Syllabus

MC4381 | Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media
Fall 2020
Alkek Teaching Theater (ALK 250)

Instructor: Jon Zmikly, M.A.
Office: OM230B (near the water fountain on the 2nd floor of Old Main)
Office Hours: M/W 10am-12pm, T/Th 2-3:30pm, or by appointment
E: jonzmikly@txstate.edu | T: @jonzmikly | W: jonzmikly.com

Course Description: Students will be introduced to topics related to digital/online media and mass communication. Course covers the effects of the internet and related technologies on the fields of journalism, interactive advertising and public relations, search engines, personal branding, social networking and mobile platforms.

This is a required core course for any mass communication major. We will study how the media has transformed due to the internet and new strategies and concepts for a digital age. We will spend time discussing the history and background of the internet and web, as well as issues related to digital media, including search engines, social media companies, digital photography and video techniques, e- commerce, new media law and ethics, and more.

The course method is lecture and lab in a hybrid format. This means you are required to attend your assigned in-class lecture and your designated lab section once a week. Your labs will be taught by a graduate assistant in computer labs throughout campus. You are also expected to complete weekly online module lessons, which work in tandem with lecture and lab. In this class, you will have regular readings, assignments, quizzes and projects, as well as a midterm and a final exam.

Learning Objectives: This course aims to teach students about a variety of digital topics and skills. By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

  • describe the history and background of the internet and world wide web
  • identify key concepts and issues surrounding digital, online and social media
  • develop an effective personal and online brand
  • produce multimedia storytelling projects using mobile tools
  • create online content using a content management system

Textbook: We do not use a textbook for this class. However, some of the material has been adapted from Journalism Next, Third Edition by Mark Briggs, CQ Press 2016 and Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk. Other course materials have been adopted from Dr. Claire Wardle and First Draft News. Other readings are taken from online news stories, handouts, videos and research articles, which will be provided in online modules.

Lab Sections

Lab #TimeLocationNameNotes: 
18amOM 212Albert SuarezMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
28amOM 106-BHannah HolderMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
39amOM 201Albert SuarezMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
410amOM 106-BHannah HolderMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
59amOM 232Steffanie AgnewMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
610amOM 232Steffanie AgnewMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
711amOM 106-BTony KlespisMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
811amOM 232Steffanie AgnewMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
912pmOM 106-BMairi VanellaMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
1012pmOM 232Kelly EngramMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
111pmOM 212Ashley RomoMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
121pmOM 106-BKelly EngramMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
132pmOM 212Ashley RomoMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
142pmOM 106-BMairi VanellaMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
153pmOM 212Faith FuentesMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
163pmOM 106-BKelly EngramMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
174pmOM 212Faith FuentesMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
184pmOM 106-BKelly EngramMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
191pmOM 232Anvesh ChintaMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1
202pmOM 232Anvesh ChintaMeets every Friday from 1/24 – 5/1

Instructional Assistants:

Steffanie Agnew
Anvesh Chinta
Kelly Engram
Faith Fuentes
Hannah Holder
Anthony Klespis
Ashley Romo
Albert Suarez
Mairi Vannella

Email: You must use an active Texas State email account. Communication via TRACS uses your Texas State email, and the university is required to send grade information out only through the Texas State email system. Contact the instructor, if you have questions. Make sure you check your email on a regular basis, as schedule changes will be communicated there as well as on our course site.

Course Grade Breakdown: Assignments in this class are worth a total of 1,000 points. Every 10 points equals one percent of your overall grade. Regular attendance and participation in all three phases leads to the best grades.

