Digital Media and Communications BA Honours

The module aims to introduce major theoretical concepts and debates, contemporary issues and discourses in digital media and sociocultural phenomena arising globally through the conceptualisation and application of existing and emergent digital technologies. Students will undertake critical engagement and understanding of the role of the digital and mediated relationships in complex processes of cultural change. They will evaluate developments that relate to industry and creative practices considering inclusivity equality, as well as wellbeing around ideas and processes of labour, power, lifestyles, the public and the private and social inequalities.

The module aims to equip students with a range of digital practices, analytical approaches and tools by which to create, curate, direct and produce content required to deliver impactful communications achieving strategic objectives. Students will learn how to develop a ‘content strategy’ through the process of planning, assessing and selecting the best style, form and narrative organisation of that content, in order to achieve the desired communication and objectives with the intended audience. The module considers case studies and real-world challenges chosen from a range of contexts and ‘genres’ in order to build awareness as well as practical ability. In addition, this module will introduce students to the discipline of project planning, to equip them for career opportunities in the creative industries. This module will introduce and embed the use of Adobe InCopy, InDesign and Creative Cloud Express, Adobe’s unified task-based, web and mobile app, which enables students to produce rich multimedia content including social media posts and stories, invitations, and marketing materials like logos, flyers and banners.

This module establishes the foundations and objectives of digital design, engages students with the creation of multimedia content for mobile and web. The module introduces students to digital image making, desktop publishing, digital filmmaking and motion design with industry-standard software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere and After Effects. It also introduces students to videography with DSLR cameras, microphones and lighting kit. Students will create a digital image & desktop publishing (DTP) portfolio and a creative group video project, accompanied by an annotated bibliography.

Forms of media students may produce include:

Short Form video, motion graphics, interactive social media assets, digital publications, photo manipulations, editorial illustrations and electronic documents.

This module enables students to produce immersive, critical, story-led, memory creating, and experience-driven content for social media and the Metaverse.

• Term 1 teaches students to analyse, construct and critically reflect on interactive and immersive narratives and diverse modes, practices and applications of immersive storytelling in a multitude of contexts. It requires students to develop a critical case study response/group presentation, accompanied by an individual report.
• In term 2, students will develop the technical and creative skills to produce experiential content that is purposefully designed for specific audiences. In groups, students will create an immersive experience by means of some combination of interactions, animations, embedded media, creative technologies, and storytelling.

Forms of media students may produce include: Hypertext, interactive video, data visualisations, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), locative media, virtual reality (VR) and VR video, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), extended reality (XR).

This module aims to provide students with key skills and knowledge of all aspects of research across various sectors associated with digital media, from how research is used in the industry (R&DI, KE) to its application towards regulation and its use in academia. The module will introduce students to a range of methods and techniques of research, and ways to analyse data and present them to different audiences whether they be industry figures and clients or academics. The module enables students to learn, evaluate and experiment with contemporary techniques and approaches in digital media research and apply this knowledge to the design of a research project. The module is specifically designed to teach students how to devise and develop independent research project within the framework of digital media and to train them to use the latest tools and programmes to do research on digital media. The module covers budgeting, basic project planning and management skills and calculation of expenditures, and will guide students across the learning of cutting edge techniques and methods for digital data analysis, such as data scraping and API extraction, data visualization, basic social network analysis, digital ethnography, social media content analysis, big data analytics, and how these interface with more traditional media research methods such as interviews, questionnaires and focus groups.

This module focuses on the design and production of motion graphics and digital video with Adobe Premiere, After Effects and Maxon Cinema 4D. Students will learn to produce engaging, sophisticated moving image material to a professional standard, gaining an advanced understanding of the conventions and practices of digital filmmaking and animation, and exploring history and context of their development in the arts and creative industries. The module introduces advanced DSLR videography & video editing techniques, and explores interdisciplinary and cross-platform workflows that allow students to make fluid use of a variety of expert software packages and state-of-the-art production methods.

