Balancing design, technique and theory in a multimedia curriculum

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Balancing design, technique and theory in a
multimedia curriculum

• Jane M. Fritz
• University of New Brunswick
• Fredericton, N.B., Canada

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Motivation at UNB

• Over 110 IT firms in a small town
• Multimedia firms very successful employers
• Interactive learning
• Entertainment
• e-business

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Fundamental questions

• What is the role of multimedia in CS?
• What is the role of CS in multimedia?
• Can we integrate multimedia in existing courses?
  Should we?
• What constitutes a credible multimedia course in
  a CS program? The paucity of textbooks suggests
  this question has yet to be answered.

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Natural multimedia extensions to traditional CS
areas

• HCI - interactive design
• Database (OO MM) and information retrieval
• Image processing and data compression
• Data communication
• Application package proficiency

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Are MM extensions to existing CS topics the
answer to Question 1?

• All topics but application package familiarity
  relate to multimedia research
• Only HCI and appln packages relate to multimedia
  development
• Should CS just contribute technology research and
  programmers?

What is the role of multimedia in CS?
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What employers are looking for

• Content/Instructional design sense
• Graphic design sense
• Effective use of the multiple media
• Know the technology
• Project management issues for MM

HCI
Application packages
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How do these needs relate to Question 2?

• Natural affinity for learning and using
  technology
• HCI principles
• Analysis and design principles
• Project management from a software engineering
  perspective

What is the role of CS in multimedia?
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Limitations to mounting comprehensive multimedia
courses and programs in CS

• Lack of qualified instructors
• Lack of resources to keep MM hardware and
  software current
• Competition with more traditional CS areas - how
  does it all fit?
• Is this better suited to CS or to specialized
  programs and graphic arts schools?

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How do these limitations relate to Question 3?

• Integration may be the only possibility for some
• Multimedia issues must be integrated in HCI
• Integration into others at the discretion of
  instructor, availability of HW/SW
• Graphic design principles missing
• Content focus missing
• Power of MM missing

Can we integrate multimedia in existing courses?
Should we?
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What constitutes a credible multimedia curriculum?

• No standard textbook after several years
• CS students pick up the technology and
  application software quickly. On top of this they
  need
• The psychology of media
• Science/theory that defines constraints and
  opportunities of each medium
• Graphic design principles
• Interactive design principles (HCI)
• Usability study experience
• Project management for MM projects

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Psychology and Media

• The senses
• Mental models
• Theories of learning
• Cueing
• Retrieval
• Association

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Text

• Theory of text
• style, fonts
• presentation principles
• Effectiveness of message through words
• Graphic (picture) text

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Sound

• Science of sound
• Sound editors, manipulating the characteristics
  of sound
• Evoking association, conveying messages through
• music
• voice (message and accent)
• sound effects

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Images

• Science of light and colour
• Vector graphics vs. bitmaps
• Psychology of colour
• Associations of photographs vs. drawings
• Photographs and photographic enhancement
• Drawing packages

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Animation and Video

• Psychology of motion
• Technology of animation
• Animation vs. video
• Video capture and manipulation
• Putting it together

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Examples
Golf
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Developing a critical eye

• Design journals
• Practicing design principles through evaluation
  of the work of others
• Understanding your audience.
• Do different user groups respond to different
  cues, design guidelines? Age? Gender? Culture?

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Web applications

• DHTML
• JavaScript
• Etc.
• Icebergs
• Wind
• Canadian Geography

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Interactive Design

• Standard HCI principles
• Hand in hand with Usability Studies
• Experimental design
• Usability measures
• Test introduction (to the subject) we are
  testing the software, not the user
• Ethical considerations
• Test budget
• Test plan
• Experimental results

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Multimedia project management

• What is the difference between IS project
  management and MM project management?
• How is project management taught effectively in
  an academic environment?
• Content experts and user participation essential

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How many courses?What is missing?

• Many schools have no option - 1 course is a
  luxury.
• Specialized MM topics can be offered in elective
  database and data comm courses.
• To really excel in multimedia, more time in each
  of the media is required there are many
  subtleties in technique and use.
• Instructional design needs special treatment.

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Observations and preliminary conclusions

• This generation is media literate providing the
  technology allows students to express themselves
  very effectively.
• Because multimedia applications are ubiquitous,
  it behooves CS programs to produce graduates who
  can incorporate multimedia aspects effectively.
• CS students are inclined to believe that the use
  of their software is intuitively obvious.
• Presenting content well remains a challenge.