Learning Domains

The program is comprised of learning domains and competencies that are fulfilled through achieving learning targets on a proficiency scale. A learning domain represents a grouping of related competencies. A competency is an essential skill you need to do a job, and you must be able to perform the skills at a required level of proficiency. As you progress through the curriculum, you should gradually and continuously develop your proficiency in the competencies.

These are the learning domains you will focus on in this program.

  1. Design – Apply visual design strategies to create a digital experience that matches the desired communication goals.
  2. Employability – Prepare for employment in a company role and/or personal business endeavor.
  3. Post-Production – Apply the final touches to digital media projects to make them look polished and complete.
  4. Pre-Production – Conceptualize, research, and compile visuals to demonstrate the creative vision and ensure design integrity from concept through execution.
  5. Production – Execute the processes, strategies, and protocols to create a digital media asset.
  6. Project Management – Productively manage resources to deliver the results that match the real needs of the stakeholders.
  7. Storytelling – Effectively tell the story meaningfully by creating vivid and compelling digital media assets.
  8. Technology – Create digital media assets using industry-standard software and equipment effectively and efficiently.
  9. Professionalism – Maintain professionalism by creating growth opportunities, being accountable for one’s actions, and playing a vital role in society

Evaluation

Grades are just a method for evaluating your performance, much like a speedometer on a car. You are always aware of your speed and do not always have to speed, but you must maintain the minimum speed to keep up with traffic.

In our field, grades mean nothing. Your portfolio and skills speak for themselves. But since we are a school and grades must be given, this is how grades will be determined. Remember, this is a performance measure; your work will speak for itself.

Each quarter, you will be evaluated on competencies that our Advisory Board stated are the fundamental skills needed for an entry-level employee. You will know the competencies you will be assessed on at the beginning of each quarter. Each competency will have a Proficiency Scale for you to review to see the expectations for each level. Level 3 is considered proficient.

You will be evaluated several times to showcase proficiency. A course project, demonstration/observation, evaluation, etc. You will have the opportunity for retakes, and those guidelines are specified below.

In the middle of the quarter, you will be evaluated on your Professionalism competencies. These are essential skills that help you keep the job! These competencies will also have a Proficiency Scale for you to review to see the expectations for each level.

Your Quarterly Grade will be 80% of your Technical Skills and 20% of your Professionalism Skills.

Since class grades are assigned with a ranking of 1-4, the following scale will be used to convert your Proficiency Level to a Traditional Grade.

  • 4.00 – 100% – A
  • 3.5-3.99 – 95% – A
  • 3.00 – 3.49 – 90% – A
  • 2.5 – 2.99 – 80% – B
  • 2.0 – 2.49 – 70% – C
  • 1.5 – 1.99 – 65% – D
  • 1.49 and Below – 50% – F

Suppose you disagree with the evaluation that you receive. In that case, you can meet with the instructor to discuss why you believe your assessment does not reflect your work habits or skills.

Francis Tuttle also requires that students make progress. The program is individualized, but students are expected to meet their weekly requirements. Full-time students will be expected to submit 30 hours of work each week, and part-time students will submit 15 hours. Failure to meet these requirements may result in being placed on an Academic Improvement Plan (AIP).

Also, each semester, there will be a more in-depth performance review. The reviews are to help you receive feedback on your performance. Our industry is continually evolving, just as we are as individuals. We continue to improve through feedback. You can ignore the feedback or take the input to continue growing. The industry is competitive; how will you stand out and make your boss/client/peers/instructor notice your work or the skills you offer?

Retake Guidelines

We want you to learn from your mistakes to improve your performance or proficiency! The purpose of retakes is not to keep trying the same strategies and relying on hope for improvement. The purpose is to have you reflect on your learning and develop more efficient methods that will benefit you in the future.

  • Aim to perform well the first time around on all assessments. Otherwise, you create more work and stress for yourself by having to keep up with your progress as you prepare for the retake.
  • A retake must be completed within seven school days of the original assessment. If it is a skills demonstration or certification, you must schedule a time with the instructor. You also have another opportunity to redo an evaluation or skills demo or enhance your Skills Showcase project during Boost Your Skills Week.
  • Remember that while the retake will cover the same content, you may be asked to respond to different questions.
  • The higher of the scores will be recorded as your proficiency level.
  • No matter what proficiency level you initially earned on an assignment or assessment, you are highly encouraged to take advantage of a retake if you did not perform to the best of your ability.

