ART 80T - Digital Tools for Contemporary Art Practices Syllabus

DESCRIPTION
Introduces the digital tools and mediums available to contemporary art practices. Tools are explored from a historical and theoretical context and from a technical perspective through hands-on tutorials. A variety of artworks that use digital mediums are also examined. Covers photo and vector editors, sound and video editing, basic 3D modeling, and images and interactions generated by code. Students should have basic computer literacy.

INTRODUCTION

I.1 Welcome Summer 2020

Welcome to Art80T: Digital Tools for Contemporary Art Practices. I am your instructor, Kristen Gillette (pronouns she/her or they/theirs). For this intro module content, I will introduce the course format and basic weekly schedule, as well as the online learning system, called Canvas, that we will be using to do everything for this course. This course was always designed to be completely online - and because of this, the format might be a bit different from the remote courses you have been taking due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A plus side is that all of the content and projects are tailored and designed to fit the online format. I will still probably need to adjust some things, however, to accommodate the fact that everyone is now attending all courses remotely. This will be discussed further in the Course Policy section below.

I.2 Course Teaching assistants

This quarter we will be joined by TAs Marjan Khatibi and Kelly Skye. Each TA will host weekly Zoom Studio Hours, answer questions on Technical Discussion boards, and evaluate most assignments and projects for their sections. They are each a wealth of knowledge with digital tools and programs, and use these tools extensively in their own art and design practices, both professional and academic. Be sure to check the updated Instructor + TA contact info link on the Canvas Home Page. You can attend either of the TA’s Zoom Studio Hours, but you will want to know who your assigned TA is for any questions about the course, grades + feedback, and any other issues that come up.

I.3 Using Canvas + Course Communication

Canvas is the “Learning Management System” we will be using to host this course. Think of Canvas as the door to your classroom or lecture hall - every time you are doing any work for this course, you want to first log into Canvas, which will then link you to our course site and all other materials. You will be using this site to do everything for this class - including access videos, tutorials and content, submit assignments, post discussion questions, take quizzes + exams, view the course schedule, attend studio hours and view any course updates and announcements.

Before you go any farther, log into Canvas and check your Account Settings to ensure that all Art 10F announcements will also be sent to the email you will be checking throughout Summer Session. After Monday, I will ONLY send course communications via Canvas Announcements, not via email. If you are not receiving these announcements, be sure to troubleshoot ASAP.

I.4 Module Format

This online course will use “content modules” to organize lectures, assignments, discussion board participation, practice quizzes and other course components by subject grouping. Access modules via the “Module” menu option on the left, or by linking through to each posted Module on the Canvas Home Page. For Summer Session, TWO Modules will unlock each Monday AM morning. During Weeks 3 + 5, one normal Module will unlock plus a Midterm or Final Exam module.

Modules 1 - 7 will feature a Lecture Page, Studio Tutorial Videos and corresponding Studio Exercises (which are like mini-projects), a Participation Credit assignment and a Practice Quiz. The Participation Credit assignment will either require attending a Zoom Studio Office Hour and completing a short Studio Office Hours Attendance Quiz, OR posting to a Technical Discussion Board. All of these items will be described more below.

When you decide to work on assignments, complete practice quizzes, view course content and videos, and participate in discussion boards is totally up to you throughout the week. All required assignments within modules will have weekly due dates which will be specified under each individual assignment in Canvas.

i.5 Contacting Instructor + TA’s

Contact me and your TA via email with any non-technical questions, with “Art80T” in the subject line. During the week, M-F from 9AM to 5PM, please allow 8 - 12 hrs for a response - it will usually be quicker, and sometimes a general concern might be addressed via an announcement - if this happens, it means that multiple people had similar issues.

Over the weekend and after 5PM, response time and availability is limited, but always email anyway, as this will allow you to "timestamp" any serious issues.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS + ASSIGNMENTS

Below are detailed descriptions about each aspect of the course and the structure of Modules 1 - 7. Below is the breakdown of each of these categories in terms of the final grade.

5% Intro Module Exercises
5% Course Engagement
14% Participation Credit (Technical Discussion Board Posts OR Zoom Studio Hour Attendance Quiz)
56% Studio Exercises (8 pts per module)
10% Midterm Exam
10% Final Exam

C.1 Lecture Pages + Content

Lecture content covers things like different course topics, themes, artists, artworks + movements, as well as art + design principles, techniques and processes that correspond with ideas we are exploring in the studio portion of this course. It does not cover any technical information or instructions that are not fully discussed in the Studio Tutorial videos. When I was first developing this course, I had planned to present this content via video as well, however, I quickly realized it would be incredibly frustrating for students to access specific information from these lectures if they were all videos. This content is instead presented as a web page with text, slideshows and links to other resources and videos (that I did not produce). While this format does require you to read a bit more, it allows you to flip through slideshows, locate specific content easily and “attend” lectures and access course content from more locations. These lecture pages can be viewed in full on a desktop computer, as well as a tablet or smart phone.

