Greenville College Annual Report 2001-02

Campus Profiles

Interdisciplinary Program Prepares Students for Careers in Technology

An integrative program in every sense of the word, the Greenville College Digital
Media Program combines art, music, technology and physics. Developed in 1999, this program gives students an opportunity to study several disciplines within one major. Graduates can enter various fields including web design, recording production, video production, technical programming or education. In today’s professional world where most people change careers at least four or five times, this is especially significant. “It’s not as concentrated as some of the other majors,” said Digital Media major, Mary Niewola, “It leaves the door open to a lot of career possibilities.”

The major components of the program include: two courses in Music (Studio Recording I and Studio Recording II), two courses in Computer Science and Information Systems (Introduction to Programming and Webmaster Fundamentals), two courses in Physics (Light, Sound and Motion and Introduction to Electronics), two courses in Art (Introduction to Graphic Design and Digital Photography) and four courses in Digital Media (Web Page Design I, Digital Video I, Digital Media Portfolio and Digital Media Practicum). In addition to the core courses, there are different areas of emphasis: Art, Information Systems, Internet, Music, and Programming.
Not only does the Digital Media program integrate a variety of disciplines, but it allows students to use classroom theories as they will in the workplace through a variety of practical application projects. For example, during the Digital Video courses, students produce movies using a completely digital process. The students create storyboards for the story logic, film the movie with a digital video camera, download the movie from the camera to the computer, and then use editing tools and programs to manipulate the images. They also record and dub sound to the video. While the final product remains important, Deloy Cole explains, “the whole process is emphasized in this project.” Mastering each step is even more key than the actual movie.

The Digital Media portfolio required for the completion of the major requires the student to produce a CD that contains all the projects created during the course of their education. The CD allows for each student’s personal, creative touch and includes resumes, sounds or music, pictures and images, and any other impressive works the student has developed. This digital portfolio is easily viewed on a computer by clicking on the labels that display the images and play the sounds. Each graduate must hold a senior presentation of his or her portfolio for a large group of faculty and students, during which it is graded by professors.

Students have completed internships in web development, studio production, teaching music to others, graphic design, and many more. Some digital media students have chosen to travel to California for an off-campus internship and study experience, the LA Film Studies Program, offered through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Four Greenville College students have participated in this program and have spent a semester in LA working part-time for a studio and taking classes part-time. Deloy Cole says, “[the LA Film Studies Program] is a perfect thing for Digital Media students to do, to get out there and really experience the culture!”

Opportunities such as this make the Digital Media program at Greenville College even more unique in that students can integrate their morals and their knowledge. It is very important, especially in an industry as secular as media and technology, for students to learn how to properly discriminate values before they are tossed into the workforce. “It’s great to have Christians in that culture!” says Cole. “We need more of them!” More importantly, society needs more Christian professionals who know how to apply real values in the workplace.

The Digital Media program celebrated its first five graduates in the Spring of 2002, and about 50 people were enrolled in the program for the Fall 2002 semester. The hope for this program is continued growth in enrollment, facilities, technology and curriculum. It must change as the industry changes and continue to produce graduates at the top of their chosen professions - both in academic knowledge and practical application - who are ready to serve Christ in a very secular industry.

Deloy Cole, an instructor in the Department of Information Science and Technology, coordinates the Digital Media program. Following graduation from Greenville College in 1984 with a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics, Cole worked in the computer technology field for 16 years. He joined the faculty at Greenville College in 1999 but continues to consult for Hewlett-Packard, which keeps him abreast of current technology. He is also finishing his master’s degree in Computer Management and Information Systems at Southern Illinois University. Cole oversees the Digital Media curriculum, class schedule and budget. He also advises most of the Digital Media students and teaches two of the core Digital Media classes: Introduction to Programming and Webmaster Fundamentals. He says that it is crucial to keep the curriculum up-to-date with current technology because, “it is the best way for us technical types to stay relevant.”

Last updated: January 16, 2003