Unit 00Welcome!

Getting Started in ART 1280

Welcome to ART 1280 – Photoshop Software! My name is Jessica Curran. I will be your instructor this semester. If you've made it to this page, you're in the right place to get started. The goal of this page (and Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280 / Course Orientation) is to make sure everyone in the class feels comfortable with the format of the course from the navigation structure to the way projects will be submitted. My expectations during this unit are for you to gain a greater understanding of what it means to be an ART 1280 student and for you to be able to make an informed decision about whether or not this is a class you would like to take.

Please read through the instructions on this page. They will explain the process for getting started in ART 1280. You should complete all of the reading on this page now. If you have any questions at any time during the semester, please visit me during online office hours. My office hours are listed on the course homepage and on the syllabus. You may send me an email through the Canvas inbox, but the preferred method of communication for this course is through online office hours. ART 1280 students are expected to attend online office hours for help. They are hosted multiple times per week via the CHAT tab. If you can't attend in real-time you can post your question/message via the chat and I'll answer it as soon as I see it.

Last, after you have reviewed all of the content on this page, continue navigating through Unit 00 by clicking NEXT in the bottom right corner of the page. If you click NEXT on each page you will walk through the orientation unit from start to finish.

Welcome to Art 1280!

Steps for Getting Started

Two of the biggest challenges of taking an online course are budgeting your time and navigating the course. Our very first goal in ART 1280 Photoshop Software is to set up a game plan for success, which specifically addresses these two important issues. Follow the steps outlined below to complete all of the required activities and assignments for Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280 / Course Orientation.

You can complete the steps listed below by clicking the provided hyperlinks or by selecting NEXT at the bottom of each page. Clicking next will walk you through the unit from start to finish.

Step 1	Read and take notes on the information pages included in Unit 00. You can navigate from one page to the next by clicking the NEXT button at the end of each page. Unit 00 Overview (this page) Getting Started in ART 1280 Photoshop Software Expectations for Taking This Class Online Technology Requirements, Skills, & Support Resources for Help (with your coursework) What is SLCC Pathways? Visual Art & Design Exploration Area What is Image Manipulation?
Step 2	Read the course syllabus. It is your lifeline for this course. It includes everything you need to know about the course. Most of what I am presenting to you in Unit 00 is duplicated from the syllabus.
Step 3	Download and print a copy of the semester calendar. It will help you keep track of what you should be working on and when.
Step 4	Complete the required assignments at the end of Unit 00. These have point values assigned and will count toward your grade in ART 1280. Download & Install Adobe CC Getting Started in ART 1280 Quiz Introduce Yourself to the Class Discussion Initial Response Assignment Upload a Profile Picture
Step 5	Once you have completed all of the items listed above and reviewed the Recap: Getting Started page, you will have fully completed Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280 / Course Orientation. You can then move on to Unit 01 – Getting Started in Photoshop / Lesson 01 - 06, where our class truly begins.

Navigating the Course

General Navigation

It is very important for students in online classes to understand the navigation structure of their course. There's nothing more frustrating than spending more time trying to figure out what you should be working on and where to find it than actually doing your coursework. Each online class can have a different navigation structure. So, please take a minute to review the information below.

This course has been designed to have a pretty straightforward navigation pattern. If you having trouble finding your course content, please contact your instructor right away. Navigating the course efficiently is a top priority during Unit 00.

How should I navigate the course?

When viewing the course on a computer, the vertical column of navigation links on the left side of the homepage (HOME, ANNOUNCEMENTS, SYLLABUS, MODULES, etc.) is called the navigation tabs, so when I reference the GRADES tab or the ANNOUNCEMENTS tab, that's where you should look to find them.
The first thing you should do every time you log into the class is to read any new announcements via the Announcements tab. If I have something important to tell the whole class, I will send out a course announcement.
Download and print a copy of the semester calendar.
All coursework is grouped into modules via the Modules tab. However, the names of the modules can be a little confusing. There are 19 lessons in the course broken down into six units. The reason the modules are labeled by the unit is that there are a creative project and exam at the end of each unit.
- Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280
- Unit 01 – Getting Started in Photoshop (Lesson 01 - 06)
- Unit 02 – Layers, Selections, & Brushes (Lesson 07 - 10)
- Unit 03 – Intermediate Image Editing Techniques (Lesson 11 - 13)
- Unit 04 – Type & Vector Art (Lesson 14 - 16)
- Unit 05 – Automation & Output (Lesson 17 - 19)
Complete the coursework within each module in the order it is posted. I have presented the content in a specific order so that the required activities and required submissions naturally flow from one activity to the next. Skipping around within a module or a unit will make it more difficult and time-consuming to complete your coursework.
If you find yourself finishing lessons early you can always work ahead in ART 1280.

To learn more about navigating this course, click the Navigational Tabs option above.

