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New digital media certificate offers real world experience

Craig Crouden, Contributing Writer
Published: October 29, 2009

Like many returning students, Cynthia Maram came to SRJC to pursue digital media skills that translate to the workplace.

Maram worked as a production assistant at the Press Democrat, but realized she wanted more design experience. Maram began with graphic design classes in Adobe Illustrator in 2007 and quickly earned a certificate for the program. In addition, she explored a number of classes in Computer Studies (CS) including Dreamweaver, InDesign and a multimedia projects class with instructor Jeff Diamond.

In the class, students worked with real businesses to create media content. Maram and two other students picked Mix It Up magazine from a list of businesses. They designed and built a website for the magazine from scratch. Mix It Up editors liked Maram’s work enough that they hired her
when the class ended.

“I went with what my interests were and I wanted to see what would help me the most professionally,” Maram said. “I realized I was getting close to a certificate in InteractiveMedia Design.”

The new Interactive Media Design Certificate combines multimedia disciplines including web and graphic design, audio production and video production with the goal of giving real world experience to SRJC students.

“The idea was to get students to do more than web design,” said Digital Media Instructor Jeff Diamond, who helped create the media design certificate.

One of the goals was to create a community of web developers in the North Bay Area who could work locally or telecommute south, Diamond said.

The certificate program began as the General Multimedia Certificate in the fall of 2001 and required 17.5 units to complete. However, according to Diamond, it lacked “depth” and needed to incorporate more video production and sound design elements to keep pace with the changing landscape of interactive media.

The CS department introduced the current 34-unit Interactive Media Design Certificate fall 2008. An Interactive Media Design Associate’s Degree is also now available, Diamond said.

“The certificate was really a good start to help me decide that computer science was what I wanted to go into,” said SRJC student Dustin Cooper.

Cooper used his experience to get a job as a web designer for Protective Business Health Services.

“[The certificate program] really broadened my knowledge to produce quality websites as a whole,” Cooper said. “I worked on what I learned from classes and turned it into my career.”

For Digital Media Instructor Mike Starkey, the Interactive Media Design Certificate is only one facet of digital arts and media at SRJC.

“We have a vision that encompasses digital audio production, digital film-making and game design that includes programming and 3D art design,” Starkey said. “Courses are being written right now and going through curriculum and everything should be in place, hopefully by next semester.”

Introduction to Digital Media, CS 74.11, is the “entry point” for what will be a variety of digital arts and media classes at SRJC, including
classes for the Interactive Media Design Certificate according to Debra Sands-Miller, CTE digital arts and media grant manager.

Right now, students can pursue certificates in graphic design, Dreamweaver and Adobe programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Approval is pending for an audio production program, a collaboration between Music and Computer Studies, Sands-Miller said.

“I think [the Interactive Media Design Certificate] is an awesome program,” Maram said. “It has helped me in developing skills to land jobs in the web design industry.”

Besides Mix It Up, Maram has interned with Make Magazine as a web and graphic designer since June. She also freelances as a web designer and video editor.

She is finishing her Interactive Media Design Certificate and will complete the Dreamweaver Web Content Developer Certificate at the end of the semester.

Early next year, she will publish a new online youth culture magazine called DIG IN. The first issue will focus on Asian American film and Asian Cinema and features interviews with Asian American actors in Hollywood. For a sneak peek, check out Maram’s website, www.constantsoul.com, which also began as a class project.

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