Associate of Arts in Digital Design and Arts
Associate of Arts in Digital Design and Art (AADDA) is a program that provides students with foundational knowledge and practical skills in the field of digital design and art.
The program is designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of digital design principles and techniques, as well as artistic concepts and practices. It combines elements of visual art, graphic design, multimedia, and technology to prepare students for a variety of creative and technical roles in the digital media industry.
AADDA is launched to nurture diverse creative talents. Our curriculum offers a range of courses designed to cultivate both artistic and entrepreneurial abilities, ensuring that learners possess the necessary skills to succeed and navigate any economic climate. With our academic team, we provide portfolio reviews, mentorship, and internship assistance. We aim to empower learners, enhancing their creative capabilities, fostering professional skills, and instilling an entrepreneurial mindset that enables them to lead inclusively and contribute to community development.
Throughout the program, students often engage in hands-on projects and assignments that simulate real-world design scenarios. They may work on creating digital illustrations, designing websites, developing animations, or designing user interfaces for interactive experiences. These practical experiences allow students to apply their skills and build a portfolio that showcases their abilities to potential employers or for further educational pursuits.
Upon completion of the Associate of Arts in Digital Design and Art program, graduates can pursue entry-level positions in various industries, including advertising, marketing, web design, multimedia production, animation studios, game development, and more. They may work as graphic designers, digital artists, web designers, multimedia specialists, or production assistants, among other roles.
This program can also serve as a stepping stone for further education. Graduates can transfer their credits to a bachelor’s degree program in multimedia studies, digital design, visual arts, or a related field to deepen their knowledge and expand their career opportunities.
The program provides students with a solid foundation in digital design principles, artistic techniques, and technical skills, preparing them for a creative and dynamic career in the digital media industry.
The AADDA degree requires the successful completion of 30 units of GE courses; government-mandated courses, consisting of the 3-unit PI 100 course, along with PE and NSTP; 12 units of courses common across and specific to undergraduate programs at UPOU (Common courses); 27 units of concentration courses, which are divided into required (18 units) and elective (9 units) concentration courses.
Students can take specific elective concentration courses based on their interest. For instance, if they wish to specialize in video production, they can enroll in MMS 173, MMS 175, and MMS 181. For deepening their expertise in web-related work, students can enroll in MMS 101, MMS 150, and MMS 151; OR MMS 151, with MMS 175 and MMS 176. For creative and artistic production, HUM 40 and any two of MMS 173, MMS 175, or MMS 176 might be relevant. Further information regarding the program may be found in the AADDA Freshdesk.
GE Courses (Required)
KAS 1 |
Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas |
WIKA 1 |
Wika, Kultura, at Lipunan |
ETHICS 1 |
Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Everyday Life |
ARTS 1 |
Critical Perspectives in the Arts |
STS 1 |
Science, Technology and Society |
MATH 10 |
Mathematics, Culture and Society |
SCIENCE 11 |
Living Systems: Concepts and Dynamics |
GE Courses (Elective)
Choose any three courses:
SAS 1 |
Self and Society |
PHILARTS 1 |
Philippine Arts and Culture |
SOC SCI 2 |
Social, Political, and Economic Thoughts |
COMM 10 |
Critical Perspectives in Communication |
ENG 11 |
Literature and Society |
Mandated Courses
PI 100 |
Life and Works of Jose Rizal |
PE |
Physical Education |
NSTP/CWTS |
National Service Training Program/Civic Welfare and Training Service |
UPOU Common Courses
COMM 2 |
Communication Skills |
ENT 103 |
Creativity, Innovation and Strategic Thinking |
COMP ED 10 |
Critical Digital Literacies |
COMP ED 20 |
Introduction to Analytics |
Concentration Courses (Required)
(Click on the course name to view the course guide)
Concentration Courses (Elective)
Choose any three courses:
(Click on the course name to view the course guide)
MMS 101 |
Introduction to Information Technology |
MMS 102 |
Theories in Multimedia |
MMS 150 |
User Interface and User Experience Design |
MMS 151 |
Introduction to Web Accessibility |
MMS 173 |
Photography in Multimedia |
MMS 175 |
Videography in Multimedia |
MMS 176 |
Animation in Multimedia |
MMS 181 |
