New Textbook Review

 

I am currently researching the possibility of publishing a new text on Multimedia by Anton Eliens, and am keen to receive feedback from lecturers who are currently teaching in these areas. Many thanks, therefore, for agreeing to help with my research. Below are listed the questions I would like you to answer.

 

A report following the headings listed below would be ideal. If you would please avoid answering “yes” or “no” to individual questions, and answer all questions as fully as possible, I would be very grateful.

 

As far as length is concerned, I would hope to receive approximately five sides of typed A4. Can I please remind you that the deadline for this review will be Friday, 21st May 2005.

 

Please contact me if you have any queries or require any further information. My direct telephone number is: 020 7067 2584. My address is:

 

Thomson Learning,

High Holborn House,

50-51 Bedford Row,

London,

WC1R 4LR.

 

Many thanks

Gaynor Redvers-Mutton

 

Definition and Teaching

  • How is Multimedia taught at your university?

a) 3rd year module Multimedia systems: lectures and laboratories (option)

b) MSc in computing module Multimedia Technology: lectures and laboratories (core)

 

§         Is there a degree awarded in Multimedia?

BSc in Multimedia Technology starting September 2005

 

  • Please describe the technical background of your student cohort for this subject.

      They are students from CS or CS with any other background.

 

  • How many specialist multimedia modules are offered? How many students enrol on each module and are they core or optional?

      Multimedia systems: 100   Multimedia Technology: 12

 

  • What are the foundational principles of this topic and key subtopics and themes

      a) Architecture, compression, interactivity, Image-text-audio technology, database content

      b) Programming, semantic models and content retrieval, security, stream media, video-      audio   production, learning, interactivity.        

 

  • Of the multimedia modules on offer at your institution, please describe the balance between theoretical content and practical implementation and indicate in which module (if at all) there is a greater emphasis on principles.

a)      30 % implementation Flash and others

b)      60 % implementation Flash and others

  • What principles of multimedia do you teach and how stable do you feel these to be?

      Read above.  Technology change a lot.

  • How do you see this subject developing over the next few years?

      Mobile technology

  • What technologies and applications are used for practical work?

      Flash, Director, Studio Max, Maya, SoundEdit, FinalCut Pro

  • Which are the most popular themes amongst your students:
    • Visual design    1
    • Audio and Music
    • Animation        2
    • Usability
    • Hypermedia      3
    • Other (please specify)

 

 

General

  • How clear, concise and accessible is the writing style? How well is the subject explained?

       The writing style in chapter 4/10 is no good. However, the explanations are clear.

  • How logical and relevant is the book’s structure and table of contents? 

        Good

  • How well are the core topics covered in the book? How could any of them be improved?

      Other example rather than only the application developed by the author.

  • Are there any topics that you would remove?

      No

  • Are there any topics that you would add?

      No

 

Pedagogical features

  • How useful are the examples? How well do they highlight key issues in the text? How could they be improved? Good
  • Please offer suggestions for any examples or case studies of multimedia projects, relevant to the scope of the book, that you would like to see included in this book and which you think would be particularly appealing to your students.

      Integrated application for any business.

  • How useful are the other pedagogical features: Learning Objectives, Case studies, Future Directions, Quick Exercises, and Longer Exercises?

      These are very good.

  • Do the illustrations motivate and make the content come alive?

      Yes, but make them more readable

  • Should there be more, or less, or are there sufficient?

      Enough

  • Should the visual impact of this manuscript be improved? If so, please suggest in what ways.

      Already suggested.

  • What do you think of the overall pedagogical approach for the book? How well is the teaching and learning process enhanced?

      Good, but sometimes the author extract concepts that the students should look for   themselves.

 

Supplements

  • What web resources would be useful with a Multimedia textbook, both for lecturers and for students?

