Curriculum for Interaction Design Major

Create intuitive designs and experiences for all users and carve out a career in one of the most innovative fields.

Interaction Design Curriculum

Start exploring design, programming, and interaction psychology in your very first semester.

In Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum, you start taking classes in your Interaction Design major on day one. You’ll be examining the user experience from the get-go, learning the technology, visuals, and behaviors involved in the ways humans interact with devices and other interactive products.

After your first year, you’ll have the option to declare a concentration—in either Implementation or Visual Design—or create your own path by choosing the program electives that suit your interests and career goals.

Learning Outcomes for Interaction Design

First Year
Fall Semester
- MTH XXX Math Elective
- IXD 100 Interaction Design I
- GDV 100 Form & Color
- COR 101 Navigating Higher Education
- COR 102 First Year Inquiry: Reading, Writing, &
Spring Semester
- IXD 200 Aesthetic Interactions
- GDV 110 Image Technology
- XXX Program Elective
- COR 103 Navigating Your Information Landscape
- COR 104 First Year Inquiry: Making, Doing, &
Second Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
- IXD 215 Creative Code 1
- PSY 210 Cognitive Psychology
- XXX Program Elective
- COR 203 Core Foundations: Making Meaning Through Culture
- COR 204 Theoretical Perspectives
Third Year
Fall Semester
- IXD 301 Design for Social Innovation
- IXD 315 Experimental Interfaces
- XXX General Elective
- COR 301 Core Foundations: Connecting Place and Identity
- COR 302 Field Methods
Spring Semester
- XXX Advanced Art History Elective
- XXX General Elective
- SCI XXX Science w/Lab
- COR 303 Core Foundations: Connecting Past and Present
- COR 304 Digital Methods
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
- CCC 410 College Capstone
- IXD 350 Interaction Design Production
- XXX Program Elective
- XXX Program Elective
- XXX General Elective
Spring Semester
- CCC 412 IXD College Capstone
- CCM 430 Creative Production Studio —OR— CCM 493 Communication and Creative Media Internship
- XXX General Elective
- XXX Program Elective

What makes an interface seem intuitive and easy to use? How do graphics and their presentation facilitate desired interactions? In this course we'll examine the ways in which interfaces help or hinder an audience's ability to move through information or experience a story along multiple paths. Using industry standard software tools for the creation of interactive media, we'll explore interactivity from simple buttons to hyper-media. Along the way we'll identify the core principles of interactivity at work in creative expressions as diverse as: web-design, games, hyper-text novels, non-linear animation and film, and installation art.

Prerequisites	VCD-111
Credits	3

A rewarding practice in any visual art discipline begins with language of vision. In this course you will explore the dynamics of two-dimensional form, beginning with basic compositional study using only black and white forms, and then more complex projects incorporating principles of tonality and color theory. You will also be developing your skills in physical artwork, essential to later course work. Basic art supplies are required; a packet is available in the College Bookstore, or contact the instructor or department prior to the semester for the list.

Prerequisites	Visual Communication Design, Graphic Design, Game Art, and Game Design majors only
Credits	3

Why go to college? What does it mean to be educated? In this course you'll begin to answer these questions. We'll explore the academic expectations of higher education, college as a diverse community, and the significance of education around the world. By examining how these issues are negotiated and implemented at Champlain and elsewhere, you'll gain perspective on your own education and a deeper understanding of the ways that the college experience can be both liberating and transformative.

Prerequisites	Take Cor-102 concurrently.
Credits	3

Inquiry is about learning how to ask the right kinds of questions, and figuring out how to answer those questions through discussion and reflection. This course introduces you to the types of inquiry necessary to succeed at Champlain and beyond. You will explore the intersections of reading, writing, and thinking by focusing on a specific topic or theme. You will approach that focus through the interrogation of relevant texts and analysis that draws upon multiple analytical frameworks. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take COR-101 concurrently.
Credits	3

Screen-based interactive environments, whether they take the form of games, mobile apps, informational kiosks or interactive data visualizations are aesthetic and communicative products. In Aesthetic Interactions, students learn how to design for interactive media productions in ways that support specific visual design and user experience goals.

