WAKE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
DIVISION OF COMPUTER & ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE NO: GRD 141
TITLE: Design Basics
Online Classes
revised by L. Larson 04-17-2012

Textbook(s):
     Title: Design Basics  8th ed.
     Author: David A. Lauer
     Publisher: Thomson/Wadsworth
     ISBN: 978-1-111-35398-8

Credit Hours: Four (4) Semester Hours
Pre-requisites: RED 090, MAT 070
Co-requisites: none

Software used to complete coursework: This is a hands-on design/art class. Image producing or editing software will not be used on any assignments or projects.
Other required equipment: Computer, High Speed Internet Access, Digital camera, Scanner
Basic Materials Needed: See the supply list in Blackboard under Course Information.

Course Description:
This course introduces the conceptualization process used in visual problem solving. Emphasis is placed on learning the principles of design and on the manipulation and organization of elements. Upon completion, students should be able to apply design principles and visual elements to projects.

Course Goals:While developing sensitivity to the language of design, students will display a thorough understanding of how graphic form is manipulated to convey meaning. Working in traditional media, students will explore issues of form, color, texture, image, sequence, and narrative, learning how to harness these elements to communicate concepts clearly, effectively, and expressively. Students are expected to use these skills to communicate coherently in visual media and to express these same skills in writing and verbally.

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

• identify the principles and elements of design in art and media.
• analyze the purpose of specific principles and elements of design used in art and media.
• describe the process of planning and creating original art.
• design compositions that evoke thought, feeling, emotion.
• plan layouts that organize content in a visual heirarchy.
• create layouts that hold attention and move the viewer to a specific action.

The Core Values of Wake Technical Community College

Respect

Instructor and students will foster an environment that is respectful of all.

Responsibility

Instructor and students will foster an environment that promotes taking responsibility for one's actions and obligations.

Critical Thinking

Instructor and students will strive to improve the critical thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Communication

Instructor and students will strive to ensure that both written and oral communications are clearly understood.

Collaboration

Instructor and students will strive to develop collaborative skills.

We will strictly follow the college attendance policy. In this online class, you will be marked absent when you do not participate in the lesson assignments for that week. Logging in to Blackboard is not considered attending the class. More than 10% absentee means you will automatically be withdrawn from the class. You will receive a "WF" if it is past the withdrawal deadline. "WF" is the equivalent of an "F" and designates a failure. All absences must be officially documented (i.e. Doctor or hospital report) to be excused.

Just as in a traditional seated classroom online students are required to be in attendance for 90% of the course.  This is a State regulation and it is not negotiable.  Your weekly assignments, projects, quizzes, and exams will serve as the measure of your attendance.  For this reason, work not submitted cannot be made up at a later date.  In a 16 weeks semester, missing 2 lessons constitutes a violation of the North Carolina Community College attendance policy.  You are subject to removal from the course if you exceed this limit of absences.

Midterm Project 10%Final Project 15%

Attendance Policy

The Student Handbook states that students are required to be in attendance at least 90 percent of all scheduled course hours unless unavoidable absences can be justified to the satisfaction of the instructor.

Official Communication with Students Policy

Every curriculum student is provided with an official Wake Tech email account through the student portal (my.waketech.edu).

Students must first activate their my.waketech.edu account, wait 24 hours, and then activate the email account.
This college-issued email account is to be used for all email correspondence with instructors and other college officials. Official correspondence from the college (communications from instructors, information about registration or financial aid, etc.) will be sent to students' Wake Tech email address ONLY. Instructors and college officials may refuse to accept student emails sent from other addresses.
For more information, visit my.waketech.edu and click on Support. Video tutorials are available in the FAQ/Knowledge Base at http://www2.waketech.edu/lore/studkb/category.php?id=9
New policies and policy changes will be communicated to students on the official Updates page, located at http://Updates.waketech.edu. RefID#1202_Admission Policies_9-Student

FERPA Statement

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, instructors cannot discuss any information pertaining to a student's grade or other matters related to academic performance via email or telephone unless the student signs a form (WTCC Form 1126) waiving his or her FERPA rights. On the first day of the semester, all students must read the Authorization to Release Instructor Grade Material via Email (Form 1126). Your emailed authorization acceptance of this form authorizes your course instructor to correspond with you (the enrolled student) by email on grade and academic performance-related issues. Several examples of items that could be discussed via email: Reasons for a specific grade earned on an assignment, instructor provides specific recommendations for the student to undertake to aid the student in improving grade performance on a future course assignment.

Send your instructor an email (with your full name, student id #, course name, and course section number) stating that you authorize Wake Tech Community College to release graded material to you, the student, via email. Your Wake Tech-supplied email address is automatically included in your authorization acceptance. If you expect to utilize another email address, this should be included in your authorization acceptance as well. Your emailed authorization acceptance is consent to all information contained on Form 1126.

If a student elects not to complete this form, the student acknowledges that he/she won't email the instructor or any college employee with regard to any grades or class/academic performance-related issues.

Disability Support Services

Disability Support Services is available for students who require academic accommodations due to any physical, psychological, or learning disability. For more information, please visit the website at http://disabilityservices.waketech.edu/. To determine eligibility, contact the office at 108-S Holding Hall or call 866-5670 (TDD 779-0668).

Wake Technical Community College Academic Integrity Policy

Wake Technical Community College expects the highest standards of personal integrity in all academic work and behavior. We believe that effective education is dependent upon an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and that creating this atmosphere is a responsibility shared by both students and instructors. We further believe that the foundation of this environment is based on a mutual commitment to honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. This environment requires students and instructors to subscribe to a standard of integrity. Cheating and plagiarism are forms of academic dishonesty that violate this standard of integrity.

