Creative Computing with Foundation Year

This module helps you to become more familiar and confident with technology. As well as learning creative software and photography skills, it will allow you to explore a creative subject of your choice and give you essential time management and research skills.

This module will enable you to examine the creative and professional practice of others as a way of reflecting on your own practice. You’ll create a range of outcomes to help you build a dedicated portfolio as well as learning about major influences in art and design.

This module will provide you with a foundation in computer coding within the context of digital art creation. 

This module is designed to allow you to bring together all your prior learning from the previous modules. It gives you the opportunity to propose and create your own brief based on a theme, topic, or issue that you are passionate about. Within this module you’ll be supported by tutors who will guide you in creating a meaningful body of work that demonstrates confidence in your chosen area. Your work will be exhibited in the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology's end of year Degree Show.

This module allows you to explore the creative industries and its career opportunities. You’ll learn about a range of subjects including responsible design and future trends within your chosen area of art and design. It will allow you to build on the technical skills that you gained in the first semester to produce a creative publication.

This module will guide you through the practical and conceptual aspects of web design and development. Moving one step at the time, we will learn how to develop ideas from initial sketches to functional, fully testable web prototypes, exploring the expressive potential of this medium. Through a series of project and exercises, we will cover the basics of web design and prototyping and the core development techniques using HTML, CSS and Javascript.

This module is a gentle introduction to computer science from a creative perspective. Coding principles will be conveyed through practical examples in our designated labs, allowing you to develop understanding of programming principles, structures, and patterns through rapid tangible outputs. A great deal of support and guidance will be offered to all students within this module. 

A fundamental knowledge of the mathematical principles required for creative computing is an important part of the journey and development of foundation competence. These sessions are engaging, fast paced and enjoyable, and aim to convey understanding through practical, creative workshops. All of our students receive considerable support so you can get the most out of this module. 

This module encourages you to develop an understanding of playfulness and creative risk taking in the context of creative technological practice. It will introduce playful approaches to ideation, allowing experimentation to evolve within the realms of your subject area. This module aims to show links between risk-taking and innovation and present case studies outlining the value of 'failure' in optimising success. Additionally, the module aims to foster independence, allowing you to explore your own questions and interests through risk-taking, experimentation, collaboration and independent research.

This module explores the process of generating art forms using code. From pixel art and interactive painting effects to live interactive video processing. Building upon foundation coding skills this module applies a host of maths algorithms to solve complex visual processes. The module also considers the use of shader technology with GPU rendering for special effects. Following this module, you will have a strong foundation knowledge of how computing can power artist endeavours across varied applications.  

A solid understanding of data, format, processing, and storage is a critical part of designing quality interactive experiences. This module is a general introduction to data science, dealing first with fundamental server technologies and architecture, before exploring emergent cloud-based solutions and services. This module will allow you to develop a practical project which will help you build the competence to design and build efficient backend foundations for your applications. 

You will engage with the history, philosophy, and technical elements of conceptualizations of machine intelligence, from the earliest automated “autonomous” machine acts of intelligence to contemporary AI algorithms. You will encounter a wealth of historical and contemporary case studies of programs and applications in industry and creative practice, and you will interrogate these as well as build your own machine intelligence programs. Key questions of interrogation might include a theory of mind (for humans and machines), the notion of the cyborg, technofuturism, responsibility for machine decisions, surveillance, creativity/plagiarism, and stereotyping.

This module explores the background of XR and its emerging application across the broad spectrum of industries. Utilising a range of technologies of emergent and experimental technologies you will learn how to design and build an XR experiences. This module is practice based research culminating that will culminate in a working prototype with self-reflective writing on the XR technology as a whole solution. This module is supported by the purpose build Digital Lab at our MediaCity campus. 

This module explores the way computing has now become ubiquitous within the physical world. It explores the phenomenon of mobile computing that now exists within our pockets, it considers the advent of the internet of things, IoT, where not only humans but devices are now connected and feeding the digital network. The module considers how physical computing can augment our world experiences, how advanced interfaces can expand the way humans interact with the network and the possible opportunities of a future interconnected world.   

