Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Web Media Production and Management

Course overview

As the Web continues to evolve, our society and economy is being transformed. The global growth of the Internet is having a huge impact on how we communicate, do business or consume information.

This new course has been introduced as a direct result of demand from leading media organisations such as the BBC for producers who have the skills to produce, maintain and manage dynamic and interactive media to help organisations capitalise on the opportunities offered by the Web 2.0.

Over the three years of your degree, you will gain a practical and intellectual understanding of the tasks and roles involved in producing and managing content for the Web through group work and team projects.

Towards the end of the course solo or collaborative creative projects, hands-on production, and work placements with local industries will introduce you as a working professional. You will graduate with the skills the current media and creative industries need, and therefore be likely to establish yourself quickly.

The course tutors are from broadcasting, Web production, and the wider creative industries. They are involved in the production of social media, the Internet safety industry, gaming, online entertainment industries, and digital marketing. They are passionate about their work, and enthusiastic about introducing students to their fields.

You will gain

The course aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills to lead production teams and creative within companies offering complex content for the Web. You will develop:

• An understanding of the range of creative, technical and professional skills relevant to media and services delivered to consumers by the Internet;
• A comprehensive knowledge of contemporary professional practice and the creative process in the professional field, in which you will specialise and an awareness of current areas of development and innovation;
• The ability to lead teams and to suggest strategic and creative use of existing and new Web technologies, and media delivered by the Internet;
• A clear vision of personal and professional strengths, how they can be utilised within the media and the wider creative industries involved in the production of web-delivered content.

Why you should come on this course

Hear the views of Michael Smith, CEO of Mind Candy (developers of the online game for kids, Moshi Monsters – www.moshimonsters.com) and Paul Condon, BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing Senior Producer on this new course.

Who is it for?

The course will appeal to people who would enjoy working in creative teams creating large, complex, often multi-platform, interactive content.

If you are already using the internet in a creative way; posting video to YouTube, running a Twitter feed, uploading photos to Flickr or exploring immersive environments such as World of Warcraft or The Sims, then this course will help you develop a career in the new creative industries.

Also, if you are interested in learning how to make television or radio, which will be delivered via the internet, or how to make interactive websites to support well-known media brands such as Nike, Disney or EastEnders, then you will enjoy this new course.

Course contents

Level 1

Builds a critical awareness of the development and current state of the internet as a creative destination, within the context of the convergence of the media and communications industries.

How ‘traditional’ media (television, radio, print, music, animation and film) has become embedded within, and delivered by, the internet is reviewed alongside an analysis of previous history and future trends. Basic production skills are explored (how to create and upload content, and how to edit and change content). Basic content management systems are reviewed (WordPress, Ning, voting applications, Photoshop, CoolEdit, SonyMovieMaker, Home Site).

You will gain a basic understanding of user behaviours, user-profiles and the moderation and hosting of shared space online services and environments, including internet safety, governance, copyright, and libel and defamation. Students also imagine and plan immersive environments and participatory services which might enhance the cultural, economic, social or environmental life of the UK.

Level 2

Emphasises an increased level of group and solo production. There is the opportunity for you to explore particular interests in specific genres of Web-based media such as complex websites, e-commerce, social media, serious play, single and multi-player gaming, online film-making, immersive media, 3D media, and augmented reality.

You will work in groups to create projects which offer an overall vision, economic plan, business plan, operating plan, look and feel and which include storyboards, user-journeys, designs and activity plans for online shared space services for the public.

In depth analysis of case studies of Second Life, eBay, Amazon, Club Penguin, Google, Facebook will give you insights into how to build and manage participatory services.

The case studies offer insights on purpose, navigation, tagging and linking, motivation, conversion and retention, and economic models (subscription, micro-payment, advertising).
You will learn how production is now ‘iterative’ and ongoing in order to service the expansion and development of complex online services.

The globalization and localization of services will also be included as the business culture of the Web is increasingly international. Management of users is taken to a higher level and you will learn how to manage, host and moderate content where the public contribute content, or even ‘inhabit’ shared spaces online. This is now seen as a highly important skill and it is very much in demand.

Level 3

Develops professional practice through a range of independent learning and self-directed or self-initiated projects, which may be undertaken with local creative businesses in London.

You will complete a 7,000-9,000 word dissertation and undertake a connected significant creative project assisted and mentored by staff and industry.

Third year students are encouraged to seek talented students to assist their projects from both the Design and Media Communication Faculties at Ravensbourne; these individuals are likely to be experienced in broadcast media, animation, fashion, the built environment.

You may also decide to work with a local business as your final year project, aiming to improve or augment an existing website or production or business practices.

Graduates leave prepared for the job market. They will have produced a portfolio of work, have industry contacts, industry experience and be able to offer ideas and practical expertise to employers. They may also wish to start their own business, and will be assisted in their endeavours by Ravensbourne’s Business and Enterprise Unit.

Careers

The course can lead you to a number of rewarding careers. You could become the manager of a creative team delivering rich interactive content or you could decide to specialise in the production of immersive environments (www.moshimonsters.com), games (www.bbc.co.uk/celebdaq), websites to support large broadcast events such as the XFactor, one of the new commercial services such as eBay or for a company such as Google or Channel 4iP (www.4ip.org.uk).

Other possible career paths include: Interactive Media Producer; New Media Creative; New Media Producer; Producer, Online Media Producer, Video and Audio casting; Multimedia Producer; Producer, Multiplatform Content; Project Manager; New Media Senior Producer; Producer, Online Media; Producer, Video and Audio Casting; Multimedia Producer; Producer, Multiplatform Content; Project Manager, New Media; Senior Producer, New Media; Social Media Producer; Producer, Immersive environments; Producer, eCommerce; Online Community Manager; Online Community Moderator; Digital Executive; Marketing Manager; Manager, Viral Marketing.

Assessment

Assessment will be through a mixture of project work, group work, individual creative activities, essays, engagement with the Web, and placements with local industries. Student-created presentations will be used to follow the development of practical and business skills. There will also be critical self and peer-evaluation to allow you to reflect on your development, and support to give you feedback and help you to succeed.

Learning and support

The stimulus for the course will be wide, incorporating storytelling and narrative with sound, vision, animation, mapping, information gathering and a sense of the built virtual environment. Enhanced learning and elearning will be used to support a blended learning pedagogy. The emphasis will be on creativity and fun, harnessed for serious educational and business purposes.

Innovation, experimentation and practical creativity will be underpinned by contextual studies and theory. The learning and teaching will encourage students to become involved in their own education and entrepreneurship in order to prepare graduates for a working life where the adoption of new techniques and skills will be the norm and where self-initiated work projects are likely to be required.

Progression

Successful completion of this course can lead to the postgraduate degree in MA/MSc Broadcast Futures, MA/MSc Interactive Digital Media or MA/MSc Web Applications, Web Applications Development.

Download the full course programme specifications (PDF).

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