This is the information page for BCST 119 - Digital Media Skills.  This is an ONLINE ONLY course. There are no on-campus meetings and no synchronous Zoom sessions. The course is offered through Canvas, CCSF's Learning Management Software. This site is for information purposes only. 

BCST 119 - Digital Media Skills is a fantastic entry class into the core study of everything we have to offer in the Broadcast Electronic Media Arts department.  

Student Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course students will be able to:

• Outcome 1: Demonstrate basic familiarity with software and basic operation/competency of Mac and Windows-based computer operating systems, file management, and networks/servers commonly used in audio/video/film/multimedia production.

• Outcome 2: Analyze internet issues including bandwidth and streaming protocols to successfully move media projects across platforms, between different software programs, and to convert to various formats.

• Outcome 3: Utilize foundational audio/video/film/multimedia production techniques as applied to creative media projects.

• Outcome 4: Demonstrate understanding of the issues and impact of new technology in the audio/video multimedia/television/radio and film industries, including analysis of different media formats and compression schemes, working with mixed-media, and delivery and distribution across multiple platforms.

Find more details on this course in its official Course Syllabus

For information about how to log in to the actual course when it opens on the first day of the semester and also great tips and resources to help you succeed in your online studies, check out the homepage of my site. 

Required Materials

There is no required textbook for this course. All of the lectures, readings and course materials are supplied through our Canvas learning management software. 

Since this is a hands-on course, there will be assignments that require you to use your computer as a multi-media production tool. I don't support using a tablet, mobile device or chromebook to do the assignments for this course, although they might be useful to read the lectures and do the written assignments. Your computer can be a mac or a PC, but you must have an up-to-date operating system and web browser, and be able to run currently available software. It's hard to generalize, but if your computer is five years old or less, you'll probably be okay. 

Some assignments will require that you download and install recommended software on your computer (such as an image editor, audio editor or video editor software). The practical projects in BCST 119 teach the minimum skills necessary to make a short project over a three-week period in each of the four media - web, graphics, audio and video. I recommend FREE downloadable software for each of the assignments, however students sometimes prefer to use other apps. I have listed both below, with the paid alternatives prefaced by a $ dollar sign.  CCSF does not provide free software and it'll be up to you to download and install the apps you decide to use.  

Web & HTML (Formats: .txt, .html)

Free Software provided with operating system: Notepad (PC), TextEdit (Mac)

Graphics (formats:.jpg, .png)

Free Software: GIMP (free for Mac/PC)

$ Alternatives: Adobe Photoshop (Mac/PC)

Example: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1r_y9JXhaj4cDTr-IcVBy93RnRA9vVhhH?usp=sharing

Audio (formats: .wav, .mp3)

Free Software: Audacity (free for Mac/PC)

Software provided with operating system:Garageband (Mac)

$ Alternatives: Adobe Audition (Mac/PC)

Example: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FeLunKVZP1IRbpwBwCUPf-Z0QlFUtXbY/view?usp=sharing

Video (formats: .mp4, .mov)

Free Software: Black Magic DaVinci Resolve (Mac/PC)

Software provide with operating system; iMovie (Mac), ClipChamp (PC)

$ Alternatives: Adobe Premiere (Mac/PC))

Example: https://youtu.be/yQbiBxjB2gs

Instructor Information 

My name is Malcolm Cecil, and I'm the instructor for the online section of this course.  Once we get started in our course, please contact me through the Inbox function of CANVAS, our online learning management system. 

Dr. Malcolm Cecil

Office: AX 172, Creative Arts Extension Bldg.

Voice: (415) 239-3269

Email: mcecil@ccsf.edu

I will respond to email communication within 48 hours from Monday to Friday, exclusive of holidays. 

Online Course Information

This ONLINE ASYNCHRONOUS course will open on 09/02/25.   Login and password information will be sent to student CCSF gmail accounts on that day (this account was opened automatically for you when you enrolled at CCSF). If you don't know your CCSF gmail account, you can find it in your Web4 account information, here.

BCST 119 is offered on Canvas, CCSF's online learning software. To use Canvas, students must log in using their RAM ID. All students at CCSF have a RAM ID, but you must 'claim' it (activate it for the first time) before you can use Canvas. Here is a link with instructions about how to claim your RAM ID and how to log into Canvas. If you have a problem with your RAM ID login, you can contact the ITS Helpdesk at 415-239-3711 or Toll-Free at 844-693-4357. If you have already claimed your RAM ID, here is the link to log in to Canvas. Remember, the course will not be available until the first day of instruction.

Once the course begins we will release new content each week. This is not a self-paced course, so you will be busy all semester.  A new week will open on Monday morning and will stay open until the next Sunday evening at 11:59 pm. We encourage you to do the readings and assignments early in the week, so that you don't run out of time when things are due on Sundays.

BCST 119 "Digital Media Skills" consists of a series of readings and guided assignments to be done on your own computer for the online version of the course. Weekly readings present:

• an overview of computer operations, industry standard software and other equipment that is common to digital video, digital audio, digital image production and editing

• an introduction to the issues and impact of new technology in the audio, radio, video, and film industries

• an examination of bandwidth, compression, cross‐platform movement of audio, video, radio, and film media

• keys to understanding media storage, and manipulation of media in the digital realm.

Lectures and assignments for the online sections of the course will be completed online using CANVAS, CCSF's online learning software if you take the ONLINE class. This site you are viewing is for information only. 

There will be a discussion forum, a quiz and an assignment due most weeks.  The assignments are usually quite practical, and they include editing and compositing digital images; editing an audio soundscape; recording and editing a short video and editing html code for a web page. 

Since this is a fully online course, you will need to have access to your computer throughout the week to do readings, assignments and quizzes. Your computer can be a mac or a PC, but you must have an up-to-date operating system and web browser. (I don't support using a tablet or mobile device to do the assignments for this course, although they might be useful to read the textbook). 

Some assignments will require that you download and install recommended software on your computer (such as an image editor, audio editor or video editor software). In most cases I recommend industry standard applications, but I also recommend a free alternative for you to consider. CCSF does not provide free software and it'll be up to you to download and install the apps you decide to use. If this sounds like too much, please consider taking BCST 119 as a face-to-face class which will be taught in our BEMA department computer labs, which have great computers and industry standard software for you to learn on.  You can find face-to-face sections of this course in the CCSF class schedule.