Within this module you will receive a detailed overview of games technologies, production pipelines, and games engines. You will consider the code required to build interactive experiences alongside the required processes for the generation and implementation of 3D environmental assets. This module will look at the ways game technologies are used within augmented experiences, virtual media production, simulation, and serious applications. This module will aim to equip you with both the knowledge and competence to build gaming experiences through hands-on workshops and a practice-based project. 

Digital tech creatives rarely work alone. This module puts you into teams across programs to develop a collaborative digital arts project and put this on display in a student-organized exhibition at the University. You will learn about key event management concepts and skills and mobilize these in practice through the student-run exhibition. This module will enable you to create a wide diversity of items for inclusion in your portfolio.

This module covers the theoretical principles of Human Computer and Data interaction. Examples of its manifestation will be explored across both serious and entertainment applications. Learning will focus not only at the point of interaction between human and computer, but also the underlying systems and data that drive interactive experiences. Students will explore the origins and generation of data, ethics and security, and the power of analytics and statistics which increase the value and utility of data sets. Learning will look at how humans interact with data through digital interface and the importance of pattern and human factors. Students will go on to explore information design, communication and interface paradigms before moving on to consider both interface and system design, prototyping and testing.

The major project draws together everything you have learned and experienced during your time at university. With support from academic staff and industry this module allows students to define their own project based on individual interests, aptitude, and trajectory into employment. The project will be practice based and result in a tangible artifact. The project could span from entertainment to the serious application of technology. Expected outputs will include a lightweight creative development document, experimental outputs and a preliminary prototype. Evaluation and testing will be conducted, and communication and marketing materials produced, the flexibility of this project is what makes it so exciting, and students are encouraged to take risks bound in a creative, supportive well-equipped environment. 

Within this module you will have the opportunity to develop a purely written or practice-based dissertation. This process has proved invaluable in supporting students to find their first employment opportunities, as it allows you to build a contemporary area of expertise. The module also equips students with the necessary academic skills required to progress to master's degree or PhD. The module is supported through a network of passionate academics. Elements typically covered within the module include practise-based research, qualitative and quantitative research, critical evaluation, advanced academic writing, research strategies and reflective practice. 

This module is a capstone to the course through a high-level collaborative project undertaken in response to an industry brief. It constitutes a large-scale final project where you can develop team projects with lecturer guidance. Where applicable, the module sets up the connections between your team and potential briefs, but otherwise you are expected to develop and execute this project autonomously, with guidance and assistance.

Developing contemporary digital products can be challenging, the management of multidisciplinary teams, utilisation and development of emergent technologies, creative software development, governance, legislation, adoption, and ongoing support are but some of the considerations required through the life cycle of a product. This module will help you explore the bigger picture and equip you with a perspective and management methodologies employed by today's software development teams. The module will be project based and deliver a valuable showcase for your professional development.

Within this module you will initially focus on the realities of the digital jobs market and creative industries. You will be encouraged to investigate the personas of practicing professionals and the structure of the companies you identify as relevant to your career progression. Subsequent sessions will ask challenging questions of your capability through a positive lens. This process is intended to identify strengths and possible short falls before building a structured plan to develop capabilities and address any gaps. You will be asked to develop a professional persona based on where you would like to be positioned in the coming years. All other learning and project elements will then be built around a persona statement. You will learn how to best communicate your persona and how to align work examples to support your persona statement, and you will learn how to strategically plan a pathway into employment, which will include contingency. This module is designed to build awareness, a focused personal vision, capability, and a road map into employment. 

Within this module you will initially focus on the realities of finding meaningful employment in the digital creative industries. You will be encouraged to investigate the personas of practicing professionals and the structure of the companies you identify as relevant to your career progression.

Subsequent sessions will ask challenging questions of your current capabilities within a supportive, positive environment. This process is intended to identify strengths and possible weaknesses before building a structured plan to develop your capabilities and core competencies.

You will be asked to develop a professional persona based on where you would like to be positioned in the coming years. All other learning and project elements will then be built around a persona statement. You will learn how to best communicate your persona and how to align work examples to support your persona statement, you will learn how to best frame and distribute your evidence of capability in both a physical and digital format. You will learn how to strategically plan a pathway into employment, which will include contingency. This module is designed to build awareness, a focused personal vision, capability and a road map into employment.