Digital Media Fundamentals (11080.1)

Please note these are the 2023 details for this unit
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Digital Media Fundamentals
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
Online real-time
 Bruce, Canberra
UC College, Bruce, ACT
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Arts And Communications Level 1 - Undergraduate Introductory Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
Everyone is an amateur media producer thanks to mobile technology. Now more than ever, professional communicators need the technical know-how and creative skills to produce industry-standard media content. You also need to understand your role as digital media producers in the digital economy, and in media ecologies more broadly. In this unit we equip you with the fundamental skills of professional media production - from image capture, to composition and framing, to editing and beyond. The focus here is on visual storytelling for professional communication purposes: on making compelling communication through image and sound. You work with multiple media platforms to create narratives, whilst building skills in digital media production, and contributing to your communication portfolio. Your also learn to interrogate the complex media environment in which you will operate.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Develop a fundamental critical ethical understanding of the media environment in which professional communicators operate;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of visual and aural storytelling for the communication industry;
3. Develop foundational skills in digital media production for multiple platforms and diverse audiences; and
4. Work individually and in teams to produce and deliver digital media content.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Dr David Spencer
2025 UC College, Bruce, ACT UC College Trimester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Miss Swarali Sidhaye
2025 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 26 May 2025 Online real-time Dr David Spencer
2025 UC College, Bruce, ACT UC College Trimester 3 15 September 2025 On-campus Miss Swarali Sidhaye
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Dr David Spencer
2026 UC College, Bruce, ACT UC College Trimester 1 02 March 2026 On-campus Miss Swarali Sidhaye
2026 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 08 June 2026 Online real-time Dr David Spencer
2026 UC College, Bruce, ACT UC College Trimester 3 26 October 2026 On-campus Miss Swarali Sidhaye
Not available

Required texts

Unit materials including online tutorials, videos, podcasts, etc., are linked to in topic pages in the unit website.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Artificial intelligence

Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments for this unit.

GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:

  1. the Unit Convener has authorised GenAI use for that assessment
  2. the student uses GenAI in the way that the assessment instructions allow
  3. the student fully acknowledges their use of GenAI, with proper citations, references and a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement in line with the assessment instructions.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not permitted for that assessment. Students must still provide the required GenAI Acknowledgement Statement to indicate whether GenAI has or has not been used in the preparation of the assessment. If unsure, students should seek advice from the Unit Convener.

The GenAI for Students Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

As this unit is run during winter semester in intensive mode, and is completed in roughly half the number of weeks as a unit in S1 or S2, students should note that this unit has a much higher associated weekly workload.  Please take this into consideration when considering your availability.

Participation requirements

Students should be aware that engagement correlates strongly with success in this unit, including workshop attendance, and completion of exercises as drafts before workshops. Lower engagement with workshops, exercises, and, critically, lectures, will have an adverse effect on unit outcomes.

Required IT skills

This unit assumes basic computer skills, but not prior experience with media production software.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None