Performance Improvement Plan

A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a way for underperforming individuals to succeed while holding them accountable for past performance. You may be placed on a PIP for academic, attendance, and/or behavioral issues.

  • Academic PIP – Your quarterly grade is below 60%, or your productivity is in the orange for not meeting your weekly requirements.
  • Attendance PIP – You are at 93% or below. You will be dropped from the program if you fall below the 91% requirement.
  • Behavioral PIP – You display traits that are not acceptable for the workplace. You disrespect your peers, self, instructor, equipment, or others or you might not be productive, etc.

If placed on a PIP, you will receive an email notification to sign the plan. The plan will have the criteria for your success and the timeline for your performance improvement.

Rules

Since we are a classroom, and we have been raised with rules in the classroom; here is a list of rules to ease those individuals who must have rules! This was slightly adapted from 10 rules for students, teachers, and life.

Rule 1: Find a place you trust, then try trusting it for a while.

Rule 2: General student duties – pull everything out of your teacher. Pull everything out of your fellow students.

Rule 3: General teacher duties – pull everything out of your students and fellow teachers.

Rule 4: Consider everything an experiment.

Rule 5: Be self-disciplined. This means finding someone wise or clever and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

Rule 6: Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail; there’s only make.

Rule 7: THE ONLY RULE IS WORK. If you work, it will lead to something. The people who do the work all the time eventually catch on to things.

Rule 8: Don’t try to create and analyze simultaneously. They’re different processes.

Rule 9: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.

Rule 10: “We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.” (John Cage)

Helpful Hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to class. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at the world around you carefully and often. Save everything – it might come in handy later. There could be new rules next week! 🙂

Time Clock

Each week, you will earn 15 hours towards your course completion unless there is a holiday. Full-time students will earn 30 hours. If you are absent, you will only earn the number of hours for the time you were clocked in.

Each tardy or leave early is worth 30 minutes; your time will be reduced accordingly for any tardies or leave early.

If you will be absent or more than 15 minutes late, you must send the boss/instructor a direct message to let them know you will be gone or late.

You will need to use your identification number to clock in and out. High School students must have a parent call 405.906.4409 to check out early.

Everyone is given a 10-minute break. The AM break is from 9:40 – 9:50, and the PM break is from 2:00-2:10.

When you need to leave the learning studio, you will need to send a direct message to the instructor with the location you are going to and send a direct message when you return. When you have a sub, you will send a direct message to the Sub.

Please be courteous of the instructor’s time. Many meetings are scheduled during lunch or after school. Being on time for those meetings is essential.

You don’t want to “clock in” 10 minutes before your shift…therefore, the doors to the learning studio will not open until 10 minutes before class. AM: 8:00 and PM: 12:20. If you arrive before then, you can wait in the commons.

As quitting time approaches, individuals get anxious to get on to their daily activities. Please remain at your desk until the bell sounds.

Workspace

Your desk is a shared environment (night classes, etc.); therefore, when you leave at the end of your shift, your desk should be clean for the following individuals. You should not leave food or drinks on your desk — this brings critters, and your instructor does not like critters!

You are welcome to listen to music as long as no one else can hear your music. No one should have to listen to your favorite YouTube video, etc. Please do not disturb others, and ALWAYS have your headphones connected. All personal devices should be turned on silent. Do not accept a phone call while you are in the classroom; wait until you are outside of the classroom.

All drinks must be in a container with a lid. If you spill a drink and ruin equipment, etc., you will be responsible for purchasing the item(s).

At the end of the period, AM students need to log off. PM students need to shut down the computer. The stylus should be back in the holder. They are very sensitive, so do not fidget with them or turn the casing; they break easily. You are responsible for keeping the stylus for your workstation in good working order.