Prerequisites	COMPLETE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: IXD-100, GMD-200, GAA-205, or VCD-206.
Credits	3

Students are introduced to the basic concepts of digital image-making through projects that balance the learning of creative development, technique, and design tools as they pertain to the Graphic Design field.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

What makes an argument good or bad? What counts as evidence in our post-truth world? How can you understand and assess the truth value of a claim when you're not an expert? In this course you'll learn rhetorical strategies about how to examine arguments and types of evidence in different disciplines and fields of study. To help learn these strategies, you will do close readings of texts from a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences, popular culture, and social media.

Prerequisites	Take COR-104 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course introduces you to interdisciplinary inquiry using applied, project-based, and/or experiential methods. Regardless of the specific course focus, you'll have opportunities for making and doing interdisciplinary knowledge creation through a variety of approaches and activities. You will collaborate with other students, iterate on ideas, and work to develop a project. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take Cor-103 concurrently.
Credits	3

In this hands-on production course, students will begin integrating their understanding of principles of interaction with their emerging visual design and emerging programming skills through scripting simple interactive prototypes.

Prerequisites	complete either IXD 100 or IXD 200; and complete either VCD 100, VCD 111, GAA 105 or GMD 100; and complete either CSI 160, CSI 140, CSI 150 or CSI 100
Credits	3

Students will explore various aspects of basic web page organization, design, and construction. The web page will be considered as a visual challenge - exploiting a relatively restrictive format to maximize visual impact and effective communication, and organizing the content into an easily navigable hierarchy. Basic HTML authoring and digital kinetics will be introduced, and visual principles and digital artwork skills from earlier coursework will be reinforced through introductory web page projects.

Prerequisites	VCD-100 or VCD-111
Credits	3

This course will include both cultural immersion sessions and exploration and analysis of the culture through the lens of the fine arts. Students will meet weekly with their instructor to discuss their explorations and intercultural interactions. The semester will conclude with the students creating a presentation that highlights their experiences and learning. Their presentations will be shared with the Champlain community the following term.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Science holds an elevated place in society. The knowledge and meaning that science makes are seen as having a particular and special value. This course explores knowledge and meaning making in order to allow a thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, science as a way of knowing, and then engages with the methods and theories of the sciences themselves, to understand the analytical, creative, and generative possibilities of science.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

While each section of COR 202 addresses a different problem, issue, or topic, they all focus on interdisciplinary research. You will collect, analyze, and assess information from different disciplines in order to recognize patterns, contextualize arguments and synthesize ideas while collaborating on a project. Emphasis will be placed on helping you translate and apply what you learn about interdisciplinary research to other professional contexts. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

This introductory course is designed for students who are curious about using programming as a tool for creative expression. Through a series of hands-on projects, students will learn the fundamentals of coding in a visual and interactive context. By the end of the course, students will have a foundational understanding of how code can be used as a medium for artistic expression and the skills to create their own digital artworks.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

This course explores the nature of human cognitive processing by examining cognition (perception, learning, memory) and metacognition (knowledge thinking, problem solving). A combination of current research in the area, classic demonstrations, and related materials will be used to promote self-awareness of students as thinkers and learners.

