunities to engage with theory and methods and test this against concrete design examples. Reflective learning and personal development planning are especially important to students of digital media, where a portfolio would be required to demonstrate a skillset to a prospective employer.

Career guidance and industry contextualisation is embedded throughout the programme. Every semester Engagement Week is held to encourage participation in Continuing Professional Development of students. Visiting lecturers from the digital media industry are arranged each year. Alumni lecturers from the media, digital media and communications subject area will also be organised regularly. Staff maintain strong links with the industry and receive requests for candidates for both volunteer and junior positions in the industry which are then passed on to the students. Furthermore, an annual event is organised, in the department to provide the student with advice on careers, and CV writing among other activities. This is primarily aimed at third year students; however, second year students also attend and avail themselves of this advice. This day-long activity involves the involvement of invited external specialists. Furthermore, the student can access the university careers service after graduation.
Part of the course involves studying about and working in an industry-like environment, which strengthens the career education element of the course. Students take on employee roles and employers with guidance and support from the tutor who ensures that the process follows marketplace arrangements closely. Another part of the course is concerned with making available to students the means to create their own website where they can promote themselves in the employment marketplace. Upon graduation, the students can advertise their skills to the potential employer with a portfolio of work. Students graduating from Digital Media at London Metropolitan University have the creative, analytical and communication skills to pursue employment in digital media and/or postgraduate study as evidenced by national statistics. Each year a few of our students immediately go on to master's Level study in the UK and other European countries, including pan- European Masters Programmes Each year our students are in-demand, in careers relating to web design, motion graphics, interaction design and social media.

Our creative technologies and digital media graduates have gone on to exciting careers as content programmers, fashion copywriters, motion graphic designers, multimedia journalists and visual effects production assistants, radio presenters, studio runners and producers in companies such as D2 Interactive, TK MAXX, Motion Picture Company, Virtual Arts, Volant Media and We Are Capture.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades BBC in three A levels (or a minimum of 112 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg Advanced Diploma)
• English Language at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)

If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Digital Media (including foundation year) BA (Hons) degree.

Applications are welcome from mature students who have passed appropriate Access or other preparatory courses or have appropriate work experience.