  • Lecture-Based Grades (34%)
    • 30% Exams
      • Midterm Exam (150 pts)
      • Final Exam (150 pts)
    • 4% Lecture Quizzes
      • There will be random quizzes in lecture that will be worth 10 points apiece.
  • Lab-Based Grades (30%)
    • 20% Assignments
      • Twitter Scavenger Hunt (50 pts)
      • HTML Assignment (50 pts)
      • Mobile App Assignment (50 pts)
      • YouTube Assignment (50 pts)
    • 10% Lab Checkpoints
      • You will have assignments due at the end of each lab session that will be worth 10 points apiece. The lowest two grades will be dropped.
  • Module-Based Grades (36%)
    • 30% Website Project
      • Website Review 1 (75 pts)
      • Website Review 2 (75 pts)
      • Website Review 3 (75 pts)
      • Website Review 4 (75 pts)
    • 6% Online Module Quizzes
      • You will have quizzes to complete with each online module that are worth five points apiece. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Grade bumps at the end of the semester are only considered for students within 0.5 points of the next level, and they are not automatic. Deciding factors are lecture attendance and the number of missed assignments and quizzes.

Attendance: As with any course, students who attend class typically earn higher grades.

  • Lecture Attendance: Scan your ID when you arrive and leave lecture, but there is no explicit attendance policy for lecture. Those who have succeeded in this class have been those with highest attendance. Extra credit is provided in lecture, and you must be in attendance to receive those instructions. As noted above, lecture attendance is a deciding factor in grade bump considerations at the end of the semester. Also, lecture topics and news discussions will make up the majority of the midterm and final exams. If you miss a lecture, you do not need to notify me. Instead, obtain class notes from a student who was in attendance. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to cover the material discussed on your own. We will start class at the designated time. It is important that you show up on time, as announcements tend to be made early, and you could miss valuable information. If you consistently arrive later than five minutes after the designated time, or if you create class disturbances, your grade may be reduced.
  • Lab Attendance: Lab attendance is required. Assignments will be completed in lab and cannot be made up. The two lowest grades will be dropped, meaning you can miss two labs without penalty. Once you miss your third lab, 5% will be deducted from your final grade. Once you miss your fourth lab, you fail the class.

Assignments and Deadlines: Any industry in mass communication is deadline-driven, and so is this class. Strict deadlines will be given for all assignments. All work will be submitted through TRACS. You can resubmit assignments as many times as you’d like until the deadline. Do not wait until the last minute to submit work. Late or missed assignments will receive a zero. Incorrectly submitted work will not be graded. Grades are typically released one week after submission. Students have one week to bring up concerns with their grade on a specific assignment. Once a week has passed, the assignment is concerned closed.

Online Modules: In addition to your weekly lecture and lab, other material will be covered through Online Modules available on TRACS. These modules should be completed every week. There is a quiz at the end of each lesson, which you can take anytime before Thursday at 4:59 p.m. of that week. Some questions will be used for the midterm and final exams, so do not wait until the end of the semester to complete these modules and quizzes. We will drop your lowest online module quiz grade.

Supplies and Equipment: You may need a USB storage device (flash drive) to save a backup of your files for some of the projects you work on in class. You may also need to visit a computer lab on campus to complete some of the projects if you do not have access to certain technologies at home. We will discuss this more in class.

Students should also have a Texas State University email account that they check frequently. This will be the main method of course communication.

  • Equipment Checkout: You may need to check out a camera or camcorder to complete an assignment, if you do not have access to your own. Located in Room 236E of Old Main, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Equipment Checkout Room is open five days a week to allow students to check out different types of camera and video equipment. Light kits, microphones and tripods are also available for checkout. Students must be on the valid roster of a SJMC class and bring their student IDs to be able to borrow equipment.
  • Use of School-Owned Camera Equipment: This class may/will utilize the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Equipment Checkout Room. Use of equipment is a privilege earned through your respect of and cooperation with the checkout rules. These rules are put in place to ensure all students have a chance to use the equipment. If you are late returning a camera to the Equipment Checkout Room, you lose all checkout privileges. In addition, a return that is two days late may result in up to a letter deduction on your grade. If equipment is kept five days past the due date, it is considered stolen, and UPD will be notified.

