Activity reference No.4
Year(s) in which the activity takes place:
1996/97
Type of activity: Introduction to Multimedia Systems Course
Description of the activity:
The course should cover the most important aspects of multimedia systems.
Students should get information about a multimedia database management
systems, techniques for the efficient storage and manipulation of data.
The particular focus should be put on the theory and techniques of compression of full-motion video.
Next, the key problems of building network multimedia
applications should be presented. An impact which the real-time
nature of multimedia audio-visual data put on computer systems and
networks performance demands should be elaborated.
The area of multimedia application in education, business technology,
research, health care, computer cooperative works should be presented.
This should include new ideas such as interactive TV, HDTV,
virtual reality, interactive cinema, and the school of the future
projects.
This activity will be carried in cooperation with Cambridge
University, which has profound knowledge and long-term experience in
designing and teaching multimedia applications. That resulted in
introducing the powerful multimedia system, Pandora. The Olivetti
Research Limited will expose the Polish teaching staff to
state-of-the-art of communications and multimedia systems. However,
the experience of the University of Westminster and the Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven will also be resorted to.
At the aim of updating the Multimedia systems course the following steps are going
to be taken:
- Retraining academic staff
A person to lecture Multimedia systems will attend a multimedia-oriented distributed systems course (four-week-long) of at Cambridge University in order to update
his knowledge and gain experience in how such course should be organized.
He will be expected to become acquainted with the newest technology as well
as the newest and the most successful teaching methods.
One assistant will be sent to Cambridge University and take part in a
four-week-long retraining course.
One person from the UMM teaching staff will be sent to the Olivetti Research Ltd. to participate in a twelve-week-long industrial placement.
- Comparing diverse syllabuses
The lecturer will also pay a short visit to the University of Westminster and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
After his comeback, his knowledge will be used to compare different Multimedia
systems syllabuses and teaching methods.
- Consulting with non-educational cooperants concerning the employee
profile they require
At this stage consulting will be carried with the Olivetti Research Limited, as the leading EC research division in this area, and MARI Ltd. as well as with
Polish enterprises (Solidex Ltd.~and others). It will concern in what direction
industry develops and what graduate profile will be in demand in the next few years. This will perfectly fit the UMM's restructuring goals.
- Discussing the course subjects and teaching methods with lecturers and professors
The best and most suitable ideas will be exploited in the process of designing the new teaching programme. This will be discussed with didactic body of the University of Mining and Metallurgy to be adapted to the UMM's development strategy.
- Detailing the course syllabus and coordinating it with other courses
The course syllabus will be detailed in cooperation with Cambridge University teacher during its teaching assignment.
The new syllabus should coordinated with the Computer Network course (activity 1) and Distributed Systems course (activity 2). The new course will include laboratory (see activity 6) exercises, which will cover the practical aspects of multimedia applications, whose role should be emphasized.
- Preparing presentations for students and teaching aids
Staff responsible for conduct of the Multimedia systems
course is going to
be selected by the management body of the project based on the merits of
candidates. Their experience as well as educational and research activity will
be crucial factors.
Computer Science students (over 100 each year) will be the main beneficiaries
of the course. It is, however, expected that the course will be an advantage
for over 50 students (yearly) from other faculties, too.
Outcome of the activity:
- Syllabus of the BSc course in Multimedia systems
- Teaching methods with regard to lectures' organisation, lectures' complements (classes and laboratories) and compliance with other courses
- Academic staff retrained in principles and applications of multimedia systems and appropriate methods of teaching (a lecturer and two assistants)
- Books and teaching aids (lecture notes, slides, examples etc.)