Questions about the Course--please review all of the course materials and post any questions you have about the course in the "Questions about the Course" forum.

Virtual Cafe--Please post a note about yourself in the Virtual Cafe.

Resume Builder--A main goal of this class is to give students practical skills that will allow them to enter the workplace with an advantage over other job applicants. To help you articulate the skills you practice during this class, we will start the semester with a resume and continue to build on it as we add experience. Please post your resume to the Resume Builder area, and return to that to add skills and experience throughout the semester. At the end of the semester we will revisit the resume to polish it.

Reading: Worth 30% of your grade. There are 5 reading assignments. You will compose a response to the reading and post it in the Reading Discussion Board. Reading Responses are graded on a pass/fail basis out of 5 total posts. In order to receive credit your response must:

• meet the word-length requirement of 350 words (or surpass it). This equals one double spaced page in 12 point times new roman.
• use short quotes to support your response

Reading 1
Chaper 1 The Project Manager
Chapter 2 Web Team Roles
Chapter 3 Communication Cues

2-Sep

(This deadline is extended to Friday 4-Sep at noon)

Research: Worth 30% of your grade. There are 5 research assignments. In order to receive credit your response must:

• meet the word-length requirement of 300 words (or surpass it). This equals one double spaced page in 12 point times new roman.
• use short quotes to support your response
• respond to one other student with a 150 word follow-up (choose a student whose response has no follow-up response yet)

Research 1
Describe three potential topics for your Digital Project. What are the drawbacks and benefits of each? How does each topic fulfill a need? How do each of the projects situate themselves in either "Humanities or Arts"? What type of company or organization might hire a Web Project Manager to build the site you have in mind?

Then, choose your top topic and complete the following tasts based on that topic:

If websites on the topic already exist, describe them, then describe how your topic will be different.

If websites on the topic do not already exist, describe websites that accomplish a similar goal to the website you want to plan.

Out of the sites that you viewed, which one was your favorite and why? Which one was your least favorite and why? What ideas will you steal? What ideas will you innovate? How will your project be different from existing sites?

7-Sep

(Since this is Labor Day please turn in the work by Wednesday 9-Sep at noon)

Planning: Worth 40% of your grade. There are 5 planning assignments. For each one you will be asked to produce a deliverable corresponding with your project. The deliverables will include items such as reports workflow charts, communication structures, site maps, mock-ups, style guides, project documentation, application manuals, glossaries, and training materials.

Planning 1
The purpose of this assignment is to Analyze project requirements while considering elements such as audience, content, and purpose. Deliverable: In Microsoft Excel: create a spreadsheet detailing features of 5 websites that accomplish a goal similar to that of your own project. Decide on 5 characteristics of the sites to catalog and analyze, which will vary based on topic but may include details such as:

• number of pages,
• type of technology used,
• site architecture,
• special features,
• design characteristics,
• target audience,
• page content,
• interactivity,
• special media,
• programming used,
• code characteristics.

Reading 2
Chapter 4 Defining the Project
Chapter 5 Managing Change
Chapter 6 The Art of Planning

Research 2
Based on the reading about creative briefs, needs assesments, managing change, and planning, start assembling lists of tasks for managing a digital project in the Humanities and Arts.

In Microsoft Word: Write a Creative Brief (p. 61) and a Project Charter (p. 69) for your Project. Keep in mind ways you will need to define, implement, control and complete the tasks associated with your web project.

Also, view this tutorial on Dreamweaver.

Planning 2
The purpose of this assignment is to Design project aesthetic, using an open source web design service. While analyzing project requirements is a crucial first step, designing the digital project architecture and aesthetics is the crucial second step in managing a digital project. Deliverable: Describe your personal preferences when it comes to websites. What colors do you enjoy? What special features do you enjoy? What do you wish to avoid with your site design? What do you wish to achieve with your site design?

Visit the open source web design page and choose a design for your site. http://www.oswd.org/ Which design did you choose and why? How does it fit with your preferences? Why did you chose it over other designs? How will you personalize it?

Attach a piece of art or logo that is the driving design force for your site? What adjectives would you use to describe it? How does it embody the message of your site? What should readers feel when they see it? What emotions does it evoke?

In Dreamweaver: 

• Design system of folders to organize course pages.
• Build out index page to show use of logo and color scheme.

In Photoshop:

• Create site logo.
• Prepare any stock art or original photos for use on index page.

Reading 3
Chapter 7 Learning to Love Meetings
Chapter 8 Workflow
Chapter 9 Managing the Design Phase

Research 3
Read this website about writing for the web and this Dreamweaver article on site architecture:  Planning your Web Site Design. Then, begin drafting the content you would implement for a web project of 5 pages total. What writing would you include on each page?

Planning 4
The puprpose of this assignment is to Implement projects using Dreamweaver. Once your site is designed, written, and built out it is time to send it live. Follow the instructions on the links below to load your site to your AFS space. Then post the link to your site under "Planning" in the Discussion Board, while answering these questions. What was the most challenging part about sending the site live? What work do you have left to do on the site?

Creating a Personal Website

Managing Web Pages on AFS

Reading 5
Chapter 12 Getting it Out the Door
Chapter 13 Leading Organizational Change

Research 5
The last step is to evaluate the site. Using the spreadsheet that you created in Planning 1, analyze the features of your site as compared to the 5 websites you studied originally. How does your website compare to those? In each of the 5 areas you studied, is your site better, worse, or similar? Why?

Planning 5
The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate the projects. Self-Evaluation Please describe what you have learned about Digital Project Management and what you would do differently on your next project. What skills would you most like to develop? What parts of the process would you likely contract out to others? What were your favorite parts of the process? What were your least favorite and why? What advice would you give to students undertaking a Digital Project in the Humanities and Arts?

Please post a revised resume that includes the skills you learned in this class.