Digital Media with Emphasis in Audio

The Certificate of Achievement in Digital Media with emphasis in Audio is designed to provide students with knowledge in content creation, editing, and delivery to work in the evolving audio production landscape. Focus starts on building entry-level job skills in audio and video capture, non-linear editing, and delivery. Coursework includes practical, hands-on knowledge in media live and on-demand media environments. Students earning a certificate in Digital Media with emphasis in Audio will explore concepts related to effective content production across various platforms, including broadcast, online, and social media. Students will work in a manner mirroring industry standard, with focus on immediate professional application.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to produce audio content to broadcast and technical standards for a desired target audience.
2. Demonstrate proficiency of recording studio techniques.
3. Demonstrate the ability to understand and apply terminology related to an audio production environment.
4. Demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate multiple elements of sound and analyze audio files.
5. Upon successful completion of this certificate a student will demonstrate an increased awareness of the skills required for employment in the current digital media landscape.
6. Understand the role and value of broadcast media (terrestrial, online, social media) in relation to the dissemination of information and the public’s right to know.

Enrollment Data 

Enrollment data from the Delta College’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness for classes currently that are currently offered and would be part of the degree shows retention rates over 90 percent for all but one class and success rates above 60 percent for all but one class. The courses considered for this enrollment audit are: • RTV 1 • MCOM 1 • RTV 2/MCOM 2 • RTV 11 • RTV 21 • RTV 22 • RTV 31 • MCOM 10 • PHOTO 3A In total, 24 sections are offered for these classes, with the highest number (8) for MCOM 1. The annual enrollment across the sections was 627 for the 2019-20 school year. That number is adjusted to 583 when factoring in the Excused Withdrawals that the institution began offering as all instruction moved online due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The enrollment numbers show a significant upswing from the 2018-19 figure of 476, even though one more section was offered in that year. RTV 2/MCOM 2 represents the weak link in the noted sections but does so because it is not a class offered in a position of strength for either the Radio/Television (Digital Media) or Mass Communication areas. The writing-based course had solid offerings until six years ago when the lack of a full-time faculty member in Mass Communication led to the course being accidentally discontinued. A full-time faculty member has since been hired in MCOM, but the numbers for RTV 2/MCOM 2 have never been able to rebound because the course lacked permanence as part of a degree path. Retention rates are high among these courses due to the presence of Strong Workforce Program funded multimedia technicians that serve to bridge the gap between instruction and application. The growth from 476 in 2018-19 to 627 in 2019-20 is also attributed partially to the support of extra help in the hands-on labs. 

Completer Data 

An estimated 20 students a year will complete the Certificate of Achievement in Digital Media with emphasis in Audio. Based on the 583 students who have taken courses in the program, this is a conservative estimate. Labor Market Analysis for Technical Arts completed by the Centers of Excellence (COE) shows an undersupply of 165 trained workers for the Central Valley/Mother Lode Area. Item 6: Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs The Associate of Arts in Digital Media and its sister awards (Certificate of Achievement in Digital Media with emphasis in Audio, and Certificate of Achievement in Digital Media with emphasis in Video) replace outdated award paths that have not been altered or updated in a thirty-year period. The current media studies related degrees will be deactivated upon launch of the new programs. The legacy awards are being replaced due to the outdated nature of the vernacular in the curriculum and the lack of alignment with Guided Pathways. The industry no longer uses the terms “radio” and “television” anymore. Those words are considered outdated, instead replaced by broader concepts of “audio” and “video.” The discipline used to instruct solely based on terrestrial broadcast ability. Digital Media is no longer confined with legacy methods of transmission, which has shifted the focus of the program and the classes within it. The intent, initially, was to update the current degree paths. Those paths, and some of the courses within, were found incompatible with two-year graduation. Previous degree and certificate paths were bloated, with the certificates being 37-units. The new awards reduced the time to graduation 

Program Goal: CTE (Limited to programs in CTE codes other that ADTs) (C)

The purpose of the Certificate of Achievement in Digital Media with emphasis in Audio is to prepare students for evolving careers in audio content production and distribution. The development of digital media has created a variety of employment opportunities built around the development and use of platform-specific tools for both linear and non-linear digital audio production including audio content creation, editing and publishing. This certificate establishes fundamental skills for entry-level employment in settings such as traditional terrestrial broadcasting as well as live streaming, podcasting, audio for visual platforms and live-event production. Focus will be on audio content production, editing, and publishing across platforms. Media literacy and ethics of participation in the digital realm will also be examined. 

Program Objectives

1. Understand the production process for digital media, specifically as it relates to audio.
2. Demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, interview/gather, write, edit and distribute audio content.
3. Explore the history and evolution of formal and informal controls of digital media content production.
4. Develop proficiency in entry-level digital media editing techniques using non-linear editing programs, specifically for audio-related content.
5. Understand the legal and ethical implications for digital content creators in the 21st century.
   

Core Requirements

Complete 12 units

DMEDIA 2 Writing for Digital Media 3

DMEDIA 11 Fundamentals of Audio Production 3

DMEDIA 31 Media Performance 3

DMEDIA 24 Digital Media Editing 3

Restricted Electives

Area A

Complete 3 units selected from:

DMEDIA 1 Introduction to Broadcasting/Electronic Media 3

MCOM 1 Introduction to Mass Communication 3 

Area B

Complete 6 units selected from:

DMEDIA 21 Fundamentals of Video Production 3

DMEDIA 25A Digital Media Content 3

DMEDIA 25B Digital Media Production 3

MCOM 8 Social Media Content 3

MCOM 9 Social Media Campaigns 3

Minimum Units Required: 21

Complete all courses in major with grade of "C" or better.