The Midterm and Final Exams are based almost completely on the lecture page content. The Practice Quizzes posted under each Module are to help prepare for these exams and review the lecture content.

C.2 Studio Exercise Assignments

Most modules will include 1 - 4 studio exercises due by 11:30pm the Monday following their module's release. Each of these exercises correspond directly to a different studio tutorial video. For Module 1 + Module 2 you will turn in multiple exercises to a single submission page posted in the Module.

Be sure to always follow the written instruction in Canvas, as these are the most up-to-date, and some videos contain slightly different information. Each tutorial video walks you more than half-way through completing each exercise, and also introduces and discusses core concepts and techniques more in-depth. They each also explain all of the processes and tools you will need to know in order to complete exercises. You will have practice using this turn-in method via Canvas with this Intro Module.

Grading Studio Exercises

These exercises are intended to be creative ways to explore and learn the technical aspects of these digital tools, and to better understand ways these tools could be used for different types of art-making. For those of you who have taken art courses before, we are not emphasizing concepts or ideas, and are mostly evaluating these exercises based on your exploration and application of the technical steps presented in each video tutorial, as well as your problem-solving efforts. The tutorials and the instructional videos are centered around the project requirements, so, it is very important to watch through these videos, especially if you have questions about the project requirements.

For Modules 1 + 2, each exercise is worth 2pts, which is the same as 2% of your final grade. Starting with Module 3, exercises will be worth 6 - 8 points, with very specific rubrics and requirements listed.

For all Modules, completing the project to the end point of the tutorials will earn around 70% - 75% of the grade. The final 25% - 30% of the grade will be based on creativity, effort + time, and/or skill in execution. This is also defined in the project rubrics for Modules 3 - 7. If you encounter a technical challenge that you could not solve or work-around, provide a note of this in the comments section and describe how you tried to solve it. If this is the first time you have encountered the issue, and it is well documented, the penalty will be minimal.

For Module 1 + 2, late submissions turned in by Friday (5 days late) will be docked by 1 pt each (50%).
For Module 3 - 7, late submissions turned in by Friday (5 days late) will be docked by 1 - 2 pts each.
For Week 1 - 4, any exercises that need to be turned in more than 5 days after the deadline, please contact your TA and myself prior to starting in order to ensure you can still submit for partial credit. This is decided on a case by case basis.

C.3 TECHNICAL Help + Troubleshooting

For this course, I am requiring that everyone follow a specific protocol for asking technical questions. I define “technical questions” as any question about any program or tool presented in the studio exercise tutorial videos, or any process (including starting or saving) required by a studio exercise assignment. Following these steps is also one way to earn Participation Credit

1. Read through the technical discussion board topics to see if someone has already asked this question, and if its been answered. If not, post your question(s).

2. While you are waiting for replies or solutions, use the internet to troubleshoot. Googling your question (with specifics like the program, tool, and/or process) can be a great place to start.

3. Make sure to review the tutorial videos covering the exercise you are stuck on.

4. Check for replies to your post, and make sure to see if a similar question is answered up-thread.

Reminder - this is for technical questions only, and does not include things like questions about grades, health emergencies, issues accessing your course portal, DRC accommodations or any other course concerns.

C.4 module participation credit

For each Module 1 - 7, you will be required to complete 2 points of Participation Credit. You can earn this credit in 2 ways - A) by attending a Zoom Studio Hour Session and completing the corresponding Studio Session Attendance Quiz OR B) by posting to the module’s Technical Discussion Board. Each week, you can choose a different option, and you can always do both if it is helpful, but it will not count for extra credit (but can count towards that week’s Engagement Grade).

Zoom Studio Hours

Each TA will host 2 Studio Hours at different times each week for 4 total options. You can attend any of the 4 sessions, regardless of your assigned TA. You only need to attend 1 session per week - for weeks with 2 modules, the session and the attendance quiz will cover both modules. These studio hours will cover content for 1 or 2 modules, depending on the week. In order to receive credit for these Studio Hours, you will need to attend from the beginning of the posted starting meeting time, and then complete a short corresponding Attendance Quiz that will cover specific content presented in the Studio Hour. These quizzes will by very short and simple, and will only check to see that you attending the Zoom meeting, and paying attention to the basic information presented.

Technical Discussion Boards

If you choose to work with discussion boards for your Module Participation Credit, you will be required to post at least 2 technical questions or answers to the module’s technical discussion board by the end of the week. Exact due dates will be listed under each module list. You will receive 1 point for each post, up to 2 points, however, you can always post more questions and answers if you want (and I would encourage it). The more that you use these discussion boards as resources, the more beneficial they will be to everyone. You can answer your own question, as well, if you ask and then find a solution.

