COMM 1xx: Introduction to Audio and Video Editing

Course Description: In this one credit course, student will be introduced to the production
process of audio and video storytelling. By becoming familiar with the Adobe Create Cloud
applications that are the industry standards in communications fields—Audition and Premiere
—students will build foundational knowledge to use these programs comfortably and
professionally.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the 5 sessions, students will:
 Demonstrate familiarity of the Adobe Creative Cloud system
 Understand and demonstrate best practices of workflow and editing using Adobe
Audition and Premiere.
 Identify and summarize foundational production terms
 Analyze, appraise, and correct audio and video to meet high quality standards
 Develop understanding of tools, workspace, and editing techniques
 Produce simple edited audio and video files
 Gain confidence to be able to self-teach editing techniques in the future and beyond this
course

Course Structure:
This course consists of five in person meetings over the course of the semester. In between
these sessions, students will increase their learning by completing a curated number of tutorials
designed for the novice Adobe Creative Cloud user. During the face-to-face classes in the
computer lab students will be afforded the opportunity to apply their new knowledge, work on
assignments, ask questions, problem solve, critique their work, and receive guidance on best
practices from their instructor.

Course Requirements:
1.) Attend and fully engage in discussions and critiques in all five in-person sessions.
2.) Complete and pass all assessments and exercise assignments for every module.
3.) Submit the final assignment: “Yes I can”

Yes, I Can:
The final assignment for this course will be an exercise in taking what you learned a step
further. Part of the goal of this course is to give you a foundation so you can search for and
follow tutorials in production with greater ease and confidence.

You will produce 1 minute audio or video story and implement a new technique you’ve looked
up using your foundational knowledge as a start. For example, perhaps you want to add an
echo to the audio, or perhaps you want create a slow-motion video, or perhaps you want to

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have a “rewind” effect. These are all techniques you haven’t directly learned in class, but with
the foundation you do have you can confidently search for tutorials and implement these edits.
You’ll have to plan ahead and record everything on your own time.

You will also write a 500-word process memo describing your story, the catalyst for wanting to
learn this new editing technique, which tutorials you viewed, how you engaged with the
process, and reflect on the final product.

Detailed Overview of Class Modules

Module 1: Introduction to Adobe Audition
Learning Goals
 Students are introduced to and understand course requirements.
 Students will be able to summarize the purpose of using Adobe Audition
in audio storytelling.
 Students will understand and demonstrate best practices of workflow
and file management.
 Students will identify and memorize key production and editing terms.

Readings + Tutorials
 Reading of key terms for audio production
 Video lecture of Adobe Audition workspace
 Video Tutorial of Adobe Audition best practices in workflow and file
management

Live Session Agenda

 Introductions + Welcome
 Review syllabus, course calendar, and Yes, I can assignment
 Discussion of Adobe Audition as a tool for audio storytellers
 Practice workflow

Work due at end of Module 1

 Learning Assessment #1: To gain access to the next module, you must
pass the learning assessment with a grade of 80%. You will have two
opportunities to take the assessment. The assessment can be found on
the course’s 2U site.
 Exercise Assignment #1: Submit a screen recording demonstrating you
executing the correct process of workflow and file management. You
should use the exercise files provided in this module.

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Module 2: Introduction to Audio Editing
Learning Goals
 Students will understand and demonstrate best practices of audio
editing.
 Students will be able to execute multitrack editing in Adobe Audition.
 Students will correctly identify and utilize editing terms and tools.

Readings + Tutorials
 Reading of key terms for audio editing
 Video lecture of Adobe Audition editing best practices
 Video Tutorial of Adobe Audition best practices in editing

Live Session Agenda

 Discussion and demonstration of editing workflow
 Practice editing layers of audio using a multitrack session, utilizing fade,
basic audio correction techniques and more
 Discussion and brainstorming of Yes, I Can assignment.

Work due at end of Module 1

 Learning Assessment #2: To gain access to the next module, you must
pass the learning assessment with a grade of 80%. You will have two
opportunities to take the assessment. The assessment can be found on
the course’s 2U site.
 Exercise Assignment #2: Your assignment this week will be to submit a
correctly exported audio file that you edited using the exercises files and
correct workflow. You must also submit a screen shot of the workspace
showing the multitrack session.

Module 3: Introduction to Adobe Premiere

Learning Goals
 Students will be able to summarize the purpose of using Adobe Premiere
in video storytelling.
 Students will understand and demonstrate best practices of workflow
and file management for Premiere.
 Students will identify and memorize key video production and editing
terms.

Readings + Tutorials
 Reading of key terms for video production
 Video lecture of Adobe Premiere workspace
 Video Tutorial of Adobe Premiere best practices in workflow and file
management

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 Live Session Agenda
 Discussion of Adobe Premiere as a tool for video storytellers
 Practice workflow for Premiere
 Discussion and brainstorming of Yes, I Can assignment.

Work due at end of Module 1

 Learning Assessment #3: To gain access to the next module, you must
pass the learning assessment with a grade of 80%. You will have two
opportunities to take the assessment. The assessment can be found on
the course’s 2U site.
 Exercise Assignment #3: Submit a screen recording demonstrating you
executing the correct process of workflow and file management for
Adobe Premiere. You should use the exercise files provided in this
module.