Navigational Tabs

Tab	What It Does
Home	Takes you to the course homepage.
Announcements	Takes you to a list of all announcements posted by me (your instructor) for this course.
Syllabus	Takes you to the course syllabus and course summary, which includes a list of graded assignments and their due dates. Note that you may miss some important course content by using just this view of the assignments.
Modules	Takes you to a view of all pages and assignments in the course, arranged by module. From this view of the course, you can navigate straight to any page in the course. You can also collapse or expand each module by clicking the little triangle in the upper-left corner of the module. This view is the best way to access all the materials for this online course.
Grades	Takes you to your grades for this course. Grades will track all your points earned on assignments, discussions, quizzes, and exams. If the assignment has not been graded, those points are not factored into the total grade for the course.
Chat	Takes you to a messaging app right within Canvas. You can chat with all of the people in your course who are currently in Canvas. You can also view your chat history. All chats are public for anyone in the course to see. You can even leave a question for your instructor, and he or she will answer the next time they log in for online office hours.
Zoom	Any live class sessions hosted by your instructor can be found via the Zoom tab. Check the course homepage for a list of live class session dates and times.

To learn more about navigating this course, click the Navigating the Units option above.

Navigating the Units

Each unit in ART 1280 follows a similar pattern. The most important thing to remember is that you should work your way from the top of the unit to the bottom. You can click on each activity and assignment from the modules page or select the NEXT button at the bottom of each page to move forward. Make sure you read the unit overview page thoroughly at the beginning of each unit. It explains the goals for the unit and lists all activities that must be completed throughout the unit.

Unit Structure	What's Included in the Module?
Unit Introduction Module	Each unit starts with an introduction module. The module includes... Unit Introduction & Overview Unit Timeline Unit Time Management assignment
Lesson Modules	Each unit contains a series of lessons. For example, Unit 01 contains lessons 01 - 06. Each lesson is housed in its own module for easy access. Each lesson module includes... Learning Resources (lecture, reading assignment, videos, etc.) Knowledge Test Skills Practice discussion
Unit Finishing Up Module	Each unit wraps up with a "finishing up" section that includes... Unit Finishing Up (instructions) Creative Project Show & Tell discussion (share your project with the class) Unit Exam Unit Recap & Continued Learning

Note: Students must complete all activities within Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280 / Course Orientation before they can access any of the other course modules. Once the course is unlocked, students can work ahead if they choose to. Please keep in mind students working ahead will need to return to previous modules to participate in peer critiques from time to time.

To see what a typical unit looks like in this course, click the Sample Unit option above.

Sample Unit

It can be a little confusing to understand how this course is set up into units, lessons, and modules. Below is a snapshot of what a unit looks like (broken down into a series of modules) for ART 1280. All course content is housed in modules. Modules are either labeled as the start/end of a unit or a lesson within the unit. Essentially, one unit consists of multiple modules.

Screenshot of Unit 01 Overview, Lesson 01, and Lesson 02 modules.

Screenshot of Lesson 03, Lesson 04 and Lesson 05 modules.

Screenshot of Lesson 05 and Unit 02 Recap modules.

Important Course Information

Policies & Procedures

All course policies and procedures are included in the course syllabus. However, at this point in the semester, some of the course policies are more important for students to understand than others. So, I would like to highlight a few key informational items about the course that can affect your ability to decide whether or not you would like to continue as a student in ART 1280 online.

This class is 100% online. It will be completed entirely asynchronously, which means there are no scheduled meeting times. You will complete your coursework whenever it is convenient for you as long as you submit it before the posted due date.
Students are expected to attend online office hours if they need help. Email me (your instructor) through the Canvas inbox if the posted office hours do not work for your schedule. I will work to schedule office hours at varying times to accommodate students in the class.
All coursework is expected to be submitted on time by the due dates posted both within Canvas and on the printable semester calendar. Late work, when accepted, will be docked 10% for being late.
Late work is accepted within each unit. However, the last day to submit late work for each unit is approximately 1 week after the unit ends. The last day to submit late work for each unit is posted on the course homepage.
Basic digital/computer proficiency is needed to take this class online. You will learn more about the specific technical needs for this course later in this unit. If you are not comfortable using a computer, scanning or photographing your artwork, uploading files, and posting to discussion boards, you should consider taking ART 1280 on-campus or enrolling in a technical literacy course prior to taking ART 1280.
This course does not have a required textbook. Adobe updates Photoshop so frequently that nearly all Photoshop book publishers have stopped trying to keep up with the updates. We will use learning resources developed by Salt Lake Community College faculty instead. You can consider the slides posted on each learning resources page to be your textbook. In addition, your instructor will post supplemental videos below the slideshow and host weekly live Q & A sessions to answer questions and demo Photoshop skills.
Required activities in ART 1280 fall into two general categories: knowledge building assignments and major assessments & exams.
- Knowledge Building Assignments (knowledge building)
  - Knowledge Tests: Knowledge tests are more like quizzes. Canvas calls everything a quiz so we will differentiate low stakes quizzes from high stakes quizzes by calling the low stakes quizzes tests and the high stakes quizzes exams. Knowledge tests are not intended to be difficult. They identify important information from the required reading. There is no time limit and can be submitted twice.
  - Skills Practices: Skills practices are set up as discussion forums. You will practice applying the Photoshop skills covered in the current lesson and then show the class what you have created. You should consider these discussions to be your playground. Use them to learn. There's no pressure to get it right the first time. You can post questions, fix and resubmit your work, etc. The goal of each skills practice is to try to use Photoshop. There's no expectation that you will be perfect each and every time.
- Major Assessments & Exams (knowledge assessment)
  - Each unit ends with a creative project and unit exam. These are the two activities that will be used to gauge your understanding and application of the content covered within the unit. Take your time. Answer all questions thoroughly. Create, edit, revise, and improve on your creative project until you are ready to submit your strongest design.