Scriptwriting for Effective Instructional Video |
HUM 40 |
Tools and Methods in Digital Humanities |
Associate of Arts in Digital Design and Arts
Faculty of Information and Communication Studies
AY 2023-2024
(72 Units) |
| | |
FIRST YEAR |
1ST TRIMESTER | 2ND TRIMESTER | 3RD TRIMESTER |
REQUIRED CONCENTRATION Courses |
MMS 100 -Introduction to Multimedia (3 units) | | MMS 170 -Aesthetics in Multimedia (3 units) |
ELECTIVE CONCENTRATION Courses |
MMS 101 -Introduction to Information Technology (3 units) | | MMS 150 -User Interface and User Experience Design (3 units) |
MMS 102 -Theories in Multimedia (3 units) | | |
REQUIRED GE Courses |
ETHICS 1 -Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Everyday Liife (3 units) | MATH 10 -Mathematics, Culture and Society (3 units) | KAS 1 -Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas (3 units) |
| SCIENCE 11 -Living Systems: Concepts and Dynamics (3 units) | STS 1 -Science, Technology and Society (3 units) |
ELECTIVE GE Courses |
| COMM 10 -Critical Perspectives in Communication (3 units) | |
MANDATED Courses |
NSTP 1 | PI 100 -Philippine Institutions 100 (3 units) | PE 2 HY |
PE 1 | NSTP 2 | |
| PE 2 CH | |
SECOND YEAR |
1ST TRIMESTER | 2ND TRIMESTER | 3RD TRIMESTER |
REQUIRED CONCENTRATION Courses |
MMS 171 -Text in Multimedia (3 units) | MMS 174 -Graphics in Multimedia (3 units) | MMS 172 -Audio in Multimedia (3 units) |
| MMS 194 -New Media Art (3 units) | |
REQUIRED GE Courses |
ARTS 1 -Critical Perspectives in the Arts (3 units) | | |
WIKA 1 -Wika, Kultura at Lipunan (3 units) | | |
ELECTIVE GE Courses |
| | SAS 1 -Self and Society (3 units) |
| | PHILARTS 1 -Philippine Arts and Culture (3 units) |
COMMON GE Courses |
COMP ED 20 -Introduction to Analytics (3 units) | COMM 2 -Communication Skills 2 (3 units) | ENT 103 -Creativity, Innovation and Strategic Thinking (3 units) |
| COMP ED 10 -Critical Digital Literacies (3 units) | |
MANDATED Courses |
PE 2 WF | | |
Program Chair
- Dr. Ruth Rodriguez (Assistant Professor)
Full-time Faculty
- Dr. Myra C. Almodiel (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Emely M. Amoloza (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Ria Mae H. Borromeo (Associate Professor)
- Mari Anjeli L. Crisanto (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Roberto B. Figueroa, Jr. (Associate Professor)
- Dr. Alexander G. Flor (Professor Emeritus)
- Luisa A. Gelisan (Assistant Professor)
- Joyce Mae A. Manalo (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Diego S. Maranan (Associate Professor)
- Cecille A. Moldez (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Reinald Adrian dL. Pugoy (Assistant Professor)
- Blancaflor Arada (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Ruth Rodriguez (Assistant Professor)
- Roda Tajon (Assistant Professor)
- Maria Maura Tinao (Assistant Professor)
Affiliate Faculty
- Atty. Emerson Bañez
- Edmund G. Centeno (Assistant Professor)
- Dr. Benjamina Paula G. Flor (Associate Professor)
Lecturers
- Dr. Grace J. Alfonso (Professor Emeritus)
- Ariel Noel T. David
- Triccie Marie V.O. Domingo
- Katherine K. Esteves
- Jack Koumi
- Jonnell P. Sangalang
- Rosangela Anne D. Salaya
- Reiko Mae L. Mirabueno
- Paolo Lorenzo C. Vega
Tutors
- Jebel Musa
- Ann Kristine Medina
- Kristine Rose B. Moldez
- Alyza Regine Medina
COURSE CODE: MMS 102
COURSE TITLE: Theories in Multimedia
PREREQUISITES: MMS 100
DESCRIPTION: Theories and concepts applied in multimedia inquiry
COURSE GOAL: At the end of the course, the student should be: understand the theoretical foundations of 18 multimedia studies and appreciate multimedia as a discipline.
COURSE OUTLINE:
- Unit I – Brief history of multimedia as a field of study
- Module 1 Multimedia and the changing environment and landscape
- Module 2 Modernism and Postmodernism
- Module 3 Empirical and Cultural Studies
- Unit II – Theories for multimedia
- Module 4 Post-colonial discourse
- Module 5 Political Economy
- Module 6 Ideological studies
- Module 7 Psychoanalysis
- Module 8 Feminism
- Module 9 Social Construction
- Module 10 Discourse Analysis
- Module 11 Hypertext and Second Orality
- Unit III – Multimedia concepts and applications
- Module 12 Multimedia as popular culture
- Module 13 Text and Context in Multimedia
- Module 14 Author, Subject, and Reader
COURSE CODE: MMS 130
COURSE TITLE: Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D)
PREREQUISITES: None
DESCRIPTION: Lessons learned and best practices on the use of information and communication technologies in programs and projects by the international development assistance community.
COURSE GOAL:
At the end of the trimester, the student should be able to:
- situate new information and communication technologies within the social context;
- elaborate on its implications on development programs and projects;
- relate best practices and lessons learned to ICT4D experiences; and
- engage in ICT4D advocacy.
