I'm thrilled that you're interested in VMD 105! This site will introduce you to my class, and also serve as a hub for resources related to online learning at CCSF.
VMD 105 is a 3-unit fully online course which provides an overview of industry standard Adobe software used by visual design professionals. The class emphasizes essential ideas and techniques for using these tools in a variety of different digital graphic projects. Over the course of the semester, we will explore the Macintosh Operating System, installing and using digital fonts, image editing with Photoshop, digital illustration with Illustrator, motion graphics with Animate, page layout with InDesign and web layout using a code editor and basic HTML and CSS. Each section of the class will focus on core concepts of the discipline, in addition to the use of color and type.
The course is structured around short lectures that introduce key topics, hands-on labs that will build your software skills, and more open-ended projects that will give you an opportunity to creatively apply what you're learning. This is a core course for VMD students, but it is also perfect for anyone who simply wants to develop basic digital skills.
If you have any questions about course content or requirements please email me at dstevens@ccsf.edu.
VMD 105, with instructor David Stevenson.
Timeframe: This class runs for 16.5 weeks during Fall and Spring semesters, and 8 weeks for the summer session.
3 units, fully online with no required on-campus meetings.
VMD 105 "Digital Skills for Visual Media" is a required core course for all VMD Certificates and Degrees.
If you need to add the class, please email me with your name and student ID number. It will take approximately 24 hours from the time you add to be added to Canvas.
Online classes use waitlists if demand for a course exceeds class capacity. If a student in the class drops and a seat becomes available, you will be notified by an email sent to your CCSF email account. You have 48 hours to register for the class once the email has been sent. If you do not register in that timeframe, you will be removed from the wait list and the next student on the list will be offered the opportunity to register for the class. It is recommended that you monitor your wait list status daily on your email account and on Web 4 to assure you will not miss your opportunity to register for the class. It is the student’s responsibility to register for the class once notified of the opening and pay the appropriate tuition and enrollment fees associated with the class. For more details about online waitlists, read through this FAQ.
If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.
The course syllabus offers more detail about class content and policies. View the online course syllabus here. You can also read through the official course outline here.
In the best-case scenario, students enrolling in this course have a Macintosh computer and the most recent release of the Adobe Creative Suite. PC/Windows users are welcome in the course, and in general the material we cover will be platform-agnostic [with a few exceptions at the beginning of the class].
If you do not own the Creative Suite, there are student discounts available, and on-campus computer labs with the software you need to complete class assignments. In person lab schedules are contingent on the campus reopening for face to face instruction.
VMD Computer Labs: additional hours will be announced in the first week of the semester.
Please contact me if you have any questions about course requirements and technical details.
Instructor: David Stevenson, dstevens@ccsf.edu
Please use my Canvas Inbox for course-related questions. I will respond to email within 24 hours.
City College of San Francisco, Visual Media Design Department
Ocean Campus, 50 Frida Kahlo Way, Visual Arts 140, San Francisco, CA 94112