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Desktop PublishingCAPP-310 |
University of Maryland University College Electronic Distance Education Heidelberg, Germany |
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DE
Term 1, 2000-2001; Dates: 28 Aug. - 8 Dec. 2000
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(3 sem. hours via Electronic Communications)
[If you have specific questions about this course, please email me.]
Design eye-catching and attention-getting publications, and elements thereof, using computerized desktop publishing software,
Develop valuable skills in the use of color, styles, fonts, graphics, images, and "white space" to enrich the meaning of the written word, and,
Become proficient in using Microsoft® Publisher 2000™ or a similar DTP software package for microcomputers.
Prerequisite: CAPP 100A or IFSM 201. An introduction to concepts and methods of desktop publishing. Highlights include the design and layout of a publication, the choice of computer hardware and software, the integration of computer graphics, the drafting and editing editing of a publication, and methods of interfacing with high-level printing equipment to produce a final document. Extensive use of computers.
This is a course in personal and professional communications. Our work is fun, but it can take a lifetime (see the box below) to reach perfection. We have only a few months together, so my wish is merely to help launch you on an exciting journey (or, if you have already been working on adding meaning to the printed word, then to help you progress along your chosen path).
| So you want to be a modern day monk? No?! But this is a DTP course is it not? Don't you remember your history lessons about the rows and rows of monks in the Middle Ages who spent their lives copying pages of bibles - and making them into works of art along the way. I certainly hope you have taken the opportunity to view examples of their painstaking work while traveling around Europe or in any number of museums. I'll bet you can find some exemplars on the Internet. |
Our colleagues in Asia can easily view a special type of DTP in Oriental calligraphy. We are invited to reflect on the flow of brush strokes and notice how the artist subtly changes the way in which we view the written word. |
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That is our mission in this course. Whether writing on rice paper, parchment, rocks, the walls of buildings, billboards, or the phosphor of a cathode ray tube, those who strive to add meaning to words by the way in which those words are presented share a common purpose. We hope to enrich the lives of others just that little bit more - to bring a smile to a face, a tear to the eye, a sense of "being there". |
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Look around you at the posters, flyers, notices, handbills, newsletters, letterheads, web pages, etc. that are easily forgettable. There is a real need for people with DTP skills. Moreover, it is often a starting point for a small business.
One word of caution. While we craft our pages with care, we do not clutter them with a host of images, fonts, styles, etc. Simplicity is as much a part of what we do as creativity. Room for the eye to "take it all in" is important. When we are pressed for time, it is easy to add clutter. It takes time, patience and reflection to create the sense of simplicity and space. So in this course, start your work early, allow yourself time to reflect, to change, to grow your work together with your own skills.
Finally this course does not focus on Web Page Design even though we interact in Web space. You will certainly want to carry the principles we learn over into the design of your own web pages, but our focus and most of our projects will be intended to take physical form on a piece of paper, card stock, a wall, maybe even a billboard.
| Our core text from Microsoft Press focuses on Publisher 2000. The first two-thirds of the book covers learning the Publisher program; the last third covers learning design skills. We have two supplemental books to help us understand the complexities of text in print and the integration of text and images. |
You may already be using Publisher 2000 or a different DTP software package. Any software package with at least the functionality of Publisher 2000 is fine. You will need to follow along with the assigned readings, as you will still be expected to participate in class discussion, and match the intent in the design projects described therein. |
| We have other sources of DTP knowledge on the Internet and we will be exploring those sources as well. You will be asked to provide a steady flow of Internet based sources and to study their content. | I may not be able to help you sort out problems as quickly with other software, but I suspect together we can find an answer to most of your questions. I use a Macintosh and have PageMaker available. |
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If you have access to a UMUC computer lab in Europe, you will find Publisher 2000 in the basic load of software programs. |
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| We use WebTycho as our virtual classroom. Discussions take place there and documents are posted for exchange there as well. We will use email as our back-up mode of contact. | |
| You will be graded on your consistent, steady progress through this course (10% of course grade). | I will look at three things - individual and small group work as well as a journal that I ask you to keep that is to reflect on your process of learning and sharing during the course. | ||
| Six course projects which give you hands-on experience (60%). | Five of these projects are prescribed; one is at your option. | ||
| Midterm: open-book, take-home (10%). | You will have 48 hours for each of these tests. | ||
| Final exam: open-book, take-home (20%) . | |||
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This is not a correspondence course. Your presence in our virtual classroom is a vital part of the learning experience for everyone in this course. Consequently lack of consistent participation 2-3 times weekly in spite of long hours at work, computer problems, deployments, vacations, business trips, other courses, etc. may earn you a grade of F(n) as such action overrides the grading percentages shown above. |
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I
will try to help every student earn an "A" by demonstrating a mastery
of course concepts. I do understand that students have many other responsibilities,
but it is your responsibility to your own learning and to assisting the learning
of others in this class that I will be most concerned with. I will work with
every student within reason to help her or him complete this course successfully.
I grade each exam and assignment on a relative scale (A-F; 70-0 points typically).
Your final grade is a weighted average of your separate grades in this course
with some allowance made for technical problems imposed by the delivery method
(WebTycho with email backup). It will come as no surprise that for a variety
of reasons a number of students each term choose not to earn an "A".
Consistent, quality participation and effort are essential if both you and the class as a whole are the reach our goals. You must check your WebTycho and your email at least once every 48 hours and respond to queries within one day (even if just to say when you will be able to give a more complete answer to the request). I will try to allow you time to explore the subject both individually and in small groups while giving you feedback on completed assignments.
Students will take turns distilling small group discussions and acting as spokesperson for the group.
Finally, do not fall behind. Work ahead if possible. Do some work on this course every day or two. Set aside time to do this. If confused, in doubt, or in need of a clarification on any aspect of the course, contact me first.
| Phil Richardson; prichard@faculty.ed.umuc.edu |
Revised
26 July 2000
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