Module 4: Introduction to editing in Premiere

Learning Goals
 Students will understand and demonstrate best practices video editing.
 Students will be able to execute non-linear, layered video editing.
 Students will correctly identify and utilize editing terms and tools.

Readings + Tutorials
 Reading of key terms for video editing
 Video lecture of Adobe Premiere editing best practices
 Video Tutorial of Adobe Premiere best practices in editing

Live Session Agenda

 Discussion and demonstration of editing workflow
 Practice editing layers of video editing, utilizing fade, L-cuts, basic video
correction techniques and more
 Workshop Yes, I Can assignment.

Work due at end of Module 1

 Learning Assessment #4: To gain access to the next module, you must
pass the learning assessment with a grade of 80%. You will have two
opportunities to take the assessment. The assessment can be found on
the course’s 2U site.
 Exercise Assignment #4: Your assignment this week will be to submit a
correctly exported video file that you edited using the exercise files,
correct workflow, and best editing practices. You must also submit a
screen shot of the workspace showing the layers of video.

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Module 5: Audio and video correction, final workshop, critique and next steps
Learning Goals
 Students will understand and demonstrate best practices audio and video
corrections
 Students will execute common corrections for audio and video.
 Students will identify editing terms and tools.
 Students will understand how the two programs “speak” to each other.

Readings + Tutorials
 Reading of key terms for audio and video correction
 Video lecture of ethics of audio and video corrections
 Video Tutorials of audio and video correction
 Video tutorial on how the two programs “speak” to each other

Live Session Agenda

 Practice audio and video corrections
 Workshop Yes, I can project
 Class critique of Yes, I can

Work due at end of Module 1

 Learning Assessment #5: To gain access to the next module, you must
pass the learning assessment with a grade of 80%. You will have two
opportunities to take the assessment. The assessment can be found on
the course’s 2U site.
 Exercise Assignment #5: Your assignment this week will be to correct two
audio files and two video falls using the methods explored during this
module.
 Submit your Yes, I can project

Grading
Students will receive regular formative feedback in comments on the work and class critiques
during the course of the semester.

This one credit class is taken pass/fail.

Attendance Policy
Attendance at (and active engagement in) all five in-person sessions is a requirement to pass
this course. If an emergency results in you missing a session, please consult with your
instructor. It is up to their discretion whether or not to administer a make-up.

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Academic Integrity
At Simmons, we expect serious educational intent from our students, whether in person or
online. Students are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and personal conduct
in their academic lives. All forms of academic dishonesty are considered to be serious offenses
against the University Honor System and are subject to sanctions up to, and including, dismissal
from the university. If you have a question as to whether something may or may not be
considered an element of academic dishonesty please feel free to review the academic integrity
policy, https://internal.simmons.edu/students/academics/academic-integrity, contact your
instructor, or contact the Director of Academic Integrity, academicintegrity@simmons.edu.

Office of Accessibility Services (OAS)

The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) is a strategy-based student support office,which serves
qualified Simmons University undergraduate and graduate students to ensure equal access to
Simmons University facilities, educational and co-curricular programs, campus activities, and
employment opportunities. Students who wish to receive academic accommodations for this
course must first register due to a documented diagnosis or disability with the OAS.

Following registration, OAS provides eligible students with an Academic Accommodation

Authorization document to share with the faculty members of their choosing to confirm their
authorized accommodations. Students are not eligible to receive or use accommodations in any
course until they have provided their Academic Accommodation Authorization document to the
course's instructor. Accommodations are applied on a prospective basis; students are not
eligible to apply accommodations on a retroactive basis.

When the Simmons on-the-ground campus is open, the OAS is physically located on the first
floor of Lefavour Hall in the Center for Student Success and is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Monday through Friday. OAS services are fully available for online students via remote access.
For more information about the services and accommodations available through the Office of
Accessibility Services, please review the OAS website at simmons.edu/access or write to OAS
at access@simmons.edu.

Title IX and the Simmons College Gender-Based Misconduct Policy

Title IX Federal law states that all students have the right to an education free of gender-based
discrimination. Title IX requires Simmons to respond to reports of sexual harassment, which
under the Title IX regulations includes:
a) quid pro quo harassment of an individual by an employee;
(b) unwelcome conduct determined “by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and
objectively offensive” as to deny a person equal access to Simmons’ education programs and/or
activities (including employment); or
(c) sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking.
The Simmons Title IX Policy and a list of resources can be found here:
https://internal.simmons.edu/students/general-information/title-ix/gender-based-
misconduct-policy-for-students-faculty-staff-and-visitors.

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Additionally, the University has a Consensual Relationships Policy prohibiting intimate, romantic
or sexual relationships between students, faculty, staff, contract employees of the University,
teacher’s assistants, and supervisors at internship/field placement sites.

To make a report under our Title IX policy, please contact the Simmons Title IX Coordinator:  
Gretchen Groggel Ralston, AVP & Associate General Counsel
gretchen.groggelralston@simmons.edu, MCB C-208, 617-521-2768