HM331 Hypertext Theory and Practice
subject guide
Offered: first semester
Duration: one semester
Contact hours: one lecture: (Monday 11:30am), & one two hour lab per week
Noncontact hours: 9 hours per week
Points: 12
Prerequisites: N/A
Mode of Delivery: Internal
Staff: Adrian MILES
rm: 24.1.04
phone: 9660 3157
fax: 9639 1685
email: adrian.miles@rmit.edu.au
http://bowerbird.rmit.edu.au/adrian/
Bowerbird Hypertext Theory Search Engine
citation guidelines
WWW: http://bowerbird.rmit.edu.au/adrian
Consultation times: Please check my office door, or by appointment
Description: HM331 is an introductory hypertext subject that combines theory with practical skills. It is a prerequisite for HM408 Special Topics in Communication (offered in second semester). The course involves a series of lectures, directed reading, and a significant laboratory based component. It is an unusual combination of practical skills and theoretical material.
Learning objectives: Development of a sophisticated understanding of hypertext as a writing technology and genre, and the ability to produce complex Œstandalone¹ hypertext documents. Become familiar with a range of recent theories of the Œtext¹ and Œdiscourse¹ and their applicability to hypertext. Develop general computer literacy skills involving the use of various digital media.
Learning outcomes: Be able to contextualise the place of hypertext within broader notions of writing, media, and textuality. Encourage critical reading and interpretation skills, and promote your ability to development critical and abstract argument. Recognise the relation of theory to practise (and vice versa).
Syllabus details: Each week the lecture will introduce and discuss material raised in the required reading. This material will be theoretical. The computer labs are compulsory and this is where technical components of the subject are introduced and developed. These lab sessions are also used as de facto tutorials, so that issues from the reading, the lectures, or elsewhere, can be raised. (Please note that HM331 does not currently have any specific tutorial time.) All students will subscribe to a subject email list (hm331-98@cs.art.rmit.edu.au), and this is used as a tutorial forum (as well as a social space). Some lab time will be available for students to work on assessment exercises, but students will need to use the lab outside of scheduled class times to complete their work.
Submitted work: Assessment is divided into two streams. There are technical exercises, which will be self assessed, and two essays. The essays will be in Storyspace format, and submitted via the University network.
Assessment: The technical assessment exercises are to ensure that you have the basic skills to complete the academic component of the subject, and are self assessed. These exercises constitute 20% of your result and are compulsory. These are assessed on the basis of pass or fail only (if you¹ve done them all then you receive the 20%). There are two academic essays (using Storyspace), the first is worth 30% of your final result, and the second 50%.
Late Work: Unless prior arrangement has been made all late work attracts an automatic penalty of 1% per day.
Grades: High Distinction (85% +), Distinction (7584%), Credit (6574%), Pass (5064%), Fail (049%) Technical exercises are only assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.
Requisites: All students are required to have an email account, this account can be provided by the Computer Centre (building 5) at no cost. If you have an external email account this is fine. The required text is Ilana Snyder. "Hypertext: The Electronic Labyrinth." Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1996. This is available from the RMIT Bookroom and costs around $15.00. The principal software used during this subject is Storyspace (Eastgate Systems, http://www.eastgate.com). This is able to be purchased for home use for $70.00 if you wish to be able to use it at home, and is available for Macintosh and Windows.
Reading: Hypertext: The Electronic Labyrinth is the required text (see above). A dossier of material will provide additional reading. Useful material is available at http://bowerbird.rmit.edu.au/ where there are a series of web pages containing links to hypertext related material.
HM331 technical assessment
rmit HyperText project
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