GCom 412
Syllabus - spring '12

TTh, 10:00 - 11:50 a.m. (Knoblauch B34)

General Overview

Topic

• Digital Image Manipulation (3 s.h.): The use of digital image manipulation equipment in creating special effect images. Emphasis will be placed upon advanced color theory, color separation, and digital enhancement. Prerequisite: GCom 312. 2 hours lecture; 2 hours lab. (Last day to drop course with "W" grade = Apr. 1)
  
• Objectives: The main purposes of this course are for students to:
  • Become proficient with using Photoshop to create complex photo-based compositions.
  • Learn advanced Photoshop tools and techniques to create designs efficiently.
  • Compare and contrast different Photoshop methods.
  • Demonstrate an ability to meet clients' specific requirements while exploring various styles and creative techniques.
  • Enhance their portfolios with technically-correct, advanced, real-world projects.

Materials

• Special course cost: Students of this course are required to pay a special course charge of $25 for each lab-related course in the Engineering Technology Department. This money is used to support the consumable items used during the course. Payment of the course cost is a required portion of the class and must be paid after the second week of the semester but prior to your final exam. If you fail to pay your course cost, you will receive a grade of "I" for the course until the lab fee is paid or the university automatically changes the grade from "I" to "F" according to the University Policy. If the grade is changed to an "F", the grade will remain an "F" on your permanent transcript, regardless of payment. Payments can be made to the Engineering Technology department office (Knoblauch Hall 135) any time after the beginning of the third week of classes. Also, for the convenience of the students, the instructor will announce one date that a staff member will visit the classroom to collect course charges en masse (to be announced later in the semester). It is recommended that students pay by check made out to "WIU". Likewise, the student should expect a receipt to serve as proof of payment. If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to the staff in Knoblauch Hall 135 or call 309/298-1091.
  
• Textbook: None is required, but some of my favorite Photoshop books are:
  • Photoshop CS4 Studio Techniques - Willmore & Ablan
  • Photoshop Masking and Compositing - Eismann
  • Photoshop on Demand - Johnson (this is the book I recommend for 312)
  • Photoshop Wow! Book - Dayton & Gillespie
    
• Software: Photoshop CS4 will be covered and is provided in B34; some work with Illustrator, InDesign, and/or QuarkXPress may also be integrated. Students who choose to work outside of B34 are responsible for ensuring that their files open correctly on the lab computers.

Lab Use

Outside of designated class time, students enrolled in the course are welcome to work in the lab during open lab time. Additional time may be arranged in the lab provided permission is given by the instructor utilizing the lab. Food is not allowed in the labs, but drinks in resealable containers are permissible if kept away from the equipment. Please do not allow your friends to use the labs at any time, since only students currently enrolled in GCom courses may use the facilities and equipment.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students who are caught acting dishonestly on any graded work will be subject to a minimum of the following penalties (additional steps may be taken per WIU's Student Academic Integrity Policy).

• If caught acting dishonestly on any work worth 50 points or less (including extra credit and in-class work): 50 points will automatically be deducted from the student's final point total, and he or she won't be allowed to earn any extra credit points.
• If caught acting dishonestly on any work worth over 50 points (including exams and projects): the work in question will automatically receive a score of zero, and he or she won't be allowed to earn any extra credit points.

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Course specifics

Overview of Students' Responsibilities

• In addition to the information covered in this syllabus, all students are required to meet a set of class-related responsibilities, some of which relate directly to grading procedures. (This list varies from class to class.)
• Please read this course's responsibilities list thoroughly. Feel free to print a copy of it so you can refer to it regularly while working!

Attendance

• Excused vs. unexcused absences
  
  • Documented / excused absences: It is the instructor's expectation that students will attend all required classes except when unable due to the reasons outlined below. In the case of an excused absence, the instructor will assist the student in making up missed work; nonetheless, the student will still be expected to gather notes from classmates and make an obvious effort to get caught up on his or her own.
    