      Macromedia or any related with design

  • Are there any essential or value added electronic components that we should consider including on CD-ROM/DVD? If there is any example application

 

Competition

§         What other Multimedia textbooks teach principles rather than/as well as practice? I don’t know

 

§         What are the main text(s) used to teach this subject? (Please list author, title, and publisher)

 

Core Text:

  1. Multimedia Fundamentals, Ralf Steinmetz,  Prentice-Hall , 2002
  2. Multimedia Systems, Ralf Steinmetz, Springer, 2004
  3. Multimedia Applications, Ralf Steinmetz, Springer, 2004

 

Reading List

 

  1. Multimedia Database: Management Systems, G. Lu, Artech House, 1999.
  2. Multimedia Systems: Delivering, Generating and Interacting with Multimedia, T. Morris, Springer, 2000.
  3. Multimedia Interface Design, M. Blahner & R. B.Dannenberg(eds). Addison-Wesley Pub, c1992.
  4. Digital Multimedia, N. Chapman, Wiley, 2000
  5. Semantic Models for Multimedia Database Searching, S-C. Chen. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000
  6. Multimedia: A Critical Introduction, R. Wise, Routledge, 2000.
  7. Managing Multimedia, E. England & A. Finney, Addison, 1999
  8. Principles of interactive multimedia, Mark Elsom-Cook, McGraw-Hill, 2001
  9. V.S. Subrahmanian, Principles of Multimedia Databases, Morgan-Kaufmann, 1998
  10. David Dagan Feng, Wa-chi Siu, Hong-Jiang Zhang (eds.), Multimedia Information Retrieval and Management, Springer, 2003.

 

 

 

§         Principles of Interactive Multimedia, Mark Elsom-Cook, McGraw Hill, 2001

§         Multimedia and Virtual Reality: Designing Multi-sensory User Interfaces,
Alistair Sutcliffe,  2003.

§         Advanced communications and multimedia security, Jerman-Blazic, Kluwer, 2002

§         Semantic Models for Multimedia Database, Shu-Ching Chen, Kluwer, 2000

§         Content-Based audio classification and retrieval for audiovisual data parsing, Tong Zhang, Kluwer 2001

§         Streaming media and server design, Ali Dashti, IMSC, 2003

§         Design for Multimedia Learning, Tom Boyle, Prentice Hall, 1997

§         Producing Interactive Television, Annesa Hartman, Charles River Media, 2002.

§         Video Production Handbook, Leornard Shyles, Houghton Mifling Company, 1997.

§         Audio Post Production for Digital Video, Rose Jay, R&D, 2002

 

 

§         Which of these books do you use yourself? Why did you choose it and what would make you change to another textbook?

      

      The core text. They explain the principles and many of the topics needed in the course.

 

§         What are the real strengths and weaknesses of the main competing texts (content, pedagogy, design, supplements)? Please list 4 or 5 key points.

 

      Lack of exercise.

      Lack of applications

      Lack of review material          

 

§         Do they take a significantly different approach to Eliens?

      Yes, Eliens is more for students.

§         What pedagogical features do they include? How well do these aid teaching and learning?

      None

§         In what ways is Eliens strong compared to these books? (If possible, please list 5 key points.)

      Eliens is trying to give to the students in each chapter the main points more clearly.

§         In what ways is Eliens weak compared to these books? (If possible, please list 5 key points.)

      Concepts and  principles.



Summary

  • Please tick which title you feel is most appealing and best describes the approach of this book:

An Introduction to Multimedia Authoring

What is Multimedia?

The Essence of Multimedia

Or provide your own suggested title……Multimedia: A way of thinking………………………………………………….

§         What do you feel would be the main market for this book? Students first year of multimedia or any other subject in which multimedia is taught.

§         Would you use this book as a textbook for your course(s)?  yes

§         If so, what could make this a required, set book for your course?

§         What improvements/changes are mandatory for publication? done

§         What other enhancements would you (ideally) like to see? More application and fundamental concepts and how the relationship is built. For example, if Real Systems is describe what is the exact relation with multimedia.

      The author should eliminate the subtitle for each concept that he mention.

§         What would you identify as the key strength(s) of this manuscript? Exercises and concise set of topics.

§         Given the above, please rate the strength of this book proposal, assuming that this draft will be modified and refined in the light of technical editing and reviewer feedback:

1 = not suitable for publication

2 = average but requiring major modifications

3 = good background on Multimedia and could be useful on my course

4 = strong coverage, will recommend to my students

5 = excellent, will set as required textbook

 

Please indicate whether you would like to review more chapters from this manuscript as and when they have been developed. yes

 

 

 

This is the end of your review. Very many thanks again for your time and feedback.