BTEC Higher Nationals

Interactive Media
National Qualification Framework: Level 4

Unit Number(s) and Title(s): GROUP: HND - Interactive Media

Professional Practice –
Self-Directed Module

Unit titles assessed: Title of Brief:

Self directed module

Student Name:

Start Date: 16th April 2010 End Date: May 28th 2010

Tutor(s): H. El-Jarn
Description of Unit(s) Addressed within this Brief:

The aim of this unit is to promote and market your skills and work through the production of a
portfolio. Producers of digital media goods and services have to market themselves to gain
audiences and clients. You will research different self marketing strategies others have used using
different media to reach their target audience. This research will inform your decisions in what
approach you will use to promote your own work, this should use more than one method.
This could take the form of an A3, A2 or A1 portfolio of finished designs, ‘showreel’ DVD,
interactive CD or a website containing your work. Alternative methods of self-promotion should also
be considered.
You will also create a database, which contains a range of company profiles that could potentially
provide you with a multimedia design/production career progression route. Use the Internet,
industry journals, magazines and advertisements to source this information.
You will also create CV during this unit.

Aims
1 Analyse and reflect on personal learning, aspirations and motivation in coursework and career
development.
2 To develop and plan an advertising campaign
3 Use interactive media tools to create advertising products.
4 Propose and initiate change in a professional and a personal context.

Brief
You will be required to write your own brief, this should at least include:
• An outline of the intended product
• What the product is, and what it is intended to do
• Design guidelines
• Target audience
Consider the following

Use this module to promote yourself in the field you want to develop your work in. The research of how
others use interactive media to promote themselves will inform and support your own decisions. The
approach and methods used should be suitable to the type of client/ audience you are interested in
marketing yourself to.

Common Skills observed

• Managing and developing self

• Working with and relating to others

• Communicating

• Managing tasks and solving problems

Submission

1. Statement of intent
2. Research file
3. Sketchpad
4. Final product
5. Evaluation

Suggested Reading:

In the course of this project you will collect a range of materials to help with the development of your
portfolio. However, the following books may help:

1. Fletcher K — Marketing Management and Information Technology (Prentice Hall, 1995)

2. O’Connor J and Galvin E — Marketing and Information Technology (Prentice Hall, 1999)

3. Proctor T — Essentials of Marketing Research (Prentice Hall, 1999)

4. Marketing Week and Marketing (www.marketing-week.co.uk)

5. Belbin M — Beyond the Team (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998)

6. Belbin M –Team Roles at Work (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996)

7. DeMarco T — Controlling Software Projects (Ashgate Publishing Group, 1983)

8. Goldberg R — Multimedia Producer’s Bible: Managing Projects and Teams (John Wiley &
Sons Limited, 1996)

9. Harri-Augstein S and Webb I M — Learning to Change (McGraw-Hill, 1995)

10. Patching D — Practical Soft Systems Analysis (Prentice Hall, 1990)

11. Strauss R — Managing Web and Multimedia Projects (Focal Press, 2001)
Grading
Success in each unit will be recorded as a Pass, Merit or Distinction.

A Pass grade is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the assessment criteria for each
unit:

1 Research and evaluate the impact of hardware and software developments

• Research and evaluate the impact of software and hardware developments

2 Use at least one new technology effectively

• Use a new technology in a project

3 Using new technology produce a proposal for an interactive media product

• Produce a prototype interactive media product based on a new technology

4 Evaluate interactive media products and assess the likely impact on future developments
• Evaluate the potential of the interactive media product in terms of the end-user
• Assess the likely impact of the new technology used on current interactive media practice

In order to achieve a Merit grade the student must:

• use a range of research methods (primary and secondary) and techniques to collect, analyse
and process information

• apply and analyse detailed knowledge and skills, using relevant theories and techniques

In order to achieve a Distinction grade the student must:

• check validity when collecting, analysing and processing complex information/data

• evaluate and synthesise relevant theories and techniques to generate and justify valid
conclusions

• show an individual approach in presenting and communicating work coherently, using

technical language fluently

Referral or Fail
Failure to achieve all outcomes against specified Pass criteria will result in either:

• Referral - if the majority of the criteria have been achieved

or
• Fail - if the majority of the criteria have not been achieved

Re-submission Policy
Where an assessed piece of work has been defined as Referred, the candidate will only be required
to complete the remaining criteria necessary to achieve a Pass grade.

Where an assessed piece of work has been defined as Fail, the candidate will be required to
complete all the criteria necessary to achieve a Pass grade.