Multimedia — the integration of images, text, sound, video and animation in an interactive medium such as CD-ROMs and the Internet — has evolved at an astonishing pace. Today, it impacts almost every facet of computer use including interactive games, websites, business presentations and training.
To better address the needs of students, Kansas City Art Institute has designed a stand-alone certificate designed to accommodate beginners, those making the transition into the expanding multimedia industries, as well as professionals seeking to update their skills.
Participants will learn to create CD-ROMS, videos and Web pages; apply basic elements of multimedia production including project planning, image manipulation, 3-D imagery, sound, digital video and authoring; integrate the software tools used for manipulating still images, digital sound and video and authoring; and design and develop interactive and effective Web pages.
General guidelines
Schedule
Registration and tuition information
Financial aid
Required classes
Electives
Additional information
Lifetime learning tax credit
Privileges
Computer facilities
Download a certificate program application.
Students should be proficient with the Macintosh operating systems, standard menus and commands, opening, closing and saving files.
Certificate students are expected to attend classes, complete in-class assignments and take examinations. The certificate in Digital Desktop Publishing consists of 10 required courses and two elective courses, each conferring one undergraduate credit. All certificate students may request a transcript.
Credits from other institutions and from previous semesters at KCAI will not transfer to the certificate program. If the student has taken the equivalent of some required courses, approval to substitute more challenging courses may be obtained from the director of the School for Continuing and Professional Studies.
Documentation supporting the experience or a portfolio of work should be submitted to the continuing education office prior to enrolling in classes for which you are submitting skill evidence.
Certificate program courses are open to all students. Anyone interested in taking these courses for professional growth or personal development is welcome. However, since courses are limited to a small number of students, priority is given to enrolled certificate students.
Program features:
A certificate is issued if the following conditions are fulfilled: Program requirements are completed with a grade of C or better in each course within a recommended two-year period, and the student makes a written request to the Continuing and Professional Studies office for the certificate.lcome. However, since courses are limited to a small number of students, priority is given to enrolled certificate students.
Master schedule for certficate programs 2011
2011 Session #1 class schedule for certificate programs
2011 Session #2 class schedule for certficate programs
2011 Session #3 class schedule for certificate programs
2011 Session #4 class schedule for certificate programs
2011 Session #5 class schedule for certificate programs
Since class sizes are limited to a small number, students are strongly encouraged to register for new classes as soon as registration begins to ensure a place in the course of their choice. Students can obtain a course catalog by e-mailing the Continuing and Professional Studies department at rkartman@kcai.edu.
Courses may fill early and therefore close before the registration period ends. Conversely, a course may be canceled due to lack of enrollment, and inquiries for the course often come after the cancellation; timely registration helps keep a chosen class open.
Beginning students must complete the certificate program application (fill out the application online), submit a one-time, non-refundable $25 application fee and proof of high school diploma or its equivalent. An official transcript should be sent to: Continuing and Professional Studies, KCAI, 4415 Warwick Blvd., KCMO 64111.
Subsequent enrollment in each class requires a completed registration form (enroll online), as well as payment of all fees, before a student can attend class. The tuition for each eight-week course is $400 + $25 lab fee for a total of $425 per course. The total program cost is $5,100 and is not eligible for financial aid. Private lenders are available who support continuing education programs.
Finanical aid for the certificate programs is currently unavailable. However, the School for Continuing and Professional Studies does accept the following sources for tuition payments:
Full Employment Council: http://www.feckc.org/
Department of Secondary Education: dese.mo.gov/overview.html
WIA: https://www.
Tuition reimbursements also may be available through your employer. Consult your human resources/benefits department or supervisor to find out more.
If you have another source to pay tuition that is not listed above, contact Ruth Kartman at rkartman@kcai.edu.
(One-time three-hour workshop required of all new students. This workshop does not count toward your thirteen courses required for the certificate.)
This workshop will introduce you to the Mac computing environment and the latest operating system. You will learn how to access, organize and save your files using the campus’ networked servers. You also will learn how to personalize your home system and troubleshoot basic problems. Discover the ease of file management and learn to keep your files under control, as well as how to add printers, access server share, and locate and access wireless networks.
Primary software: Flash
Developing an interactive or multimedia project — whether a game, a presentation, a training tool or a Web page — requires planning and analysis. This course will give you an overview of the basic concepts of multimedia development beginning with the planning phases of project analysis and design through the implementation and follow-up. You will learn criteria for evaluating various media, the necessity for addressing the user interface (consistency and complexity) and the technological issues to be considered in the development process. Moreover, we will discuss the integration of software into a final product and the deployment of that product into various media.
Primary Software: Flash
With a focus on the design aspects of developing websites and interactive media, this course explores the various phases of the design process in a professional environment. Topics include assessing client and user needs, flowcharting, storyboarding, preparing mock-ups and demos and production issues.
Primary software: Power Point and Photoshop
This course provides a foundation in the visual perception system and how it relates to interface design. You are introduced to academic and industry formalisms and examine how they are most productively used. We also will explore standard and experimental methods, along with the psychology of information search and retrieval and how it informs the design of user interfaces and complex information systems.
Primary software: Photoshop
Multimedia Studies students who have little or no training in digital imaging are required to take Digital Imaging I and II. Students who have equivalent knowledge of Digital Imaging I and II are only required to take Advanced Digital Imaging.
In these courses you will be introduced to the most popular raster-based image editing and painting software program used by desktop publishing and digital imaging professionals. You will be required to complete assignments designed to develop your artistic work in tandem with your use of digital tools. Topics include understanding the different tool palettes, image scanning (importing and exporting), image manipulation and correction and composition techniques emphasizing creative practice. You also will learn to take advantage of file organization techniques through the use of layer sets. Understanding the different file types (jpg, gif, bmp, etc.) and how they interact with other programs also will be explored.
