MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY
CIS 4420 COURSE SYLLABUS

revised 1/8/2004

GENERAL INFORMATION

Course number: CIS 4420-190
Credit/Contact hours: 3
Term: Spring, January 12 - May 7, 2004
Course title: Macromedia Flash with ActionScript Programming
College website: www.mansfield.edu

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Instructor name: John Phillips
Instructor office location: Elliott 205 A
Instructor office hours: online at http://faculty.mansfield.edu/jphillip/
Instructor telephone: 570-662-4704 (however, it is best to contact me via e-mail)
Instructor e-mail address: jphillip@mansfield.edu

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Description

The student will learn to design dynamic, animated web pages using Macromedia Flash. In addition, ActionScript programming will be covered.

Recommended Prerequisites: CIS 2206 or ART 3365 or equivalent experience

Textbooks

Macromedia Flash MX 2004--Design Professional, Jim Shuman and Piyush Patel, 2004, Course Technology, ISBN: 0-619-18841-3.

Software

The Macromedia Flash MX 2004 software is installed on the computers in the Elliott 207 computer lab. By the third week of the semester you should be able to access the lab 24/7 by checking out a key at the security office in Doane.

If you are not able to use the MU computer lab then you have at least two other options. First, you can buy Flash MX 2004 at an educational price of $99 directly from Macromedia at http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/store/index.cfm?store=OLS-EDU (or even better buy Studio MX 2004 for $199). Second, I know of at least one student who downloads the free 30-day trial from Macromedia and installs it on a secondary computer. When this trial (and others from various companies) times out, the student simply saves their data on separate media, reformats the C: drive, and reinstalls XP and all of the 30-day trial packs.

Equipment and supplies

Access to the Internet is required either using your own computer or by using a computer in the school's computer lab. You should keep at least 2 backup copies of all work you do on diskettes or CDs.

Course Websites

http://faculty.mansfield.edu/jphillip/ for the syllabus and course information

Blackboard for class announcements and discussion ( http://cde.sshe.edu:8092 )

Course Outline

  1. Introduction to Macromedia Flash
  2. Drawing tools, objects, text, and layers
  3. Symbols, instances, libraries, and buttons
  4. Frame animations, motion-tweened animations, motion guides
  5. Shape tween animations, mask effects, sound
  6. Publishing movies
  7. Importing and modifying graphics
  8. Complex animations
  9. Basic ActionScript
  10. Advanced ActionScript
  11. Advanced project

Class schedule

Online course. Log on to Blackboard daily if possible.

Grading scale and policy

In general the following policy will be used on subjectively graded work such as essays and projects. Work that meets the stated requirements will in general earn a C+ grade. Work that goes beyond the basic requirements will in general earn anywhere from a B- to a B grade. Work that is very good and exceeds the instructor's expectations will in general earn a B+ or A- grade. Only the most outstanding work will earn an A grade.

(Refer to the Mansfield University Catalog for grades that can be awarded.)

A >= 90%
B >= 80%
C >= 70%
D >= 60%
F < 60%

In addition, the instructor may choose to differentiate final grades with plus and minus subdivisions as outlined in the catalog.

Course Grade
% of Grade
Online Assignment Portfolio
50
Final Project
50

Late work policy

Work that is late will lose one letter grade for each day late. No excuses. Computer, server, ftp, disk, and Internet problems will happen, therefore, make it a point to complete all assignments at least one day before the deadline.

Instructor's expectations

This course places an emphasis on hands-on experimentation. You will need to spend a large amount of time exploring the course topics in a hands-on environment, either on your own computer or in the computer lab. Please allocate plenty of time in your schedule for this course.

Withdrawal Policy for Individual Courses

The last day to withdraw from a College course with a "W" grade is published in the Academic Calendar. It is the responsibility of the student to complete and submit the necessary forms to the Registrar's Office. An official withdrawal would entitle the student to a grade of "W" in the course.

Syllabus Change Policy

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus and course timeline as the course progresses.

COURSE TIMELINE

Week
Week Of
Outline
1 01/12 Chapter A
2 01/19 Chapter B
3 01/26 Chapter C
4 02/2 Chapter D
5 02/9 Chapter E
6 02/16 Chapter F
7 02/23 Chapter G
8 03/01 Chapter H
9 03/08

Spring Break 3/4 - 3/14

10 03/15 Chapter I
11 03/22 Chapter J
12 03/29 Chapter K
13 04/5 Advanced Topics
14 04/12 Advanced Topics
15 04/19 Advanced Topics
16 04/26 Final project due 4/26
17 05/03 Finals Week - Peer review of projects due 5/3