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Instructional Approach To The Course

Welcome to our Fall 2026 Digital Media Foundations Course.

My name is Mary Anne Funk. I am your instructor for this section of MM112

Every class, you’ll be learning by doing. In this class, you’ll try different ways of working with digital media, learn how media exists as files and workflows, and build intentional media-making practices before moving into more technical or production-focused classes. No matter where you go in this program, you’ll be asked to make choices, think about the audience, apply accessibility, and structure experiences. This course helps you build those habits early.

Everything we do is about building strong foundations for current and future work in this field.

Our class sessions include group topics, hands-on lessons, and hands-on activities. Everything we do in class will have a media component that you will work on before and during class time. Pre-class video lessons and pre-work and short demos in class take the place of lectures during class, so there is more time to be creating during our time together.

Learning in this course happens through practice, experimentation, discussion, and reflection. Rather than focusing on one specific software, this class emphasizes transferable practices that apply across many tools and media environments. Class meetings function as integrated lecture/lab sessions. Short lectures, demonstrations, and discussions are embedded within hands-on studio work, allowing concepts to be introduced and applied in the same class period.

Throughout the course, we'll focus on:

• Noticing and making thoughtful decisions

• File organization and workflow management

• Accessibility as part of everyday media-making

By the end of the course, you should have a clearer sense of:

• The kinds of stories you’re interested in telling

• The media formats that feel most intuitive to you

• How does this course connect to the rest of the multimedia program

 

Software/ Hardware / Equipment / Technical skill expectations:

Browsers:

Firefox, Chrome, or Safari browser

Apps, Programs, and Software we are using:

• Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or Google Docs
• Access to the Adobe Suite. You will be provided with a ¶¶Òõ¸£Àûµ¼º½ license for Adobe CC this quarter.

Required Equipment:

• Desktop or Laptop Computer for remote class sessions and for working on assignments
• iPhone/Smartphone for taking photographs, recording video, and recording audio.

Recommended Low-Cost Media Kit
If you plan to continue taking Multimedia, Video Production, Photography, Animation, or related courses, you may find it useful to have a basic smartphone media kit. This will help you in this class and other classes. An inexpensive setup, either bought together in a kit or separately, can include:

• To hold your phone one or the other)
  • a lightweight tripod and a smartphone tripod mount/holder
  • A selfie stick tripod that has a built-in phone mount/holder
• a Bluetooth or wireless camera shutter remote compatible with your phone
• a multi-connector flash drive for phone-to-computer file transfer

These items can make it easier to keep your phone stable, photograph yourself without touching the camera, repeat the same camera position, and capture more intentional photos and video. They will be useful in several activities in this course and may also be useful in future media courses. You are not required to purchase these items. If purchasing equipment creates a barrier, we will discuss other options, including borrowing available equipment or finding another way to complete the activity.

Google Chromebooks NOT recommended