Concise paper Multimedia and ICT – the challenges of creating creativity

The Multimedia Application Development paper endeavoured to provide students with the knowledge and skills to develop and incorporate multimedia components into websites and applications developed for other papers within the degree. The paper utilised Macromedia Flash as its main development tool and focused on both animation and scripting. It was intended that students would develop high quality applications and identify the benefits of utilising multimedia components in their IT studies. The outcome however was very different. While students understood and could apply the scripting component of the paper, the visual element of finished applications was poor. It appears on reflection that many students did not see the connection between multimedia and IT and instead believed that the topic belonged more in the realms of graphic design and art. Upon discussion with a graphic design lecturer from the School of Art and Design, it appears that the art students, while able to produce the visual impact, were not exposed to the scripting capabilities of Flash. This paper will discuss in more depth the issues identified from a lecturers perspective and investigate the proposed collaboration with the graphic design school for future deliveries