Projects
There will be five projects assigned throughout the course of the quarter. Collectively, projects account for 60% of the grade for the course. Projects are due at the beginning of the class period for which the critique is assigned. Late or incomplete work will not be accepted. Attendance at critiques is mandatory.
Project 1: 10%
Project 2: 10%
Project 3: 10%
Project 4: 10%
Project 5: 20% (Process Documentation)
Exercises & Testing
There will be at least six Exercises and Tests during the course of the term. Additional exercises or tests may be assigned by the instructor without notice. The average of the exercise and test grades will comprise 20% of your grade for the course. The midterm will count as two quizzes.
Participation
Critiques, class discussions, and the class web log will become helpful tools only through your participation. Weekly postings to the web log are required to recieve full credit for participation. Participation in class and in this fora will count for 10% of your course grade.
Process & Critiques
Students are required to keep ongoing process work including notes, diagrams, drawings, layouts, photographs, and reference materials. The notebook will reflect the progress of student work and knowledge of the course content. It will contain all handouts, quizzes/exams, thumbnail sketches, comps, and finished projects. Conceptual thumbnail sketches and/or rough mockups are required for each project. Electronic production will not begin until students have received layout approval from the instructor.
Students will keep a production journal containing notes, sketches and prototypes for all projects. 2-3 pages per week is the expected minimum. Journal evaluation will count for 10% of your grade for the course.
Critiques also play a crucial role in graphic design practice. Group and individual meetings take place every week. Students encounter numerous situations where it becomes necessary to evaluate, work and rework projects in order to achieve the highest possible standards. Verbal and written skills are important, students are required to explain and write about their design decisions in front of the instructor, clients, and peers.
Unless otherwise specified, each project will be mounted on 15 x 20 black Letramax board. Incomplete or unmounted work will not be accepted for credit. Dust covers mandatory.
Technical Problems
Students are expected to keep multiple backups of all projects and exercises while the projects are in production. Students will be responsible to turn in completed projects despite lab accessibility issues, machine or media failures, or other technical problems. Plan your work schedule appropriately to account for the frailties of technology.
Attendance
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class period. Those who are not physically in the room at this time are considered absent. If a student misses more than 18 contact hours for any reason, a failure for the class will result. Absence from a scheduled critique will result in a failing grade for that project. Absence from the final critique will result in a failing grade for the course. Mitigating factors for attendance are a death in the immediate family, severe life-threatening illness (not to include migranes, bronchitis, colds, strepe, general malaise or other minor ailments) or attendance at major religious holidays or festivals. If you are planning on attending a religious holiday or festival, you must notify me at the beginning of the term to qualify for an excused absence. All absences not arranged in advance will be unexcused.
Students should come to every class with all resources necessary to work on in-process projects. Students not present and actively participating or working for the full class session will be considered absent.
Academic Integrity
Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design is committed to academic integrity. Academic dishonesty includes:
- Cheating
- Plagiarism
- Theft
- Alteration or falsification of academic records
- Violation of any college, state, or federal laws or policies
To commit or assist someone in committing academic dishonesty is grounds for disciplinary action and possible suspension or expulsion from the college. Students who observe or become aware of apparent academic dishonesty should report the matter to faculty or administration.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. To plagiarize is “to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own, use a created production without crediting the source, commit literary theft, or present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Tenth Edition. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1993. Plagiarism is intellectual theft, a serious academic offense with serious consequences to be determined by the instructor and Department Chair:
- Unintentional plagiarism can occur if you mistakenly forget to identify the author and source of another’s words or ideas, and may result in an F for that particular assignment.
- Intentional plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any sort may result in an F for the course.
- The second instance of intentional academic dishonesty may result in expulsion from the College.
As pertains to this class, the following additional policies will be enforced:
- Work created in one class may not be used to satisfy an assignment in another without specific permission from both professors.
- Work created prior to a course may not be used to fulfill assignments in that course.
- All papers that use sources of information other than that deemed "common knowledge" must be properly footnoted. Use Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations for style.
Under no circumstances will academic credit be awarded for plagiarized work.
Grading
This is a breakdown of the grading process. The use of plus or minus is at the discretion of the instructor.
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A+
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4.0
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TRANSCENDENT - Explored beyond the requirements of the assignments. Produced work that demanded new and unorthodox things of the medium. Concept and execution made the piece transcend the nature of the medium. |
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A-
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4.0
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GOOD - Used the tools & concepts very proficiently and went beyond the stated requirements. Concepts started to predominate, but still relied on the strength of the medium. |
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B-
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3.0
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SATISFACTORY - Fulfilled class requirements. Understood skills/concepts/application. Competent work. Relied heavily on what the medium does well, without exploring or stretching ones intellect and skill. |
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C-
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2.0
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PERFUNCTORY - Weak work, acquired some basic skills, but unable to proficiently complete the assignment. Presentation was never fully considered. Concepts were not developed. |
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D-
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1.0
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FAILING - zero grade points per quarter hour, assigned under the following circumstances:
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W— Withdrawn without prejudice, zero grade points per quarter hour, no hours credited. NC— Registered for no credit I— Incomplete- arranged by the instructor and student when circumstances outside of the student’s control arise. The course must be completed to receive credit for the quarter. |