    • Students who are unable to attend class due to emergency or extreme illness / hospitalization should contact Student Development and Orientation (309/298-1884); depending on the situation, SDO may automatically contact all of the student's instructors about these types of excused absences. It is the student's responsibility to follow up with the instructor to verify excused absences.
      
    • If missing class due to a WIU-sponsored academic or athletic event, the student must provide the instructor with an official notice from the group's adviser / coach prior to the absence.
      
  • Undocumented / unexcused absences: Students who are absent but don't provide appropriate documentation as described above will be considered unexcused. The instructor is under no obligation to aid a student with an unexcused absence but will meet with the student (at his or her request) to answer specific questions about missed material; beforehand, though, the student must gather notes from classmates and make an obvious effort to get caught up on his or her own. (In other words, the instructor won't reteach an entire lecture or "tutor" a student who is unexcused.)
    
• Attendance policy: A student's only proof of attendance will be a sign-in sheet that will be distributed at the beginning of each lecture day. Students who don't sign in, are more than 10 minutes late to class, or have an unexcused absence will automatically receive zero attendance points for the day. Students with unexcused absences won't be permitted to make up any unannounced quizzes or in-class work assigned on that day; students with excused absences will be given a chance to make up the work and will be granted the attendance points at the end of the semester. The instructor reserves the right to award students in attendance (on lecture days or optional lab days) free extensions and/or the opportunity to earn extra points.
• Notes: With the goal of preparing for a successful career, treat demonstrations and lectures as meetings with clients by participating and taking thorough notes. Explanations such as "I don't remember what you said" or "I don't have that in my notes" wouldn't be acceptable responses to a client, so they won't be permissible in this course. Extensive help will not be provided to students who continually have weak notes and show little initiative to catch up when notes are lacking (acquiring notes from classmates, using software-based and online help resources, doing book research, etc.). For assistance with note-taking skills, contact Academic Support Services (309/298-2092).

About the Assigned Work

• Topics: Students will gain experience with the software, principles, and techniques through a combination of lectures, in-class exercises, and in-depth projects. Assigned work may include the following.
  • Short written assignments (including worksheets, forms, or questionnaires)
  • Tutorial-like exercises
  • From-scratch projects (It is the instructor's belief that students are more likely to be academically successful when completing projects that are personally meaningful. Therefore, whenever possible, students will have the opportunity to customize projects to suit their interests while still meeting requirements that mimic on-the-job expectations.)
• Time commitments: Students should not expect to be granted enough time during class to complete any graded work (with the exception of exams and quizzes). As would likely be expected in any college-level class, it is each student's responsibility to make appropriate arrangements to complete this "homework" outside of scheduled class time. Students who don't have access to the required software at home should plan to work around this semester's GCom open lab schedule and/or locate and verify the hours of other campus resources (such as the library's electronic classroom and Horrabin's multimedia lab). All students have access to the same resources on campus, so special consideration won't be given to anyone who claims to have time conflicts with open lab hours.
  
• Emphasis on portfolios: Because most projects are designed to help students add quality pieces to their portfolios, only work that would be appropriate to include in a professional portfolio should be submitted. It is the student's responsibility to choose appropriate subjects and to talk with the instructor when he or she is unsure whether an idea is acceptable.

Deadlines & Extensions

• Deadlines: To be eligible to earn 100% on work, all required files and printouts must be submitted by the deadline; additional materials will not be accepted later. Projects submitted between one and five days late will be assessed a 10% deduction per day, and projects will automatically receive a score of zero after five days late. Work submitted on the due date but after the designated time will be counted as one day late. Note that a "day" refers to all weekdays (Monday through Friday, excluding days when WIU is closed), not days on which the class meets.
  
• Extensions: Every student can request an extension of three weekdays on any one eligible project and must sign up in person by the project's original deadline. The extension can be applied only to work listed on the "Projects & Exams" page and is not applicable to in-class work, extra credit, etc. Additional extensions will not be granted except in the case of documented / excused absences. Further details are included on the sign-up sheet.
  