Dress Code for Class

In the digital media industry, dressing appropriately often means balancing looking professional and being comfortable. Here’s what you should know:

  1. Casual but Polished: Most digital media workplaces have a casual dress code. You can wear jeans, t-shirts, or sneakers, but they should be clean and neat. Avoid anything too ripped, stained, or overly casual, like pajamas.
  2. Show Your Style: It’s okay to express yourself through your clothes! Creative industries appreciate individuality, so feel free to wear outfits that reflect your personality as long as they’re still appropriate for a workplace.
  3. Mind the Length: If you’re wearing shorts or skirts, ensure they’re appropriate—typically, just above the knee is a good guideline. Avoid anything too low-cut for shirts, or that shows too much skin.
  4. Be Ready for Meetings: You might need to dress up more for an important meeting or presentation. A nice shirt, blouse, or blazer could be a good choice.
  5. Comfort is Key: Since you might spend a lot of time sitting at a desk or moving around, make sure you’re comfortable with what you wear.

Remember, how you dress can influence how others see you, so aim for a look that shows you’re professional but also fits the creative vibe of the industry! Each workplace is a little different when starting your first job, so if you’re starting at a new place, observe what others are wearing or ask what’s expected.

Perks

Our campus offers some great perks, including access to the Cosmetology and Product Realization Lab (PRL). If you have a grade sheet with no orange, you can enjoy services during class time or utilize the PRL for personal projects. However, if you have any orange on your grade sheet and still choose to use these resources, the time spent will count as an absence.

Additionally, we provide Flexible Learning Options, allowing you to work from home. This opportunity is available only to Digital Media Design students with a grade sheet, free of any orange.

Company Trips

Occasionally, our team participates in excursions (field trips) or showcases our work at competitions (BPA competition). To be eligible to join these events, team members must meet the following criteria: maintain a quarterly grade of 60% or higher, not be on a Performance Improvement Plan, and stay within the allowed absence limit.

Teamwork and Collaboration

In our program, we believe in working together and helping each other. If you’re new to the subject and feel like you don’t know much, don’t worry! Try to make friends with students who know more than you. They can teach you a lot and help you understand the material better.

If you’re already good at the subject, think about helping your colleagues. Sharing what you know can help them learn and make you even better at the subject.

Sometimes, you might get frustrated with a colleague. Instead of getting upset, take a moment to think about why you’re feeling that way. Use this to learn more about yourself and how to work well with others. Remember, everyone has something important to offer, and by respecting each other, we can all get better together.

Excuses

Instead of making excuses, focus on creating plans to overcome obstacles. Clearly outline how you’ll address any issues, catch up on missed work, and finish the project. Show your proactive attitude and earn respect through your actions, not just words.

Each project will have a set deadline posted in Basecamp. This deadline tells you when the project should be completed. If unexpected problems arise, you can email your Boss/Client to request more time. Remember, it’s important to present a plan for how you’ll complete the project and give an estimated finish date instead of making excuses. However, be aware that there’s a chance your request for more time might not be approved by the client or boss.

Success

Adam Savage has 10 Tips for Success. Do these things, and you will be successful in this program and your future career.

  1. Get good at something. Really good. Get good at as many things as you can. Being good at one thing makes it easier to get good at other things.
  2. Getting good at stuff takes practice. Lots and lots of practice.
  3. Get OBSESSED. Everyone at the top of their field is obsessed with what they’re doing.
  4. Doing something well and thoroughly is its OWN reward.
  5. Show and Tell. If you do something well and you’re happy with it, for Pete’s sake, tell EVERYONE.
  6. If you want something, ASK. If something piques your interest, tell someone. If you want to learn something, ask someone, like your BOSS or Instructor. As an employer, I can tell you, people who want to learn new skills are people I want to keep employed.
  7. Have GOALS. Make up goals. Set goals. Regularly assess where you are and where you want to be in terms of them. This is a kind of prayer that works and works well. Allow for the fact that things will NEVER turn out like you think they will, and you must be prepared to end up miles from where you intended.
  8. Be nice. To EVERYONE. Life is way too short to be a butthole. If you are a butthole, apologize.
  9. FAIL. You will fail. It’s one of our jobs in life. Keep failing. When you fail, admit it. When you don’t, don’t get cocky. ‘Cause, you’re just about to fail again.
  10. WORK YOUR TAIL OFF. Work like your life depends on it…