This module explores how user experience design (UX) and user interface design (UI) create deeper levels of engagement. Focussing on mobile to web, students will be introduced to the elements of UX design such as wireframing, prototyping and user journey mapping. Students will design user interfaces using design systems and learn to employ UX/UI patterns to create immersive mobile and web experiences for graphical user interfaces (GUIs), voice-controlled interfaces (VUIs), gesture-based interfaces using UI patterns, gamification and animations. The module builds upon the digital production skills obtained in the level 4 module DMC1002 Digital Design and focusses on interactive media production with Adobe XD and Dreamweaver primarily for web and mobile. Forms of media students may produce include: Websites and mobile phone apps. The module also covers interactive touchscreen installations for brands and product launches and information kiosks for museums.

This module aims to develop the critical and creative digital media skills that students will need to work within a global communicative paradigm. This module will provide students with an in-depth understanding about how to use digital mediums to tell stories that are truly global, communicate effectively, and reach a broad global audience. Storytelling by companies, charities, NGOs, and other stakeholders within the creative industries is increasingly reliant on global digital media. However, digital communication channels present challenges and issues that need to be critically examined. Global media cannot be divorced from issues such as a growth in misinformation, and companies cannot ignore issues that are attached to globalization, such as climate change and a growth in inequality. Therefore, this module will also teach ways to produce content that is culturally sensitive, ethical, and builds on a brand’s corporate social responsibility. All of the knowledge that is learned will be applied in practical ways that are relevant to industry.

The nature and practices of work are constantly evolving and the creative industries are at the forefront of this evolution. The aim of this module is to establish a in-depth understanding of the creative industries and their specialist sectors. This module offers key employment and job seeking skills, including networking, personal branding (including portfolio, CV and online profile development) and interview training. It provides students with the opportunity to learn from the experience of recent graduates who have moved into full-time roles as well as network with seasoned professionals. It reviews theoretical frameworks and provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the nature of contemporary working practices. The module pays particular attention to the role of evolving online technologies in shaping and changing the world of work in the creative industries. This module requires students to complete a work-placement (100 hours) in a selected sector of the industry. The module runs in cooperation with MDXWorks. Students will evaluate their performance and their learning from their work experience – as well as reflect on the cultural role of the organisation and place in the industry in which the work experience took place. The work done in this module can feed into a number of third year modules.

This module aims to enable students to demonstrate research and creative skills developed in other parts of the programme to develop and carry out an independent project which involves one of:

• An investigative research project and report
• A practical, creative, industry-standard project relevant to the field of digital media and communications with a critical reflection detailing the process of development and execution and/or business plan.

Students must identify and engage critically with relevant critical frameworks in the field of digital media and communications, apply this knowledge in the development of a theoretical and/or practical project, and demonstrate the relevant intellectual, professional and time management skills to bring the project to a successful completion.

This module focusses on design for social innovation, the role of citizen designers as changemakers, and examines the rise of academic debate in the areas of social design, sustainable design, inclusive design, ethical design and design futures. Students will explore the potential of digital media for social change, participation and empowerment, develop a range of creative and critical skills to address social issues, and learn to practice design in a socially responsible manner. The module requires the creative and critical application of digital media forms for the creation of a public-facing design project for social innovation and change, accompanied by a reflective design research report. Forms of media students may produce include: Social media campaigns, web-based projects, video and animation, community media, serious games, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), smart contracts, dApps and distributed ledger technologies, information screens, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), extended reality (XR).

The module teaches students the creative and innovative application of digital technologies, frameworks and practical media production skills required to prepare students for a professional career in the field of creative technology. Coursework produced as part of the module requires students to approach and solve a problem by the creative application of a new or emerging technology. The module aims for a critical understanding of the role of new and emerging technologies in cultural production and builds on the broad set of technical and storytelling skills developed in DMC2001 Immersive Storytelling. Case studies focus on the design of applications of creative technologies such as: Interactive participatory environments; games, guides, tours, interactive maps and tools, smartphone applications and services.

The module aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the diverse social media networks and technologies used in the capture, design, production and management of digital content. Through professional case studies, students will be able to critically evaluate and apply appropriate technologies and tools of social media management in different contexts, a range of institutions, organisations and practices. Key legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks and a critical understanding of the types of social data utilised are vital to the module. Students taking the module will evaluate and develop social media management strategies and current trends, and by working to briefs will demonstrate the ability to understand and engage with metrics, analytical tools and different types of data.

