The CMD Program at Hogeschool Zuyd

This blog is about the CMD program at the Zuyd University.

Text by René Nobelen
Photo's by René Maas
Podcast by Mike Hermus

woensdag, mei 25, 2005

Communication- & Multimediadesign

The CMD Program at Hogeschool Zuyd


Hello Northwest!

Jacquie asked us to tell you something about our CMD program at the Zuyd University. My name is René Nobelen.

The Communication- & Multimediadesign program is a new course in The Netherlands. The course was set up about 5 years ago, so the first graduates are trying to find a job now.

Together with my teammates, I’m following a quickened CMD course. (Hopefully) we will finish the program within 3 years, instead of the usual 4 years. This means we have to do the same amount of work (and more, in my opinion), in a smaller range of time.


The studybooks :(

So what do we do during these 3 years? We’re now in the 1st year. We’re following these courses in this block period:

- ‘Marketing’,
- ‘Communication’ (interactive writing & conferencing),
- ‘Graphic Design’ (Flash, Photoshop),
- ‘Audio/Video’ (Filming, studiowork),
- ‘Philosophy of Technology’
- ‘I-Media Concepts’ (this is about the case of which I will tell you later in this essay)

The point of the CMD program is to make us ‘Allround Multimedia Professionals’. We are not being trained to become a programmer or communicationspecialist during the bachelor program. Development, designing and the producing of multimedia communication applications are our main activities.

The 1st years consists of 4 block periods. Every block period had 5 lessonweeks, 1 examweek, and 3 caseweeks.

So what is this ‘case’? During the caseweeks the students have to make a multimediaapplication. With this application the students have to sell a product or promote a product. During the last case, everyone had to make an e-shop for an existing shop, which was quite fun but time-absorbing.


A screenshot of one the last cases. (the best one :P)

In the next case (which we’re preraring for already) we have to make a multimediastory. This multimediastory needs to tell a story (duh) about a subject which is related to the theme ‘Europe’. The groups came up with very different subject, subjects like: ‘Cultures in Europe’, ‘United States of Europe’, ‘What if D-Day had failed?’, etc.

The multimediastory should be a site, constructed in Flash. Everything can (and will be) used: audio, video, tekst, pictures, etc.

Block period 4 is the last block period. So, another 4 weeks and this year is completed.


This is the workplace of Rene Maas

Overall, the students like the CMD programm. Though, some frequently heard comments are that this program sometimes is too superficial. We would like to learn some more Flash for instance, but we only have 5 weeks to learn the basics, and that’s it. If you want to learn more, you have to do if for yourself.

We enjoy our time with Jacquie. She is really dedicated and enthusiastic. How do you like Sylvia?

Well, I hope you now know a bit more about the CMD program at the Zuyd University.

So, the task is up to you now to write a weblog for us….in Dutch…..

Greeting from,
René Nobelen
René Maas
Mike Hermus.