In Digital Imaging II you will explore professional approaches to compositing, retouching, image correction and masking. Brushes, lighting, textures and special effects are explored as creative ways of producing high-impact images.
Advanced Digital Imaging is an advanced investigation of raster-based image editing techniques used by desktop publishing and digital imaging professionals. Topics include color theory, advanced scanning and image manipulation techniques and output issues.
Primary software: After Effects
Prerequisites: Introduction to Interactive Multimedia
Motion graphics is introduced for online and offline use focusing on the Adobe After Effects software. Multimedia I will allow you to combine moving imagery (video), still imagery and audio in a creative and effective format. You also will learn the basics of motion graphics, text and layer animation, adding effects and editing techniques.
Primary software: Flash and Dreamweaver
Prerequisites: Introduction to Interactive Multimedia, Digital Imaging I
We will begin with an overview of how the Web works by teaching you to create a basic website using Adobe Dreamweaver, design software that is used to create pages for the Web. We will continue with fundamental terms like “internet” and “HTML” and will progress to cover design techniques, image preparation and website management. You will learn how to convert your Photoshop design concepts into working HTML pages and then organize them within the context of a website.
Primary software: Flash
Prerequisites: Website Development Overview
Students will learn the design and development cycle of a website from idea conception to interface design to implementation and launch on the Web.
Primary software: Final Cut Pro
This course will give you an introduction to the relationships between sound and video as well as to the tools and techniques used in combining sound and audio in an effective and creative manner.
Primary software: After Effects
Prerequisites: Introduction to Interactive Multimedia, Website Development Overview and Multimedia I
This is the second course of a two-part advanced level introduction to multimedia software and focuses on more advanced editing techniques and the art of story telling through motion. Utilizing Adobe After Effects, you will learn to combine video, audio and still images and to apply complex effects and animation techniques to achieve a more compelling end product. Sound, along with video, will be considered and explored as we learn the relationship and importance sound has in making an impact on video production.
Primary software: Flash
This course will extend your Flash knowledge into the fundamentals of ActionScript and how to apply that knowledge to your project, bringing life to the interface and the overall user experience. It is intended for those who have worked with Flash and want to learn more. No prior experience with ActionScript or programming is required; we will explore it from the ground up. You will learn how to control buttons, create movie clip effects, build menus, create re-usable functions, dynamically work with media, deal with data retrieval and more.
Primary software: Cinema 4D
This course is an introduction to three-dimensional computer modeling. You will use professional industry standard modeling applications as you progress through a series of projects designed to develop your skills incrementally. You will learn how to model, light and render objects while exploring animation techniques and various methods for utilizing virtual lighting and camera effects.
Primary software: Dreamweaver and Final Cut Pro
Prerequisites: Introduction to Audio and Video Editing
This is a class in which sound and video are considered equally. The marriage and/or collision between sound and image will be emphasized as we explore various approaches to producing sound for video. This class will discuss the history of image and sound relationships, as well as contemporary conceptual and technical approaches to sound production.
This class is a four-week workshop only and does not count towards your certificate completion.
So you have a design concept for a website, now what? This course focuses on the HTML production step in the Web development process. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and XHTML technology will be utilized to better comprehend Web standards, but more importantly, as a way to more efficiently solve creative problems. We will begin with an overview of what information design means and then quickly dive into techniques and best practice solutions for integrating the user interface. We will explore the power of CSS and the flexibility it gives as well as Photoshop prep techniques for producing designs accurately in CSS.
Primary Software: Flash
Prerequisites: Website Development Overview and Web Development I
This course will focus on deepening the student’s understanding of Web technologies to enhance the dynamic interactive nature of their website designed in Web Development I.
The term “portfolio” is used here in the larger sense to include the whole process, from documentation to completion of a finished document. This class will explore the portfolio as a personal design problem, understanding that your portfolio is the doorway to the professional world and reflects the designer as an extension of yourself (an extension of your own brand). Documentation, materials and form studies will be the departure points for investigating possible portfolio designs that meet the individuals’ needs.
Some fundamental principles explored will include tailoring a portfolio to speak to different audiences, establishing a hierarchy of content, using economy of information to avoid appearing scattered or unorganized, and the application of color, text and imagery as elements to guide the viewer/user down desired paths.
This tax credit applies to tuition and fees for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education course work. Students may be able to claim this credit if enrolled at or attending an eligible educational institution. The Kansas City Art Institute is an eligible institution. Amounts paid for any course that helps the student acquire or improve job skills are qualified expenses. In order to qualify for the lifetime learning credit, you must provide your legal name and social security number. Check with a tax professional to insure your eligibility for this tax credit.
Students enrolled in the certificate program have full KCAI library privileges as well as access to KCAI student services, internships, the college’s Career Services resources and an e-mail address through the Kansas City Art Institute.
Kansas City Art Institute’s computer centers are strategically located in two locations.
The Main campus has two labs:
The North campus is located in Riverside, Mo., just five minutes north of downtown, at 1801 N.W. Platte Road Suite #275.
Each lab is equipped with iMacs running current software applications. Scanners are capable of scanning all forms of two-dimensional media. All classes are hands-on with one student per computer. Additionally, lab time is available beyond classroom time, and hours are posted each semester. However, students are encouraged to purchase a computer if they don’t already have access to one outside of class time. Instructors can lend guidance on specifications prior to purchase. Students in the certificate program are eligible for hardware and software discounts.
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