CMST 100D Syllabus Supplement, Term 3, 2007-2008, RAF Mildenhall

Grading Information:

I prefer to give each student an 'S'. Your grade, however, must be earned as I can only reflect the performance I observe. I do understand that students have many other responsibilities, but your own learning is your responsibility. Moreover, I also expect you to assist the learning of others in this class. I will work with every student within reason to help her or him complete this course successfully.

"Incompletes" will not be given unless thoroughly justified and backed up by a contract negotiated with the instructor allowing for completion within four weeks of the end of term.

Other Information:

If you do not have an archive (zip) utility, you can download WinZip at download.com (free to try) or do a Google search for IZArc (that is the letter "I"), a freeware archive utility (donations accepted but not required) that will allow you to both zip and unzip files using a variety of protocols. Our lab computers have PowerArchiver available for your use there.

For more information on "zipping" files, see the help files for WinZip, PowerArchiver or the specific archiving utility program you use. Supplemental Instructions will also be given in class.

See my web site for further guidance on

Class Policy :
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~prichard/crs_guid_gen/class_policy.html

Using email in this course (when needed): The first element of the subject line of every email in this course will begin "CMST100D 08t3" followed by a brief topic indicating of the content of the email. All electronic mail will be acknowledged so that you will know I have received your message.

For questions about email protocols, see also:
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~prichard/crs_guid_gen/email_hints.html http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~prichard/crs_guid_gen/email_attach.html

I reserve the right to make minor changes in assignments and schedules. Changes will only be made if there are unforeseeable circumstances. I will not make major changes without first consulting with the class.

Course Project:

As students plan an electronic presentation, they should include these features in their design:
  •   Design it with eight or more slides.
  •   Use the Title and Slide Masters to control formatting.
  •   Include your name on the Title Slide
  •   Give each slide (after the first slide) a logical title.
  •   Use a consistent look and feel for the presentation.
  •   Use the Notes box on each slide to record your narrative for each slide.
  •   Use at least one two-column slide.
  •   Use the slide footer to record your name and the date of the presentation.
  •   Use at least one drawn object.
  •   Use at least one graphic file.
  •   Use at least one embedded chart or table. Use a different background and design for this slide.
  •   Use a variety of colors (not necessarily on the same page).
  •   Use at least one e-mail link.
  •   Use at least two Web links.
  •   Use at least 3 different font styles and sizes (not necessarily on the same slide)
  •   Use slide show timings and transitions.
  •   Use slide animation effects on at least two but no more than four slides.
  •   Include a Summary Slide.
  •   Optional: Themes

Be as creative and as original as you want to be. Feel free to increase the size of the Web site beyond eight slides and use other design features. Stay focused. The objective of using presentation graphics is to enhance communication, not disrupt it. So every effect you use, every slide should add value to the message you are trying to convey.

Three "Must's":

  •    Presentation Style:

    •    Keywords: It is common to use telegraphic style emphasizing keywords in "bullet points" on slides. Avoid including full paragraphs; use full sentences sparingly. When sentences are used, punctuate them appropriately. Remember: Use the visual part of the presentation to focus attention on key points. Complement these keywords with comments from a speaker (or recorded audio for a kiosk-based presentation).

    •    Desktop Publishing Principles: You will often have the opportunity to use the following principles:
      •    Proximity: Design expert Robin Williams reminds us to "group related items together." Move unrelated material apart from each other. Avoid clutter; do not put too many separate elements on any single slide.
      •    Alignment: Williams also says " nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item should have a visual connection with something else on the page." Use left or right alignment; do not use more than one text alignment per slide. MS PowerPoint helps you with templates; select an appropriate one with this principle in mind.
      •    Repetition: Use the features of MS Powerpoint to help you implement this principle: "... repeat some aspect of the design throughout the entire piece." Use the Slide Masters and templates well.
      •    Contrast: "... if two items are not exactly the same, then make the different. Really different." (sic) In particular, foreground (e.g., text) and background colors must contrast starkly for slide text to be easily visible in most environments.
      •    Quotes from Williams, Robin (1994). The Non-Designer's Design Book. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press.

  •    Attribution:
    •    Give credit in your work to those whose ideas and words you use - and use them well. No one is expected to know everything. Indeed, we need to avoid "re-inventing the wheel". So look around and build on the ideas and words of others. Just take care to give them full credit.
    •    This includes prior works presented or published by you for other purposes or in prior or other classes.
    •    Use footnotes or endnotes where needed. For a paper, construct a proper "Works Cited" or "Bibliography" page to accompany your work.
    •    Plagiarized papers, reports, projects, or exams will receive a grade of 0 (zero) whether copied in whole or in part. This includes "accidental" plagiarism. See the UMUC European Division Catalog policy on academic integrity.
    •    PowerPoint presentations often look similar because we tend to use the templates and wizards provided with the program. This is "fair use" within the software license. If, however, you copy an entire or nearly entire slide or presentation from another, you must give them appropriate credit. This includes using prior slides you have created for other purposes.

  •    Good grammar, punctuation, usage and style:
    •    Effective writing is critical to the intellectual life of university students and graduates within the work place. Effective managers are usually effective communicators. Your work in this course must demonstrate your ability to master and effectively communicate course content.
    •    We must be able to share our ideas with others properly. That means we need to pay constant attention to the way in which we present those ideas. Written and oral work which contains significant errors in English or presentation typically impairs the quality of the message you are trying to communicate. Use your eyes and brain to check your work -- a mechanical computer can hurt as well as help. Proofread and check your work PRIOR to submission. Poor English or presentation will reduce my evaluation of your work by one or more letter grades regardless of the brilliance of the ideas therein.
Phil Richardson, phil.richardson@faculty.ed.umuc.edu, Revised 5 Dec., 2007