Animation Basics

The Certificate of Achievement in Animation Basics prepares students to work in motion picture and video industries, software publishing, computer systems design, advertising, public relations, and related services. Students completing this program will be well-versed in the principles and technologies of character design, texture mapping, lighting, storyboarding and animation, and apply them to design and production of animated movies or video games, visual effects for movies and television shows.

The students will be engaged in contextualized and experiential learning while digitally applying the fundamental principles of web design and development to concrete, real-world projects. To earn a Certificate of Achievement in Animation Basics, students must complete 24 specified units. Students are encouraged to participate in a 60-180 hour internship with a Moorpark College-affiliated industry.

We are aiming towards offering a cohort type program of study as our proposed program is heavily focused on experiential and teamwork teaching and learning pedagogy. Due to this factor and the aforementioned narrative in regards to need and undersupply of qualified workers, we project to be able to recruit a cohort of 24 students every fall semester and have them complete the certificate requirements within 3 semesters. Factors considered:

• Lack of similar programs in Moorpark College’s service area

• CA has the highest employment level in this occupation according to BLS (see attachment 10), with an annual median income of $77,200.

• At least three of the courses are going to be accepted by the CSU system. Also, students completing this certificate program will be well versed in web design basics, and if they choose to pursue higher education they will be very well prepared

• Dual enrollment with high schools is possible with the first 2 courses in the pathway

The Animation Basics program is aimed at creating an effective career pathway for the students in our community. This program also aligns with the Model Curriculum (MC) template (See attachment 2). There is a need in Ventura County for such a career pathway as identified by the industries in the area such as Kalo, Williams Lea, Amgen, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Mediazoo, etc. This certificate program could serve as a gateway to high-skill and high-wage jobs for our new students, returning students, or the adult members of our community who might be seeking a career change or those who are already working in the animation and special effects industry but would benefit from obtaining a more formal education. Furthermore, the knowledge and experience gained from this certificate program will definitely benefit those students who decide to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Animation. By completing this program, students will have a firm knowledge of how to apply the learned principles of animation to real world-applications, and this proficiency will surely heighten the confidence and motivation of some students to aim for higher education in the field of design.

Design I