[Fineus]

Yeah, that's the problem really - I was reading through the UCAS thing a while ago after realising I had to choose something (and after much grumbling about how easy future doctors had it - there's only so many doctors courses out there and they'll all teach the basic stuff).

However I finally realised that since I enjoyed computers I should take a course I enjoyed even if it wasn't what I eventually want to do. At least with some kind of IT related course I can gain a lot of IT skills (especially web design) which will no doubt be enjoyable for the future, if not serve me after that. It might not teach me physics but I can say for certain that I don't want that road. So I may as well go with what I have the most desire to do now, then worry about specialising as time goes by after University.

So in short, an internet related course with graphics creation as a side choice. I can cope with programming if need be but not for preference. So long as the majority is internet based and includes a fair amount of HTML etc... I'll be happy. I can enjoy that much

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Stealth


why don't you come to America to study?

Stupidly high tuition fees?

[Blue Lion]

Bah, just lie and say you're in state.

[RandomTiger]

England may have the same problem soon, the Uni's say they need more money, max student dept total for a whole course could go up to £40000. Thunder I imagine you'll manage to get into Uni before that comes into effect.

Scotland seems safe for now as long as you are Scottish.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2386055.stm

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Thunder
Mikhael, I do like the sound of that first link you sent me... Have you any idea how much programming is involved in the course? (as I've said before I'm looking to avoid software programming where possible - outside of HTML and other web based languages) - even if that's kinda unfeasable (I'm willing to try, but I'd be doing it for the first time there...).

Anyway, that seems like a good start - thankyou very much

Let me get in touch with my buddy Makali. He's enrolled in that curriculum right now. He's the guy I forwarded your question to. I do suspect, however, that there will be a bit of software programming though. You really can't do any sort of dynamic web stuff without a modicum of programming knowledge. When it comes down to it, PHP, Java, and Javascript are just bastardisations of C/C++ and VBscript is a bastardisation of VBA which is a bastardisation of VB.

I'll let you know what I find out. It'll be monday before I talk to him, though. He's kind of adamant about avoiding the computer during the weekends, preferring stout.

[mikhael]

Thunder, I got a response back for you.

From Makali:

Hmm, well firstly the course isn't entirely geared towards web design...
however, it does feature prominently.  You might be disappointed if you
sign up on this course just to create web pages, but then creating web
pages isn't really University degree material, it's more of a GNVQ/HND
subject.

Students on our course aren't expected to know much about computing beyond the basics; this is pretty standard as far as I can figure.  We work with dreamweaver for the first couple of years, then if you choose the WebArts elective in the final year, you have to do -some- hand coding (but nothing drastic).  The course is as much about theory and contextual analysis (finding where things fit in the sphere of the arts & media) as actual
proficiency in creating things.  That's what the 2nd year of the course is
about. The 1st year is basically an introduction to the concepts and
issues, as well as playing with the software.  We work with Director,
Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and also with sound and video packages though to a lesser extent (now that there's a separate Electronic Music course, we don't do music any more, for example).

I was on a different course and at a different university for the 1st
year, but I heard that the students did some VERY SIMPLE Visual Basic, but
this hasn't been touched upon in later years.  There's a bigger emphasis
on the Internet and web-based media every year.  We're learning a little
bit of javascript right now in WebArts, and we had to do some Lingo
(Director's scripting language) last year, but again, the course isn't
about programming.  In the final year you can choose whether you want a
BSc or a BA, and if your friend doesn't like programming he might be
better suited to a BA which has an emphasis on the arts and the intuitive
side of the course, rather than the technological and strict side.

There are no exams, it's 100% coursework. You might find that good or bad, according to your style, but it's by no means the "easy option". However, the grade structure is basically:
1st year:
  grades don't count towards final award (you just have to pass)

2nd year:
  grades don't count towards final award (you just have to pass) unless...