Student Conduct: While the use of technology is encouraged in this class, it can also be a distraction. Be aware that multitasking on mobile devices and laptops can severely inhibit learning, and use of these electronic devices can disturb those around you, especially during lecture. Please be considerate and use discretion.

You should feel comfortable to participate and express opinions and ideas. Please respect the opinions of others and be considerate of their need to contribute and learn. Please do not have private conversations with your neighbors during class time, whether the instructor or other students are talking.

Any student who does not adhere to these conduct policies will be asked to leave the classroom. In general, please be respectful of others desire to learn and help to create a fun and beneficial classroom environment.

Dropping a Course: You can drop this or any course by Oct. 28, 2019 and receive an automatic W. After that date, you cannot drop a single course. Instead, you must withdraw from all courses. Please review the university policy at https://www.registrar.txstate.edu/registration/dropping-or-withdrawing.html

Academic Honesty: Simply put, copy/pasting material from the web onto your site and claiming it as your own is plagiarism. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication commits itself to the preparation of ethical mass media professionals and scholars. Such a mission demands the highest standard of academic honesty and integrity. Violations of academic honesty, including but not limited to plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, collusion, deception, conflict of interest and theft are not tolerated and can lead to severe penalties. Disciplinary actions are outlined in the Texas State Academic Honesty Statement, printed each year in the Texas State Student Handbook.

You can read the Code of Student Conduct and The Honor Code here: https://policies.txstate.edu/university-policies/07-10-01.html

Falsifying sources or other information and copying material without proper attribution are acts of academic dishonesty that will not be tolerated in this class. They will result in a failing grade on an assignment and potentially a failing grade in the course.

All content in this course must be created during this semester and must be original. As explained in the University Policy and Procedures Statement, students may not submit the same content for this course that was completed in another course or student media organization without substantial revision or expansion of the work or notifying all involved parties.

Note to Students with Disabilities: Texas State University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with disabilities. This university will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at (512) 245-3451, and register with that office. ODS is located in Suite 5-5.1 at the LBJ Student Center. If you are a student with a disability certified by ODS and you require accommodations in this class, it is your responsibility to notify the professor no later than the fifth class day of this semester so that accommodations can be discussed and promptly provided.

Technical Support: Texas State University offers technical support for your computer, internet, TRACS or application needs. You can find more information at the Information Technology Assistance Center (ITAC) at http://www.itac.txstate.edu. There, you will find:

  • TRACS tutorials
  • TRACSFacts
  • Online Toolkit – Check e-mail quotas, forward Texas State e-mails, set personal e-mail names, update profile information, reset your NetID password
  • Lab computers

You can contact ITAC by phone 512.245.ITAC (4822) or email them at itac@txstate.edu.

*Instructor may notify you of changes or updates to policies in this syllabus throughout the semester.

Our Mission: Texas State University is a doctoral-granting, student-centered institution dedicated to excellence and innovation in teaching, research, including creative expression, and service.  The university strives to create new knowledge, to embrace a diversity of people and ideas, to foster cultural and economic development, and to prepare its graduates to participate fully and freely as citizens of Texas, the nation, and the world.
 

Our Shared Values: In pursuing our mission, we, the faculty, staff, and students of Texas State University, are guided by a shared collection of values:

  • Teaching and learning based on research, student involvement, and the free exchange of ideas in a supportive environment;
  • Research and creative activities that encompass the full range of academic disciplines—research with relevance, from the sciences to the arts, from the theoretical to the applied;
  • The cultivation of character, integrity, honesty, civility, compassion, fairness, respect, and ethical behavior in all members of our university community;
  • A diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, a global perspective, and a sense of community as essential conditions for campus life;
  • A commitment to service and leadership for the public good;
  • Responsible stewardship of our resources and environment; and
  • Continued reflection and evaluation to ensure that our strengths as a community always benefit those we serve.

Code of Student Conduct – http://www.dos.txstate.edu/handbook/rules/cosc.html
The Honor Code – http://www.txstate.edu/honorcodecouncil/Academic-Integrity.html