Prerequisites	PSY-100 or 100-level COR class.
Credits	3

Culture impacts everything we do, experience, and learn, but what is culture? Where does it come from, how does it form, and why does it have such a wide and deep impact on people's lives? This course explores culture as a system of meaning and meaning-making in order to allow for a more thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, cultural texts and media using different methodological approaches.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

In this course, you will go in depth about a theoretical perspective that asks you to interrogate systems of power and power relationships. You will learn about the history of that perspective, including how it too was shaped by multiple contexts and compares with other viewpoints. You will use that perspective to analyze a specific topic, collection of texts, or cultural phenomena. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Where we are shapes how we understand ourselves and each other. In this course, we will dig into the relationship between place and identity. We will learn how to think spatially, recognizing how one's identity is situated within and constructed through movement through different spaces--be they natural and built environments, rural and urban, or actual and virtual. COR 301 will help us understand the complex meanings of identity in a world defined by movement and change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Field methods are a collection of practices used in the sciences, arts, and humanities to understand phenomena in situ or as it is happening in a specific time and place. In this course, we will apply one or more field methods to research a topic, theme, or question that varies by section. We will learn practices associated with research in the field including but not limited to participant observation, data collection, and experimentation in order to navigate an uncontrolled environment. We will also examine the power dynamics between the researcher, informant, and subject matter to help us understand how, if not practiced ethically, field methods can create or reinforce biases rather than helping us learn with and make sense of the world around us. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

By learning from the past, we can make sense of the present and prepare for the future. In this course, we will learn how the 21st century has been and continues to be shaped by past social practices, ethical frameworks, power relations, and discourses. COR 303 is a course about how we know what we know about the past, and the ways different narratives about the past shape the present. Making connections between past and present will help us better understand how to live and make decisions in a globalized world defined by constant change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Digital methods are widely used forms of inquiry that employ technological tools to interrogate research questions important to the humanities and sciences (including the social sciences). Some examples include digital archiving, data mining, and story mapping. In this course, we will use one or more digital methods or tools to research a topic, theme or question that varies by section, with the express purpose of critiquing and reflecting on its application. This includes an examination of the values, flaws, and impacts of the methods or tools we are using, paying particular attention to their ethical implications and power dynamics. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

The college capstone is an opportunity for students to pursue a self-directed experience in their professional program that intentionally integrates their liberal learning in the Core curriculum with their program learning. In addition to the substantive professional-based hands-on project in this class, the capstone will include a professional ethics component and a self-evaluation/self-reflection component.

Prerequisites	Must complete COR-310, COR-320, and two sections of COR-330 All Game majors (EGPR.BS, GDES.BS, GART.BS must also complete EGD-320 with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	5

Are you interested in making the next big thing in interactivity? How do you assemble and work in a team to design, research, test, develop and market digital experiences? Whether you're creating a game, website, mobile application, virtual space, or augmented reality experience, there are design, research and development methodologies to help shape the process of realizing these products. Over the course of the semester we will take such a product from conceptual development through to launch.

Prerequisites	CCM and ITS majors only. Must have completed 57 or more credits prior to enrolling in this class.
Credits	3

A senior-level seminar during which students implement and verify a technical capstone project specific to their major discipline that they have researched and designed under the supervision of their principal faculty member. Completed projects will be fully documented and presented in writing and orally to appropriate audiences.

Prerequisites	Complete CCC-410ITS with a grade of C or better.
Credits	3

This course offers students the opportunity to work with a diverse group of CCM students and professionals working in the field. Students participate in workshops to investigate a variety of approaches to applied practice. Emphasis is on solving real-world problems in a professional studio atmosphere.

Prerequisites	Complete 60 credits and approval from a CCM Program Director.
Credits	3

Students in the CCM Division who enroll in this course earn 3 academic credits for successfully completing 175-214 hours of an internship position at a designated pre-approved internship site. Students will apply skills and aptitudes developed in the classroom and engage in hands-on work in professional settings alongside and under the direction of a worksite supervisor. The student's internship performance is assessed by the site supervisor and a CCM designated internship coordinator.

Prerequisites	CCM Division students only, with 75 credits or more OR students who have taken 1 credit prep course: COM 355, CRE 240, EGD 240, WRT 301, OR VCD 250. CCM 491 through 496 internship courses may be taken multiple times for a maximum of 12 credits total. Internship site and hours must be pre-approved by CCM Dean's office/Internship Coordinator prior to student enrolling in the class for credit
Credits	3

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