3rd year:
  if your grade is lower than your 2nd year grade, the best 25% of your 2nd   year grade is added onto your 3rd year grade.

What I did last year is below; I believe the 1st year follows (very) roughly the same format. These are just the assessments, though. The lectures swung around pretty madly and we learned about everything from usability on websites and interfaces to  narrative and hypernarrative, to  the "military-industrial entertainment complex" and the effect of cyberculture on feminism.  You couldn't ask for more variety.  Plenty of tutorials on Lingo, HTML, Dreamweaver, whatever you like.

Digital Practices
  - Beyond the Mouse: create a physical artefact that interfaces with a    computer.  My group made a voodoo teletubby, believe it or not.
  - Practitioner Study: create a pamphlet or simple web site studying the work of either an area of study related to the course, or a single    practioner.  I chose H.R. Giger, others chose David Lynch, Pixar, Baz    Luhrman, etc etc.
  - Photomontage: create a suite of 3 related montages using photoshop.    Themes last year included online rights and september 11th. You get a    pretty free reign.

Digital Media
  - Urban soundscape:  Create a piece of sound (or music) that brings to    mind the city.  Could be futuristic, or contemporary, could be moody,    or funny. Last year we had some guy just hand in some water droplets,    someone else taped a conversation at a bar and dubbed in loads of city    sounds over it.  Myself and Ketan did "tuning through the city", using    a radio tuning metaphor for a non-linear narrative (phew!)  Half of this assessment is the soundfile itself, the other half is a graphical score representing the sounds you used.
  - Imaginary city: video or animation, somewhat related to the soundscape.    We did a moody 3D Studio animation piece, others took out camcorders    and mixed it together in Premiere. Someone even handed in a flash    animation.
  - Personal project: Anything you like, in HTML, as a real object, or a    Director file, a video, whatever you like.  I modelled a graphical file    browser, my friend Barbara made an interactive diagnostic tool for    doctors.
  - CV project: Director or HTML portfolio and CV of your work to date.    This was quite fun to do after you have at least 2 years of work to show off.

Interactive Hypermedia
  - Home Control Project: using dreamweaver, design the prototype interface for a home control project.  Realistic or futuristic, some people    created control systems for a Scooby Doo haunted mansion, others the    BatCave, while more simply chose a normal family.
  - Essay: answer one of 4 questions.. last year they varied between    analyses of various websites, to discussions of narrative or interface    design.
  - Entertainment Artefact: Fancy-talk for "a game".  Director-based. My    group ended up making a hired-assassin game where you lay complicated    traps to kill people.  You don't have to actually make the game, only a prototype showing off the interface, how the game works, etc.  They didn't call it "a game" because you can also do things like executive    toys, or arty things like the stuff on SoundToys.net

Cybercultures
   - Essay: Again, one of 4 questions.  I chose "Cyberculture and Memetics".    The grade for this was split 50/50 between the essay itself, and what    they called an "information map". You had to graphically show on an A3    sheet your research sources. So basically they're trying not to put too    much emphasis on essay-writing.  Even in the final year, you never    write more than about 5000 words.
  - Group presentation: You're given a subject taken from a hat (literally!) and you have to research and present your findings, speculations, and answer questions for about 10 mins. I had to speak about the book "253" by Geoff Ryman. Someone else got "The panopticon and surveillance society".
  - Interactive artefact: related to the subject of the presentation, individually create a real artefact.  I made a spinner-based tool for    creating stories alone or in groups.  The idea was the spinner would tell you what the next paragraph should be about (like, describe a character, introduce a new one, make two characters interact, change the scenery, etc).  Other items were more fun. One was a brain inside a computer monitor. Loads of variety.

[mikhael]

Sorry for the messy formatting and stuff, Thunder, but there you go. If you have any other questions, I'll pass them on.

[Fineus]

Thats great, I'm in the middle of an essay at the moment (hence my being on HLP ) but let me read through it and let you know. Cheers!