Course Syllabus

Spring 2025 | ART-1420-VO01 - Digital Animation

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Darren Spafford
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Dana Lee

General Education Requirements

VSCS Arts & Aesthetics

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is a hands-on introduction to creating simple animations. Students gain proficiency with illustration and animation concepts and import images and sounds. Students also learn the correct usage of frame actions.

Essential Objectives

1. Demonstrate proficiency in the animation development environment including managing the workspace, usage of stage properties, timelines, and property panels.
2. Demonstrate importing graphic, audio, and video content.
3. Design an object using drawing tools and layers to prepare for animation.
4. Define effective use of storyboards and animatics to deliver a compelling story, and explain the movements of animated objects and characters.
5. Demonstrate proficiency in animating graphics using tweens and frame by frame animation, and apply blurring, selective animation, speed lines, onion skinning, and squash/stretch effects to add convincing or exaggerated motion to characters and objects.
6. Demonstrate synchronization by animating dialog, sound effects, and/or music soundtrack.
7. Discuss the artistic and design considerations of creating effective presentations.
8. Examine, discuss, and critique animated works including some reference to historical, social, and cultural contexts.
9. Display finished works as a digital deliverable.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

This course will utilize the following teaching methods as we learn how to write HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Overview/Annoucement
Each week will have an overview and annoucement explaining what we will be working on with more detail for how the week will work.

Course Resources
Text and videos were specifically designed for this course as demosntrations, tutorials, and follow-alongs to be used a practice each week to gain confidence before attempting assignments.

Discussions
Discusisons are like our "in-class conversation" to talk, chat, brainstorm, and get ready for each week as a group. It is expected that we will make a post and reply to two (2) colleagues each week.

Assignments
Assignments are a weekly method of seeing if (1) you were able to review the resources; (2) followed along to try and practice; and then (3) complete the assignment as expected. Each assignment has a clear description and a rubric you can use to determine your own score each week.

Reviews
At the end of each week, we will have an opportunity to check-in, see how things are going, and talk about some of the key topics we learned each week.

Help (As Needed)
The instructor for this course is available by email and live Zoom sessions with a few days notice.

Evaluation Criteria

In this course, we will be exploring classic 2D computer animation, modeled after the pose-to-pose, cel-based approach made famous by Disney. Animation may be new for many of you, but with patience and practice—and by following along with the course resources—you’ll find the journey both enjoyable and rewarding. Participation each week is essential to earning the best possible grade. Live help via Zoom is also available as needed to support your success.

Grading Breakdown:

• 60% Assignments
• 10% Midterm/Final
• 15% Discussions
• 15% Weekly Reviews

Starting strong is key to succeeding in this course. While putting your best effort into each drawing is appreciated, your artistic skill—or how "well" you think you can draw—is not a factor in your grade. Don’t worry if you’re new to animation—that’s exactly what we’ll be learning together. If you have prior animation experience, that’s fantastic! However, this course may introduce techniques and approaches that differ from what you’re used to, so please approach it with an open mind.

You’ll need to use a desktop or laptop computer (not an iPad or phone). You will need to be able to use this computer with confidence to perform tasks like creating files and folders, opening and saving files in a text editor, and navigating your computer’s file system. These foundational skills are crucial for working effectively throughout the course.

If using a computer is a challenge, I encourage you to speak with your advisor about taking a foundational computer skills course first. Building those skills will set you up for success in this course and beyond.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

IMPORTANT: YOU WILL NEED A PC OR MAC COMPUTER
We will be using a program called Krita to draw and animate on a PC or Macintosh computer. Krita does not have an iPad app so you will need to either draw with a mouse, a drawing tablet, or connecting an iPad to a computer is possible but it will act as a second, external monitor to be able to use Krita. Other programs, including ProCreate, Adobe Animate, and Blender are not used in this course.

Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student’s final grade. Federal financial aid regulations require that students regularly attend classes and participate in academically-related activities.

Participation Expectations

• Login Frequency - Log into this course 3+ times/week vs all in 1 day
• Discussions - Engage colleagues with thoughtful posts/replies each week
• Resources - View and use resources included with the course
• Tasks - Be on time, read task descriptions and rubrics carefully
• Communication - Regularly check your email and provide timely (24-48 hours) responses to questions, emails, comments and other feedback as needed.This includes asking for help when you need it instead of falling behind.
• Preparation - Read and review all resources and tasks including task descriptions and rubrics prior to attempting the assignment
• Effort - Complete tasks beyond the minimal requirements. Follow tutorials, practice, try concepts no your own and gain confidence with weekly skills before trying the assignment
• Professionalism - As part of an online community, you are expected to demonstrate professionalism in your interactions with peers and the instructor. This includes meeting deadlines, being accountable for your work, and upholding academic integrity in all assignments.

Missing & Late Work Policy

All assignments must be submitted on time, including the weekly discussion, assignment, and review. To accommodate emergencies, each person has two late passes that can be used to submit an assignment up to three days after the due date without penalty. Once these late passes are used, any further late assignments will not be accepted for credit.

Timeliness is essential not only for this course but also for success in this career. Each week builds on the previous one, so falling behind can quickly snowball into larger challenges. Participation and staying on schedule are expectations for everyone, even in an online format.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.