This module aims to establish key skills in team leadership and an advanced understanding of the processes and phases of project management, and establishes an understanding of professional work ethics and and how its principles and values apply to people, project management and industry contexts. Students must seek business clients or calls, secure “live briefs”, procure industry standard projects, and learn to apply project management techniques including discovery and solutions improvement through the collaborative effort of self-organizing and cross-functional creative teams. The module requires students to develop a network and industry links, and an understanding of the digital agency structure. The module runs in cooperation with MDX Works, the University’s employability office. Continuing the development of employability skills embedded throughout the programme, MDX Works will contribute to meeting career objectives with workshops, lectures and CV writing and feedback. It will include workshops for career planning, LinkedIn profile creation and alumni support through University networks. Students need to promote their professional profile online, and the module also requires the production of a creative online self-promotion project focused on innovation in a chosen industry sector.

This module explores key arguments and debates concerning subjectivity, consumer culture and digital media. The module aims to develop knowledge and understanding on the role of new media in shaping cultural identities and especially in relation to the development of global consumer culture. The module develops advanced skills in ethnographic research methods. Since the Enlightenment the way in which the self has been understood and experienced has been central to the development of consumer culture. In recent times it has been argued that it is consumption, rather than any other social factors, that shapes our identities. The purpose of this module is to examine digital media promotional practices under this premise and explore debates regarding the relationship between identity (collective and individual) and consumer culture.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops, online activities, tutorials and external visits. Teaching in BA Digital Media and Communications modules is interactive and practice-based, so it takes place is small seminar groups, usually made up of 25 students. We often combine several types of activity in the same session. For example, a seminar might combine some lecture-like delivery with work in small groups, creative and practical tasks, and whole group discussions. Group or individual tutorials include structured, formal and informal feedback from your tutors on work in progress or on your ideas for a specific module assignment or project task. In addition, you can arrange one to one sessions with your personal tutor or module leader. You will also have access to and use resources to support your learning, including a free access to Adobe Creative Suite.

During your first year (level 4), your weekly timetable will typically consist of:

• 2 hours of lectures and seminars
• 6 hours of practical classes and workshops
• 1 hours of tutorials
• 1 hour of group work

Independent Learning

When not attending your teaching, sessions mentioned above, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and examinations. Your independent learning is supported by the facilities available including the library and Study Hub, laptop hire, and with online materials in MyUniHub (see student support section below).

Overall Workload

Your overall workload will include the activities listed above, and with each credit being completed equating to 10 hours of study time (You will complete 120 credits per level of study, which are broken down into modules of typically 30 credits). While your actual hours may depend on the optional module that you choose (if available), the following information will give you an indication of how much time is allocated to teaching and independent study on your course;

Teaching: 48 hours per module (2 hours weekly over 24 weeks)

Independent Study: 252 hours of self-study per module

You will be studying at our north London campus in Hendon.

You will have access to academic support services that you assist you in the following areas;

• Study Skills, including academic writing, reading and numeracy skills.
• Employability, with workshops and tutorials on CV writing, interview and presentation skills.
• Library Support, including sessions on finding, and choosing the right resources and software and
• tutorials on referencing and plagiarism.
• Progression and Support Advisors to assist you with if you experience difficulties with your studies.
• Well-being Services.

These services can be accessed through the UniHelp Desk in the Library building.

The course will provide you with opportunities to test your knowledge and understanding informally through ‘formative’ assessment. This will be completed before your formal ‘summative’ assessment which will count towards your final marks. Each module normally contains at least one piece of formative assessment from which you will receive feedback from your tutor. Formative assessments are developmental and any grade you receive from formative assessment does not count towards your final marks.

There is formal ‘summative’ assessment as part of the module, usually towards the end of the module. Assessment methods could include a range of coursework including essays, reports, portfolios, your main final year project, and practical sessions including performance, such as individual and group presentations. The grades from the summative assessments count towards your module mark. Assessments are reviewed annually and may be updated based on student feedback, to suit content or based on feedback from an external examiner.

Percentage of course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment will depend on the modules that you complete throughout your course. The approximate percentage of the course which is assessed by coursework is outlined below:

You will receive feedback on the formative assessment, and written summative assessments. Feedback on examination performance can be requested from the module leader. Feedback is intended to help you learn and progress, and you are encouraged to review and discuss your feedback with your module or personal tutor.

We will aim to provide you with feedback within 15 working days of submission.

Details of progression and pass marks for assessment can be found in the university regulations.