Just to be clear, there are 2 posts required for every module’s Participation Credit requirement, worth 2 pts total. If you attend a Zoom Studio Hour Session AND complete the corresponding Studio Hour Attendance Quiz, you do not need to also post to the module’s technical discussion board.

These 2 pts per module are worth 2% of your final grade. In total, Participation Credit is worth 14% of your final grade. These posts are intended to be a way to earn points asking for help, problem solving with your peers, practicing core technical concepts and sharing different processes, and should not take more than 10 - 20 minutes per module. As long as they are thoughtful, respectful and on-time, you will receive full credit. Very short threaded replies, such as "me too", "same", "ditto", "thanks" etc, while welcome (ans helpful for us in terms of knowing what is most challenging for folks), are not substantial enough to earn credit.

Be sure to check the posting requirements, rules and policies below in the Course Policy Section.

C.6 Weekly Practice Quizzes

Most weeks, there will be 1 practice quiz listed for each module. These will cover mostly content from that week’s Lecture Page and very basic concepts from the studio tutorial videos. They are very similar in format to the Midterm and Final Exam formats - multiple choice and “open book”. You can also take them as many times as you need and want.

The questions on the quizzes will be similar to some of the midterm and final exam questions. Probably very similar. For example, if the quiz for Module 2 asks you multiple questions about a specific artist or a technique, you will want to make note of that specific artist or technique for the midterm. This does not mean that ONLY questions from the quizzes will appear on the exams. But they are an excellent starting point for review.

c.7Midterm and Final Exams

Week 3 and Week 5 there will be a midterm and final exam due. The exams will be available for 5 - 7 days. Unlike the quizzes, these can only be taken once and will be timed. They WILL be the same multiple choice or select all that apply questions, and will still be open-book format. Anyone with DRC test-taking accommodations, please email me ASAP.

C.8 Engagement Grade

As you will note below, “Engagement” will make up 5% of the final grade. This is the most “subjective” grade in the course, but it will still be based mostly on a very short weekly assignment, such as sharing a project with classmates or watching a short lecture or weekly update video. I will discuss this grade more during Week 1.

Course Rules + Policies

P.1 Discussion Posts + Written Communication

Discussion posts will not be graded for spelling or grammar, but its in your best interest to be clear because you want your question to be understood. When answering your peer’s questions, please remember that everyone is coming into this class with different levels of experience with (not to mention access to) these tools, processes and programs.

Any disrespectful communication, bullying, trolling will be immediately deleted and will subtract 1 pt from the student’s 100 point final grade. Any hate speech or directly violent speech will also be deleted and further grade penalties and additional disciplinary action will be applied. Any repeat issue will compound any final grade penalties applied.

If anyone is feeling bullied, uncomfortable or unsafe with a discussion board communication, please do not engage or reply, and email me and your TA immediately.

P.2 Zoom Conduct

If attending a Zoom Meeting, please use respectful communication and language, dress as you would if attending an in-person lecture, and do not engage in any disruptive behavior or communications. Be sure to mute audio at all times except when speaking or asking a question. Disruptive behavior will result in loss of Zoom access and potential further discipline or grade penalties. All Discussion Post and Written Communication content rules above also apply to verbal communication via Zoom.

P.3 Time Management, Computer Issues + Internet Access

As a professional in the digital design field, I know that some of you are going to encounter equipment issues - like internet outages, or crashed or stolen computers - at probably the worst times. I have found this happens more often with the COVID-19 pandemic. These types of issues do not automatically excuse late assignment submissions or late midterm or final exam submissions. If something DOES come up, complete the following steps:

1. Take screenshots of any error messages or issues, or photos of any equipment malfunctions.
2. Email me with the issue and any of the above documentation ASAP.
3. Do not try to continue taking the test

Each issue will be considered on a case-by-case basis - communication and pro-activeness is very important with these kinds of problems, in both the academic world and in the professional world, and will weigh heavily on our decisions to grant re-submissions. For example, don’t wait until Friday night at 8pm to take the midterm if your internet has been acting up all week, or, if you notice your computer crashing a few days before an assignment is due, check the computer lab hours and figure out a repair plan as soon as possible.

p.4 Late Work Submission Policy

Unless granted an extension, late work will be docked points based on the following outline. Any late work submitted 1 week (7 days) after the deadline must be approved by a TA. If attempting to submit or start projects more than a week after they are due, please contact your TA prior to starting.

• Late discussion posts will receive 1/2 credit

• Late studio exercises will be docked 1 point each day they are late or 1/2 credit (after 5 days)

P.5 Extension options

The last few months have been filled with unprecedented challenges as many individuals, families, and communities have been navigating the ongoing dual and intersecting pandemics of COVID-19 and systematic, nationally-sponsored racism, violence and oppression. While nothing new, this violence and oppression has been amplified against many folks and communities, protestors and/or activists, in response to their voices and actions speaking out against police brutality and murder of Black individuals and other people of color.

