THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Postgraduate Course: Design for Interactive Media (ARCH11267)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryYou will study a broad, flexible and integrated range of key and emerging digital design practices across multimodal interactive formats and platforms, that will provide a good foundation for further work in this area (e.g. virtual and augmented reality, game development, application development, user interfaces, user experience, data visualisation). You will develop fluency and extend existing skills in digital media production and you will aim to understand the potential of digital media to be combined into innovative and engaging forms and so that it may serve multiple purposes.
Course description Digital design often requires a multi-perspective approach to developing media and interfaces for a range of interactive experiences. This course introduces techniques and concepts used for designing and delivering engaging multimodal and interactive content for a range of digital formats including touch-based devices and VR/AR applications. The course will provide you with opportunities to gain experience of integrating technologies and material. Themes include animation, interface design, visualisation and user experience in the context of current and emerging platforms across 2D and 3D formats. The course promotes autonomy and connectivity in digital design practice.

You will learn how to creatively design, combine, manipulate, render and present digital media in interactive formats and to implement interaction though efficient use of timelines and scripted processes. You will be expected to make extensive use of the digital media you design in creative applications that respond to a practical project brief. Project work is supported by critical enquiry and reflection that explores the applicability of digital technologies in a professional design context embedded in commercial and creative practice. The course fits within a context of smart spaces and pervasive media and encourages ethical / responsible design in terms of data and digital materials.

The project brief will challenge you to apply diverse imaginative and conceptual ideas introduced in lecture and tutorial sessions, while offering scope for individual focus, exploration, and experimentation. You will advance through a series of lectures, demonstrations, practical project work, exercises and critique. Project work will lead you towards insight into collaborative processes with other practitioners. Whilst the collaborative process itself will not be directly assessed and given credit, you will work together with others to produce and evaluate digital media. You will keep a record of your design methods and submit a critical and reflective account of your practice along with your design work.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites Students MUST also take: Introduction to Digital Design (ARCH11192) AND
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesSome experience of using digital design technologies for creation, editing and presentation of digital media. Students from outside MSc Design and Digital Media should contact the Course Organiser to discuss the suitability of the course for their current level of experience.

NB for the 2020-21 Session this course can only accommodate students from MSc Design and Digital Media due to resourcing and quota.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  72
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 9, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 5, Online Activities 6, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 150 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework is used to assess progress in, and understanding of, the practice of design for interactive media, and allows students to acquire and apply knowledge and skills across the duration of the course as the focus shifts from designing digital media to developing interactive structures. The summative assessment is split over two Submissions. These are linked by a single project brief with staged design, development and implementation, such that practical work for Submission 1 is used in developing work for Submission 2.

Design for Interactive Media 1 50%, due mid-semester

Submission 1 addresses LO1 and LO3 and consists of practical work in making skilful use of appropriate digital tools and techniques to produce creative design for interactive media informed by design theory and practice. The submission includes practical design work comprising prototypical interface designs and static and animated content. The submission also includes a concise written report of guide length 750 words that briefly documents the practices, methodologies and concepts used in developing the work and an indication of the direction of future work for the second submission. The practical work and documentation are treated as one object for assessment purposes.

Design for Interactive Media 2 50%, due end-semester

Submission 2 addresses LO1, LO2 and LO3 and consists of practical work that integrates multimodal design and computational and interactive behaviours across 2D and 3D platforms suitable for public use and display (e.g. museum exhibit/application). The submission includes practical design work comprising an interface to a range of immersive digital content such as images, sound, data, models, animations etc. The submission also includes a concise written report of guide length 750 words that briefly documents the practices, methodologies and concepts used in developing the work and a short critique of the submission. The practical work and documentation are treated as one object for assessment purposes.

The Learning Outcomes and submissions support characteristics of knowledge of professional practice, skill acquisition and application, creativity, critical analysis, communication and autonomy.
Feedback Students receive formative verbal feedback throughout the course in tutorials and critique sessions of submissions and practical exercises.

Written feedback on summative assessments is provided within guidelines for submission of assessed coursework, and feedback for Submission 1 will be useful in developing Submission 2.

Feedback may refer to the risks taken in response to the brief, the conceptual approach taken with design work, the quality and character of the design work, the clarity of the documentation, contextual and critical relevance, and any technical issues that may help in future. The feedback will be constructive, may not address every detail of the work submitted, and may also include a common component drawn from observations of work across the course cohort.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Make skilful use of advanced digital design techniques to produce creative media and interfaces suitable for a range of interactive experiences.
  2. Integrate multimodal design and interactive behaviours to develop responsive and engaging digital media for established and emerging interactive platforms.
  3. Resolve design problems by exploring current and prospective digital design approaches and applications.
  4. Critically evaluate solutions and present reflective and innovative responses to a design context.
Reading List
Barrett E. 1995. Contextual Media: Multimedia and Interpretation, MIT Press, Cambridge.
Bolter, JD & Grusin R. 2000. Remediation: Understanding New Media. MIT Press, Cambridge.
Dunne, A. 2005. Hertzian Tales: Electronic products, aesthetic experience, and critical design. MIT Press, Cambridge.
Koenitz, H et al. 2015. Interactive Digital Narrative: History, Theory and Practice. Routledge, New York.
Lister, M et al. (2009) New Media: A critical introduction (2nd Ed.), Routledge, New York.
Moggridge, B. 2007. Designing Interactions. MIT Press, Cambridge.
Pallant, Chris. 2015. Animated Landscapes: history, form and function. Bloomsbury, New York.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Graduates will be inquisitive, adaptable, resourceful, reflective and effective, contributing to the ability to work in a range of professional areas.

Graduates will extend and consolidate competency and knowledge in a significant set of skills, techniques and practices appropriate to developing original and creative responses to digital design contexts.

Graduates will have an appreciation of the collaborative and integrative nature of design projects that involve digital media, and the ability to work independently and in peer relationships that require organisation and individual initiative and autonomy in managing time and prioritising work tasks.

Graduates will be able to evaluate and critically assess solutions to design issues, and to confidently and effectively present and communicate original work and ideas to a range of audiences.
KeywordsDigital Design,Digital Media,Interactive Design,User Interface,UX,Animation,Application Design,VR,AR
Contacts
Course organiserDr Julian Rawlinson
Tel: (0131 6)51 4336
Email: jrawlins@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Barbara Bianchi
Tel: (0131 6)51 5736
Email: barbara.bianchi@ed.ac.uk
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