• Feedback: All work will generally be graded by the next class period and should be picked up no later than one week after the deadline. While students are encouraged to talk with the instructor when points have been lost to determine how the work could be improved, projects that are resubmitted for a higher grade will not be accepted.

Exams & Quizzes

• Exam
  • The one scheduled written/practical exam may include any material covered up to that point in the semester. Specific review information will be presented verbally one week prior to testing.
  • If the exam is not taken at the scheduled time and the student doesn't have an excused absence, he or she will automatically lose 30% on the exam grade and must take the exam during the scheduled makeup time (or automatically receive a score of zero on the exam). Students will not be permitted to use any exam aids during the makeup exam, which may include material not covered during the review session. Any student who doesn't contact the instructor within 24 hours of the start of the original exam time to discuss the need to make up the exam (regardless of the type of absence) will automatically receive a score of zero on the exam.
    
• Quizzes: Unannounced written/practical quizzes may be given on scheduled presentation days. Students with unexcused absences will automatically receive zero points on quizzes and cannot make up the work. Students with excused absences must contact the instructor prior to the start of the next class in order to schedule a makeup time; failure to do so will automatically result in a grade of zero.

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Grading & Schedule

Grading

There are 1000 points available, and final grades will be based on the following.

A = 925+ A- = 895-924

B+ = 865-894 B = 825-864 B- = 795-824

C+ = 765-794 C = 725-764 C- = 695-724

D+ = 665-694 D = 625-664 D- = 595-624

F = <595

Points will be distributed as follows.

Projects = 75%
Exam = 10%
Attendance and in-class work = 15%

Additional points may be earned by completing extra credit and participating in the final grade policy.

Tentative schedule

• Wk 1
• Wk 2: Photo gallery
• Wk 3
• Wk 4: Ad campaign
• Wk 5: Promotional posters
• Wk 6
• Wk 7: Book covers
• Wk 8: Exam
• Spring Break
• Wk 9: Creative packaging
• Wk 10
• Wk 11: DVD designs
• Wk 12: Final project
• Wk 13
• Wk 14
• Wk 15
• Final Exam Week: Tuesday, May 8 at 10:00 a.m.

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Additional Information

Catherine Drinka, associate faculty
309/298-1676 | CA-Drinka@wiu.edu | wiu.edu/users/mucad11
Knoblauch B37 | Office hours: M 1-3 p.m.; T&W 1-2 p.m.

Engineering Technology Department | College of Business and Technology
Western Illinois University | 1 University Circle | Macomb, IL 61455
Knoblauch 135 | Phone: 309/298-1091 | Fax: 309/298-1061

Academic Accommodations

In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s) you must obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through Disability Resource Center (DRC) and provide it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 309/298-2512 for additional services.

Resolution of Problems

Should a problem occur, students should speak to their instructor first. If the problem is not resolved, meet with the chair of the department. If the problem continues to be unresolved, go to the College of Business and Technology’s Dean. Students should observe the following sequence for the resolution of problems: Student -> Instructor -> Chairperson -> Dean

Student Rights

Please read WIU's Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook, and well as the Student Academic Integrity Policy for definitions of academic dishonesty and steps which may be taken to deal with it.

Various Grade Issues

• Final exam schedule: Except in extreme and documented situations beyond a student’s control, exceptions to the final exam schedule will not be made. Any exceptions must be approved by the department chair and the Dean of the College of Business and Technology (in writing, including student’s name, ID#, and signatures).
• "Incomplete" grades: Per WIU policy, a temporary symbol of "I" (incomplete) for a course may be given only when a student, due to circumstances beyond his or her control, has been unable to complete the course requirements within the official limits of the term. The circumstances must be documented to the instructor’s satisfaction.
  

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This syllabus is subject to change with notice.