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Three departments from two different academic schools have joined
forces to fund a new $150,000 digital media lab at Metro.
Art, Communication Arts and Sciences and Technical Communications
departments received the funds to purchase equipment for the new lab.
“We are all very excited about this,” Communication Arts
and Sciences broadcasting professor Jim Craig said. “It puts
us in the mainstream as far education and technology are concerned.”
The funds to help create this lab were a part of the $425,000 made
available earlier this month by the college’s administration,
and is to be used exclusively for equipment purchases.
Only half of the $150,000 has been released so far and the other
half will be made available next semester. This is contingent on whether
projections for money coming into the college are met.
The new lab will support the digital media minor, available just
this semester, which already incorporates courses from the three departments.
The departments knew that a lab would be needed to provide the technology
and equipment for the new minor.
The digital media minor has four concentrations: Still media, interactive
media, motion media and content design.
Technical Communications professor Peggy Oneill-Jones said the plan
for a digital media lab goes back over a year when the minor was being
created.
A budget was drawn up for the lab, but with the fiscal troubles of
that time, getting the money for equipment seemed very unlikely.
Then, when the request from administration for equipment priority
lists from departments went out, they got out the budget, dusted it
off and submitted it for consideration.
Oneill-Jones said this was a concentrated effort. The departments
involved have tried to get the up-to-date technology, but with budgets
having been cut it did not happen.
Craig and Oneill-Jones are aware of the impact the digital revolution
has had in their courses. However, they both agree that technology
has never driven their instruction.
“The important thing for us is we don’t want technology
to drive our teaching, if you’re going to be a communicator
there are principles you learn, then we teach you the tool that you
use,” Oneill-Jones said.
“We have always been about process — the internships
have provided for successful careers — it has moved them forward
(in ways) that we couldn’t have as a college,” Craig said.
“The internship opportunities offered is where the student
had state-of-the-art equipment access.”
The next step is that everyone involved will meet and put the rest
of the particulars — where will this lab will be housed and
who will administer it — together.
Twenty-six students have declared digital media as their minor, which
is noteworthy because the minor is officially about two-and-a- half
months old Oneill-Jones said.
Overall, the funds made available will help the programs enhance
their classroom instruction. Technology is the tool for communicating
or creating the product.
“These funds are a good starting point. We could use more,
of course,” Oneill-Jones said.
“We can take the students further now,” Craig said.
Some of the equipment may be available to use in the near future,
but the goal is for the lab to be fully operational by Fall 2004,
Oneill-Jones said.
Digital Media Minor
The departments of Art, Communication Arts and Sciences and Technical
Communications integrate courses for the minor.
Areas of concentration:
• Still Media
• Interactive Media
• Motion Media
• Content Design
For more information on the minor, go to: www.mscd.edu/~cas/digital_minor.htm
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