Cheating is defined as receiving, giving, or helping another student to receive or give any information during a quiz, test, exam or individual assignment; using unauthorized materials or equipment during a quiz, test or exam (for example, notes or books); communicating the subject matter or contents of a quiz, test, or exam (unless specifically authorized to share it) to another student; taking a quiz, test, or exam for another student; obtaining quiz, test, or exam questions beforehand; tampering with the grading of a quiz, test, or exam after it has been corrected; or working with others in completing a take- home quiz, test, exam, or individual assignment unless the instructor specifically authorizes collaborative work. Penalties for a violation of this policy will include: a "0" for the assignment, an "F" in the course, removal from the course roster, or other penalties that the instructor deems appropriate.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

EXPECTATIONS: The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to protect the rights of individuals in their academic pursuits and to encourage a safe, collaborative, and respectful learning environment for both faculty and students. In cases of academic misconduct, such as cheating and plagiarism, the Academic Integrity Policy will apply.

In accordance with the Wake Tech Student Handbook, students are prohibited from engaging in any conduct that adversely affects the educational process or the learning environment of any class. Accordingly, each student's participation in all aspects of the class must meet and adhere to the fundamental standards and Wake Tech campus values of RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY. Student participation includes the following:

• Student participation in any and all course assignments and course activities
• Any and all communications and interactions between the student and (1) his/her classmates (2) the course instructor (3) any Department Head, Curriculum Dean, and/or other College officials.

Note: Any disagreements must be expressed in a respectful and polite manner.

• VIOLATIONS OF THE STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT * 

• The use of profane, lewd, obscene, defamatory, sexually harassing, or otherwise disrespectful language in the classroom, including any Blackboard-supplement course activities, AND/OR the use of any of this language with your course instructor or another student (via a course assignment, email, voice mail, phone conversations, in-person), as well as with the Department Head, Curriculum Dean, and/or other College officials
• Mental or physical abuse against any student, instructor or College official that threatens or endangers his/her health or safety
• The use of cell phones, laptops or any other electronic device during class time unless approved by the instructor or Disability Support Services
• Eating or drinking in the classroom at any time with the exception of bottled water
• Leaving class early or taking a break without the instructor's approval, unless in the case of extreme emergency
• Unnecessary talking during an instructor's lecture or student oral presentation
• Any behavior considered rude by an instructor or not relevant to the class, such as sleeping, working on assignments from another class, interrupting the class with irrelevant questions/remarks, unnecessary remarks, or any other remarks deemed by the course instructor to be superfluous, offensive or disrespectful to the course activity or learning environment.
• Students sending "blanket" or "class-wide" emails without the expressed advance written permission of the course instructor

*Refer to the "Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Due Process" section of the Student Handbook found at studenthandbook.waketech.edu for a complete list of student code violations.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

Step 1 – VERBAL WARNING: The instructor verbally warns the student that his/her actions, comments and/or words are unacceptable and that if they continue, the student could face more extreme consequences, including removal from the class.

Step 2 – FORMAL REPRIMAND: A written communication is provided to the student documenting that he/she has been previously warned of a violation of the AHSS Division Student Code of Conduct and is now in jeopardy of a severe penalty due to a second infraction of the policy. The Department Head and the Dean of Students will receive a copy of the reprimand.

Step 3 – SUSPENSION/REMOVAL from the Course: If the student continues to violate the Student Code of Conduct, the course instructor, in consultation with the Department Head, will request that the Dean of Students institute a temporary suspension or permanent removal (withdrawal) of the student from the course. (Except in the case of an Emergency suspension, see below)

• Consequences of suspension include but are not limited to students being prevented from turning in all work, taking exams or participating in all class activities or assignments.
• Penalties for missed assignments, exams or other work as well as absences from the course will continue to accrue during any temporary suspension. Any missed work during the suspension cannot be made up.

Temporary Suspension, Permanent Removal, Emergency Suspension:

• Suspended students can be removed from the class temporarily (until the instructor and Dean of Students deem re-admission appropriate), permanently, or as an emergency.
• When disciplinary actions have reached "Step 3," it is commonly required that the student come to campus to participate in a sit-down meeting with the course instructor, Department Head, Curriculum Dean, Dean of Students, or other College official. It is the student's responsibility to arrange this meeting and transportation to and from the meeting.
• College withdrawal policies will apply to students who are permanently removed.
• Exceptionally serious violations may result in a student being expelled from the college.

EMERGENCY SUSPENSION: If a student's conduct (actions, behavior, comments, or words) poses an immediate threat to another student, the course instructor, or College official, or if a student's conduct is determined to be a serious impediment to the online learning environment, the instructor has complete authority to bypass steps 1 and 2 and proceed to Step 3. Emergency suspension of the student will be in effect until the Dean of Students or other College official can investigate. Step 3 consequences, penalties, and policies will apply.

(The AHSS Student Code of Conduct was adopted in August of 2009.)

Classroom Policies:

• Students are responsible for all of the information presented in the Wake Technical Community College Student Handbook.

• Please note that computers are to be used at all times for official course purposes. Use of computers for general web urfing, email, chat rooms, social networking etc. is not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in a grade deduction and possible loss of computer privileges.

• The college forbids the use of audible electronic equipment (cell phones, mobile devices, etc.) during instructional time.

• If you miss a lecture or arrive late, you are responsible for the material presented, handouts distributed, and any announcements made hat day. The instructor will not provide notes for missed classes.

This course is being taught in an online or hybrid format. In order to remain enrolled in the course, each student is required to open and complete the Course Entry Quiz in Blackboard by 11:59 PM on August 24, 2012. Students should complete the activity as soon as possible. Delay in completion may result in getting behind in coursework or in missing assignments. Students who do not complete the Course Entry Quiz by the deadline will be dropped from the course with no tuition refund.