COURSE OUTLINE:
- Unit I – Situating ICT4D
- Module 1: Definition, Rationale, Scope, and Strategies
- Module 2: ICT and the Millenium Development Goals
- Module 3: ICT and Poverty
- Unit II – Sectoral and Thematic Applications
- Module 4: ICT for Agriculture
- Module 5: ICT for Basic Education
- Module 6: ICT for Rural Livelihoods
- Unit III – State of Play
- Module 7: The ICT4D Environment in Seven Countries
- Module 8: Niching
- Module 9: The Future of ICT4D
COURSE CODE: MMS 141
COURSE TITLE: Principles of Programming
SEMESTER OFFERED: 3rd Term
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Principles of Programming is an introductory course that was tailor-fit for aspiring multimedia specialists but can be taken by students from other fields who want to step into the beautiful world of programming. Though the general concepts are present in all programming languages, they will be exemplified using a programming language used by data scientists and statisticians, called R. Being a popular programming language among researchers, learning R in this course will be beneficial for quantitative methods in multimedia research and data visualization.
COURSE GOAL:
- Understand the core programming concepts including variables, conditionals, loops, and data structures (Understanding);
- Analyze problems and develop solutions in a computational way (Computational thinking;
- Collaboratively use the art of programming to solve real-world problems (Collaboration);
- Apply programming principles and concepts for carrying out simple multimedia research methods (Application);
- Use data to run programs for plotting beautiful visualizations and generative art (Creativity).
COURSE OUTLINE:
- Course Overview
- Programming in R
- Variables and Vectors
- Matrices
- Tutorial Sessions and Advanced Challenges
- Functions
- Flow Control
- Lists
- Data Frames
- Files and Basic Statistics
- Data Visualization
- Intermediate Topics
- Feedback
COURSE CODE: MMS 150
COURSE TITLE: User Interface Design
SEMESTER OFFERED:
PREREQUISITES: MMS 100, MMS 101, and MMS 102
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Methods and principles for designing interfaces for digital multimedia products
COURSE GOAL: To develop theoretical and practical skills for creating effective multimedia user interfaces, develop theoretical and practical skills for evaluating multimedia user interfaces, and broaden perspectives on user interfaces of the future.
COURSE OUTLINE:
- User interface design and user experience research
- What is a human-centered user interface?
- How does user interface design relate to other activities in product and creative development?
- Elements of a UI
- Visual elements
- Non-visual elements
- Interaction patterns
- Prototyping and creating UIs
- Low-, medium- and high-fidelity prototypes and tools for creating them
- Heuristic principles
- Human factors
- Accessibility, personas, and adaptive interfaces: Incorporating user-specific needs in UI design
- Evaluating UIs
- Heuristic evaluation
- Basic UX and usability testing
- How does user interface design relate to user experience research?
- The future of the interface
- Sample topics: Whole-body interfaces, augmented and virtual reality, ubiquitous interfaces, the Internet of Things
COURSE CODE: MMS 151
COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Web Accessibility
SEMESTER OFFERED: 3rd Trimester
PREREQUISITES: MMS 101
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A course on creating accessible websites and other digital resources to improve web access for people of all abilities.
COURSE GOAL: To introduce students to the concept of web accessibility and design. Learn how to audit websites for accessibility and be able to create accessible web content for everyone’s inclusivity
COURSE OUTLINE:
- Understanding Web Accessibility (Week 1)
- Importance of accessible web design
- Essential components of web accessibility
- Understanding disability
- Overview of the W3C Standards and Guidelines for Accessibility (Week 2)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
- Relevant legislations
- Case studies related to accessibility
- The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 In-depth (Week 3-4)
- Understanding the four principles of accessibility
- Success criteria
- Techniques for compliance
- Implementing Web Accessibility (Week 5)
- Creating a culture of accessibility
- From planning to testing and revisions
- Web Accessibility in Practice (Week 6)
- Creating Accessible Word Documents
- Creating accessible PDFs
- Making videos accessible
- Accessibility audit
- Web Accessibility in Practice (Week 7-10)
- HTML5, CSS3 and accessibility
- Improving a website’s accessibility – practical activity
COURSE CODE: MMS 170
COURSE TITLE: Aesthetics In Multimedia
SEMESTER OFFERED: Any Term
PREREQUISITES: MMS 100
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An overview of the concepts and theories of aesthetics and how they influence multimedia
COURSE GOAL: To introduce the concepts of aesthetics to inform the critique and production of multimedia materials
COURSE OUTLINE:
- Introduction to Aesthetics
- Definition of Aesthetics
- Philosophy of Art and Philosophy of Beauty
- Philosophical Theories in Aesthetics
- Other Perspectives
- Psychological Perspective
- Biological/Evolutionary Perspective
- Art Movements and Styles
- Western and Eastern Aesthetics
- Modern Aesthetics
- Aesthetics of Multimedia Products