Digital Media

The Associate in Arts degree in Digital Media is designed to provide students with knowledge in content creation, editing, and delivery to work in an evolving media 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 degree in Digital Media 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 standards, with focus on immediate professional application.

Program Learning Outcomes

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

1. Understand the role of content selection as it relates to the spread of media, specifically the choice of one medium over another.
2. 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.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of media environments, specifically the techniques and trade requirements necessary to produce and distribute content in a physical space and on location.
4. Demonstrate basic skills in non-linear digital media editing.
5. Demonstrate technical skill competency in live and on-demand media environments.

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. A more detailed look at enrollment and completer data for current courses is attached to this narrative in the Appendix. 

Completer Data 

An estimated 15 students a year will complete the Associate of Arts in Digital Media. 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. 

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

The goal of the Associate of Arts in Digital Media is to prepare students for evolving careers in content production and distribution. The role of media has changed in the digital age, with focus on multimodal delivery. Media companies once operated on a consumption model, where users were seen as the end of the process. Today, we focus on users as producers, or prosumers which is a hybrid between the two concepts. The intent of the degree is to build understanding of how media is made, but also content spreads, and how to engage the audience in a meaningful way. The degree establishes fundamental skills for entry-level employment by establishing experiential mastery necessary in live and on-demand environments. Focus will be on audio and video creation, editing, and publishing. Media literacy and ethics of participation in the digital realm will also be examined.

Program Objectives

1. Understand how the historical and current structure of digital media and their ethical parameters, social and political effects, as well as formal regulations, influence content creation. 
   
2. Communicate information and entertainment to diverse audiences using audio, video for digital media. 
   
3. Understand how to plan, produce, edit, distribute, and analyze digital media content.  
   
4. Develop proficiency in entry-level professional non-linear editing programs for digital communication.
   

GENERAL EDUCATION

Complete one of the following General Education patterns:

San Joaquin Delta College Associate Degree General Education (AA-GE) pattern 24

California State University General Education (CSU-GE) pattern 40

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern 37

 Major Requirement - Core

Complete 12 units

DMEDIA 2 Writing for Digital Media 3

DMEDIA 24 Digital Media Editing 3

DMEDIA 31 Media Performance 3

DMEDIA 25A Digital Media Content 3

 Major Requirement - 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 3 units selected from:

DMEDIA 11 Fundamentals of Audio Production 3

DMEDIA 21 Fundamentals of Video Production 3

 Area C

Complete 6 additional units selected from:

DMEDIA 11 Fundamentals of Audio Production 3

DMEDIA 21 Fundamentals of Video Production 3

DMEDIA 25B Digital Media Production 3

MCOM 8 Social Media Content 3

MCOM 10 Multimedia Storytelling 3

MCOM 9 Social Media Campaigns 3

PHOTO 3A Introduction to Digital Photography 3

Minimum Major Units Required: 24

Complete all courses with a grade of "C" or better.

Minimum Units Required: 60