This module works partly in parallel and partly in response to your work in other modules, such as Creative Influences, where you will have proposed a project and consulted with your tutors about what you would like to do. The work you carry out for the project will be selected to fulfil needs identified by you. You can plan your work so that it is suitable for either an academic pathway or for industry and entrepreneurial progression in graphics and digital design. If your project is to support your progression to further study you should include guidance from a university tutor and other academic contacts, such as students or recent graduates.

Having proposed the project you will be expected to implement it and then evaluate the outcome. The project should be of an achievable scale, covering all aspects from research and planning through to an evaluation of how it worked out.

A wide range of communication experiences should form part of the module, such as meetings, presentations, writing for different purposes (e.g. bids for funding, extended essays, reports, letters, emails, minutes etc) interviews, promotion, advertising, negotiating techniques etc.

Examples of work students might carry out are: Identifying a local market or target audience and creating a new media product such as a website or interactive screen based media product for educational or entertainment purposes, leading to an evaluation of the success of the project. Alternatively students might identify a place/person/subject that needs promotion or recording and carry out appropriate research, again leading to the design and production of a new media product to fulfil the identified need, and afterwards evaluate its success or otherwise.

Assessment 1: One industry brief, initiated by you, designed to enhance your own identified progression skills needs (80%) [Learning Outcomes 2, 3]

Assessment 2: An evaluation of the project, with findings expressed through a range of communication methods (20%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2]

Formative assessment: A presentation to peers describing the project you have designed

Introduction to module
Project management workshops
Written, visual & oral communication methods
Funding sources and financial planning
Research workshops
Practical studio workshops
Student presentations and evaluation
Individual tutorials

Work practice activities, which should include where appropriate visits to external venues, should comprise a minimum 110 hours, and include:
Identification and initiation of a brief
Involvement in meetings
Pitching of proposed responses
Creation of a range of associated written documents (proposals, reports etc)
Management of the design process
Evaluation of the outcome to an audience

Burken A. (2005) The Art of Project Management. O'Reilly
Crisp M. (1993) The Practical Director. Focal Press
Deeprose D. (1995) Team Coach: Vital New Skills for Supervisors and Managers in a Team Environment. Amacom
Jarvis P. (1993) A Production Handbook. Focal Press
Stokes J & Reading A (eds). (1999) The Media in Britain. Macmillan

3D cafe (http://www.3Dcafe.com)
3D artists work (http://www.3Dcafe.com)
3D Studio Max tutorials (http://www.3Dcafe.com/asp/websites.asp#animation)
3D Artist (http://www3dartist.com)
3D magazines (http://www.3Dcafe.com/asp/zines.asp)
3D Design (http://www.3d-design.com)

A media base room, edit suites, Sony PD170 DV cameras, tripods, Avid editing suites, Final Cit Pro editing suites, DVD Studio Pro 4 authoring kit, 1 DVD, image manipulation software, (Lightwave 3D, Dreamweaver, Adobe After Effects, Photoshop CS2, DVD Studio Pro4) and a range of digital still cameras.

Students will have access to studio space and college library and computer resources. University learning resources are available on campus at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, and online via the partner Need to Know pages of the university website.
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/courses_and_study/partnerships/current_students/email/index.jsp