We understand that all of this is happening in addition any individual’s more “typical” set of challenges. For all of these reasons, we want to make it very easy for folks to utilize extensions for late work for the course. Below are the 2 types of extensions granted to each student.

1. Each of you are allowed to turn in any 3 single assignments throughout the quarter up to 24 hours late without any penalty. This is to accommodate any unexpected, more temporary issues. You can use this for a Studio Exercise (Or the set for Module 1 + 2), or Participation Credit. If you’d like to use for an Exam, you will need to email us first.

You do not need to request this ahead of time via email or message, unless you are using for an Exam - when you submit, just note that you are using this option in a comment, and if it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd time.

2. Each of you are allowed 1 Module throughout the quarter to submit all assignments and studio projects by the following Friday without penalty. This would mean that everything would be due 4 days after the Studio Exercise was due. This is to accommodate any illness or other more disruptive issues or circumstances.

As with option 1, you do not need to check in BEFORE using this option, but it is important to let your TA know as soon as you decide to utilize it, and to also let them know once you have submitted your assignments so that they can re-grade. If you find yourself needing to utilize this option more than once, you must check in with us prior to using it a second time for approval. We will review these requests on a case-by-case basis. This option will need to be modified for Module 7, in order to accommodate final grades.

P.6 Grading scale

Grade Scale:
100% A+
99% - 94% A
93% - 90% A-
89% - 87% B+
86% - 84% B
83% - 80% B-
79% - 77% C+
76% - 74% C
- - - - - -
73% - 70 C-
- - - - - -
69% - 67% D+
66% - 64% D
63% - 60% D-
- - - - - -
59% - 0% F

University Policies + resources

DRC Accommodations

UC Santa Cruz is committed to creating an academic environment that supports its diverse student body. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations to achieve equal access in this course, please submit your Accommodation Authorization Letter from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me privately during my office hours or by appointment, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. At this time, we would also like us to discuss ways we can ensure your full participation in the course. We encourage all students who may benefit from learning more about DRC services to contact DRC by phone at 831-459-2089 or by email at drc@ucsc.edu.

GRADE DISPUTES

If you have questions about the grading of your work, please contact your teaching assistant (TA). If your questions are not resolved, please contact me. If the matter still remains unresolved, I will advise you on further options.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY

Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, or facilitating academic dishonesty. Acts of academic misconduct during the course, including plagiarism, can and usually do result in failure of the course, at the sole discretion of the instructor of record. Your case will be reported to the College Provost as per the Academic Integrity guidelines found on the web at: https://www.ue.ucsc.edu/academic_misconduct

COURSE EVALUATIONS

Course Evaluations for faculty will be available online for students to complete towards the end of quarter. There is a new system called WDYT (What Do You Think) and you will be sent emails to your @ucsc.edu email from that system to complete your evaluations online for all of your classes. Please be thoughtful in your responses, as we take these evaluations seriously. Course evaluations help faculty consider ways to improve instruction and are completely confidential.

GRAPHIC CONTENT

In Art courses you will often be assigned images, films or other material that could contain difficult ideas, uncomfortable language, or graphic depictions of sex or violence. You will be asked to treat these portrayals critically, to consider what is being expressed by the maker, or to examine the potential social impact, and to evaluate the works in a given context. Instructors are always happy to speak with you about your work, and might direct you to CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) at 831-459-2628 or the Disability Resource Center (drc@ucsc.edu or 831-459-2089) should you need additional support in order to do your best work.

TITLE IX

Title IX prohibits gender discrimination, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. If you have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence, you can receive confidential support and advocacy at the Campus Advocacy Resources & Education (CARE) Office by calling (831) 502-2273.  In addition, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) can provide confidential, counseling support, (831) 459-2628. You can also report gender discrimination directly to the University’s Title IX Office, (831) 459-2462. Reports to law enforcement can be made to UCPD, (831) 459-2231 ext. 1. For emergencies call 911.  

Faculty and Teaching Assistants are required under the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment to inform the Title IX Office should they become aware that you or any other student has experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment.

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS

The art department has a list of many resources on campus available to students. Please take a look at these to see what is available for you. http://art.ucsc.edu/links

And now, on to the fun stuff…

This Intro Module is all about getting this logistical stuff figured out and on the record. I promise, this will be the most textual, non-visual lecture page of the whole quarter. The TAs and I are excited to be teaching this course - every time we get to teach this course, we also learn something new. Make sure to check out the posted Course Schedule (subject to change, with plenty of heads up) and work through the intro exercises for this Module. Next module we will be diving into pixel-based image editors - like Photoshop - and then moving into vector editors for Week 2.