Major refocused on new media technologies
November 10, 2005
KOKOMO, Ind.—Indiana University Kokomo is reshaping its Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communications degree program, to focus more on writing for and managing Web-based communication systems. In October, the School of Arts and Sciences renamed the degree as the Bachelor of Arts in New Media Communication.
The school also announced new course content for the four-year degree program, which began in fall 2003. The curriculum will now address new media technologies as they emerge, said program coordinator and Assistant Professor of English Scott Jones, Ph.D. The changes also give the major “its own identity” apart from the broader majors in communication arts and English, he said.
The New Media Communication curriculum blends the study of computers, writing, and communication theory. The degree is a natural fit for “people who like computers and also want to develop excellent communication skills,” Jones said. New Media Communication students will learn skills, knowledge, and critical perspectives necessary to produce and manage online and print content, either within organizational settings or as freelance consultants.
Program graduates will be skilled at developing and managing Internet Web sites, corporate intranets, and content managements systems, such as online help programs, he said. Because of its emphasis on critical thinking skills and writing, the degree will also prepare students for entry into law or other graduate schools.
“These graduates can be in charge of a whole Web project—not just the writing, not just the HTML design or layout—but all these components,” Jones said. With a sound underpinning in communication theory, New Media Communication degree holders will “not specialize in one technology but be adaptive in a growing media field.”
Classes such as “Writing for the Web,” “History of New Media Technologies and Society,” and “Visual Communication” will emphasize the concept of Web usability.
“ 'Usability' looks at how people use the Web page or other product you're designing,” Jones explained. “The goal is to ensure that intended users of your product can employ it efficiently and effectively in a satisfying way.”
He gave the example of an online floral delivery business targeted at male buyers. The Web site employed good graphic design and writing, but proved unusable because designers assumed that users knew what flowers they wanted to buy. “Guys were overwhelmed by the choices offered,” Jones said. “They wanted the site to give them set packages of flowers.”
Usability also takes into account the differences between reading online and reading printed material, Jones said. “On Web sites, people skim paragraphs. Text has to be shorter and hit key concepts quicker than in print.” Readers can judge the size and scope of a book or magazine by how many pages it has, he added.
By contrast, search engines can send a browser to any page of a Web or intranet site. From that one page, users want to be able to size up and move easily to additional information on the site. “If people have to 'think' about how to use your Web site, you've failed,” Jones said.
Four classes for the B.A. in New Media Communication will be offered in the Spring 2006 semester. For additional program information, visit http://www.iuk.edu/arts_sciences or contact Jones at scotjone@iuk.edu or (765) 455-9380. Students previously enrolled in the B.A. in Professional Communications will be “grandfathered” into the New Media Communication degree program.