Grading in ART 1280 is broken down by unit. The categories and weights are listed below.

Course Requirements	Weight
Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280	5%
Unit 01 – Getting Started in Photoshop	25%
Unit 02 – Layers, Selections, & Brushes	22%
Unit 03 – Intermediate Image Editing Techniques	16%
Unit 04 – Type & Vector Art	16%
Unit 05 – Automation & Output	16%

Final grades are calculated by percentages.
- - Grading Breakdown
    
    A= 100%-93% A-= 92.9%-90% B+= 89.9%-86%
    
    B= 85.9%-80% C+= 79.9%-76% C= 75.9%-70%
    
    D= 69.9%-60% E= 59.9%-0%

To learn more about important course information, click the Syllabus option above.

Syllabus

I understand it is not realistic for you to read through all of the content in Unit 00 – Getting Started in ART 1280 / Course Orientation and the course syllabus and have it memorized immediately. However, I do think it is reasonable for all students in the class to recognize the importance of reading the syllabus and accessing the resources in this unit. This information is available to you throughout the entire semester. Reference it when you have a question or can't remember something.

I would like you to read the course syllabus right now. Pay attention to the things that interest you. Don't worry about memorizing every detail. I recommend opening the syllabus in a new window so that you can quickly return to this page when you are done.

To learn more about important course information, click the Calendar option above.

Calendar

Download and print a copy of the semester calendar if you have not already done so.

To learn more about important course information, click the Time Management option above.

Time Management

The following is a general guideline for budgeting your time in ART 1280 each week. All coursework is due on Wednesday and Saturday each week.

Day	What to Do
Monday	Log in to the class, view the semester schedule, read any new course announcements, make a list of weekly to-do items, get started on whatever is due on Wednesday. This will either be a new lesson, a creative project, or an exam.
Tuesday	Continue working on whatever is due on Wednesday. If you finish early you can get started on what is due on Saturday. You should be working on the creative project that is due at the end of each unit for the entire duration of the unit so if you have extra time you can work on that.
Wednesday	Submit any work that is due. This can be a knowledge test, skills practice discussion, creative project, or an exam.
Thursday	Begin working on whatever is due on Saturday.
Friday
Saturday	Submit any work that is due. This can be a knowledge test, skills practice discussion, creative project, or an exam. It will vary from week to week.
Sunday

Objectives, Grades, & Feedback

Course Objectives

At the beginning of every lesson in ART 1280, you will see a list of learning goals. These goals explain what you are going to learn while reading course materials and engaging in course activities. They also outline what you will be assessed (tested) on. I recommend that you read them, define any terms that you do not recognize, and then use them as you review the course materials. Look for specific sections that will teach you more about each of the goals.

Lesson Learning Goals Example

Click the Grades option above to learn more about grading in ART 1280.

Grades

You can view your grades right in Canvas, and they will be updated regularly. Check frequently to make sure your grades are accurate. Refer to the syllabus for the grading scale and points breakdown.

You can use the What-If Grades feature to find out how your grades will be affected by ungraded or upcoming or resubmitted assignments. Refer to the How do I approximate my assignment scores using the What-If Grades feature? guide for help with using this feature.

Canvas provides the following tutorials if you need help or additional information: Student Guides - Grades.

Click the Rubrics & Feedback option above to learn more about receiving feedback from your instructor.

Rubrics & Feedback

Rubrics let you know how you will be assessed on your assignments. Canvas has a tutorial for how to view rubrics for assignments, how to view rubrics for discussion boards, and how to see rubric scores and comments. Canvas also has a tutorial for how to view comments and annotations made by your instructor on assignments.

Use the NEXT button in the bottom-right corner to continue progressing through Unit 00. ↘