“Developing a Curriculum on the Arts and Mechanics of New Media for an International Post Graduate Audience” by Encarnação
Conference:
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Title:
- Developing a Curriculum on the Arts and Mechanics of New Media for an International Post Graduate Audience
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Abstract:
The International Certificate Program for New Media (ICPNM) has been developed by Fraunhofer CRCG in cooperation with the Rhode Island School of Design/Continuing Education (R ISD/CE) for international, early-to-mid-career professionals in government, business, industry, or education. Students from these fields benefit from a rigorous and comprehensive course of study in a concentrated six-month period with an additional three-month period of exclusive involvement in ongoing projects. Other program partners that provide additional know-how and lecturers are Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany; the Media Communication Management Institute at the Universität St. Gallen, Switzerland; the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, Darmstadt, Germany; Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; and the Centre for Advanced Media Technology, Singapore.
Accompanied by Web-based course material for distance course preparation and review, the program offers a sequence of learning experiences that encompasses a specific body of knowledge and theory regarding design, use, and applications of new media. This program, however, goes beyond a theoretical exploration of new media issues by grounding the theory in practical applications. Participants spend over half of their time in an ongoing research program under the auspices of CRCG and are assigned sub-tasks based on their interests and the needs of the project. At the same time, they explore design processes with RISD faculty and are immersed in four core topical content areas: 3D modeling, animation, user interface and Web page design and development, and cross-media publishing.
In this paper we present the motivation that led to the development of the curriculum, the resulting program structure, the content and organization of the program, and the outcomes and lessons learned from the first two cycles of the program, which began in October of 1998.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank RISD president Roger Mandle and Fraunhofer CRCG president José L. Encarnação, as well as Edmund J. Ferszt, Joe Quakenbusch, Joanna Roux, and Matthias Wloka for their enthusiasm and support in developing the ICPNM program, and all the many lecturers from all over the world for their contributions to the program.
