Description

This class is an introduction to designing for the internet. Through hands-on demo and incremental assignments, students will gain technical and conceptual knowledge, learn foundational front-end languages (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), and harness the creative potential of code from visual composition, typography, to interactivity. We will explore how content evolves, disperses, and is consumed within the world wide web. We will critically examine the internet through social, historical, and political lenses. This class will focus on the internet’s impact on art/design and vice versa and what it means to have a creative practice coincide with technological advancements.

Course Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will:
• Knowledge of digital art and design
• Achieve working knowledge of HTML and CSS
• Ability to use pre-existing code, debug, find the problem and fix it
• Understand how information is distributed online, and how good design can harness these modes of structured information
• Understand the web as a very specific public space, with its own communities, forms of engagement, modes of communication
• Understand design principles relating to dynamic media
• Produce complete well-documented online projects of their own
• Portfolio of visual & interactive projects

In-Class Activities

Class will consists of any combination of the following:
• Student-led topic and reading discussion
• Topic lecture/discussion
• Project Critique/discussion
• Group activity
• Skill based workshop
• Personal working time
• One on one meeting

Weekly Student-led Reading Presentation & Discussions
Each student will select a topic for a pecha-kucha-style presentation. A “Pecha Kucha” or 20×20 presentation contains 20 slides, with each slide shown for 20 seconds, for a presentation of exactly 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Your pecha kucha must be online and linked to your class homepage.
In addition, the student must lead a class-discussion about the topic.
In this google doc, write your name next to one topic. One presentation will occur each Monday at the start of class

Readings
Readings will be assigned per project. We will discuss the readings in class, in relation to specific websites, artworks, and each other’s work.
Each student must submit 3 questions to that week’s Google doc (viewable in the Schedule section of this website) before 3pm the day of the assigned reading discussion.
The questions should not be for the instructor, but should be for your fellow students. You must come to class prepared to discuss the texts.

Prerequisites
No coding requirements
Basic photo editing and vector editing knowledge
A willingness to explore the web in all its many forms, uses, and aesthetics

Material Requirements
• Personal Laptop
• Sublime Text or Atomic for editing and updating code
• Github pages for website hosting
• Adobe CC for image/media generating and editing
• Phone, digital camera, scanner, screen capture etc.

Grading
50% Execution of Projects
15% Execution of Exercises
35% Participation, Topic/Reading Discussions, Presentation, Attendance

Submitting your work
Any exercise or project that you submit for grading must be uploaded to your class website before each class. Even if you are done with your work on your local computer, it will be considered late work if it is not visible on your class website.

At the end of the term, you will be required to send me an archival .zip file to document your projects. If you do not send me the archive, you will fail the class.

Please follow the instructions below:

1. Divide your materials into four folders: P1, P2, P3, and Presentation.
2. Within each project (P1, P2, P3) folder, make three new folders: Project, Documentation, Description.
3. Put all of your project materials (code and required assets) into the Project folder.
4. In the Documentation folder, place a video screen capture (made using Quicktime) to concisely document your project.
5. Within the Description folder, place a text file containing a paragraph description of your project.
6. Within the Presentation folder, place a PDF version of your presentation into the folder.
7. When you make the .zip file, send it to me over wetransfer.com.
   Remember:
   — When creating the archive, make sure your assets are optimized for web so that the file sizes are as small as possible
   — Make sure every link on your class homepage is working.

Academic Integrity
Students will become familiar with using pre-existing language, images, and software as raw material while creating entirely new works and how to properly credit their inclusion. While making online projects, we will learn what technologies are good (and important) to appropriate. We will reference the “Fair Use” policy (http://collegeart.org/fair-use), Creative Commons, and software licenses.

Grading Criteria
F – Frequently late and/or absent. Insufficient participation. Little to no understanding of the coding and technology.
D – Occasional lateness and more than one unexcused absence. Basic understanding of coding and technology.
C – Occasional lateness. Demonstrated an understanding of coding and technology. Failed to take risks. Work holds together. Makes only obligatory contributions to discussions
B – Always present. Work in on time. Demonstrated a solid understanding of coding and technology. was able to seek out new coding principles and technologies. Work has good form and content, and took some risks. Able to make interesting contributions to the class
A – Always present. Work in on time. Demonstrated a solid understanding of coding and technology. Was able to seek out new coding principles and technologies. work has excellent form and content, and took major risks. Always makes interesting contributions to the class, and frequently led class discussions

Attendance
One unexcused absence and your letter grade drops by one, i.e. from A to a B. Two unexcused absences and you will be dropped from the course.
Two late arrivals without prior arrangements equals one unexcused absence. Students who have been absent are expected to have their work completed the class session following their return. To obtain an excused absence, you must both write the instructor in advance and bring in medical documentation.
See also: CCA’s Attendance Policy.

Credit
This site is based off of Laurel Schwulst's veryinteractive.net and Mindy Seu's designforthe.net