STUDENT HANDBOOK 2020...Facebook group, our college open facebook page and other social media sites....

STUDENT HANDBOOK 2020

Welcome to Online Camera Ed – Online Campus

Student Handbook S008 Version 9 15/07/2020

© COPYRIGHT ONLINE CAMERA ED 2020 – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE: 1

Contents

MISSION STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................. 2

WELCOME ............................................................................................................................................... 3

HOW TO LOG-IN ...................................................................................................................................... 4

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD ..................................................................................................... 5

HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR STUDY MODULES ...................................................................................... 6

RESOURCE CENTRE ................................................................................................................................. 7

HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE ...................................................................................................................... 8

SPECIAL NEEDS ........................................................................................................................................ 8

STAYING CONNECTED ............................................................................................................................. 9

TIME LIMIT FOR COURSE COMPLETION .................................................................................................. 9

IMAGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE ...................................................................................................... 10

STEPPED PROGRAM .............................................................................................................................. 11

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................. 12

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ASSIGNMENT ...................................................................................................... 14

COURSE PROGRESSION ......................................................................................................................... 24

COURSE COMPLETION .......................................................................................................................... 25

COURSE FEES ......................................................................................................................................... 26



MISSION STATEMENT

The world of digital photography is an amazing place, and we are proud to be a part of it.

Our mission is to bring this world to life for our students through the delivery of world class

contemporary online education in digital photography and post production.

It is all about our students. Online Camera Ed provides courses, resources, support, encouragement

and guidance in a relaxed format with the flexibility the modern world demands. Our focus is to give

our students the best possible opportunity to reach their full potential as photographers.

Our course content is fresh, innovative, informative and enjoyable. We work very hard to ensure

every module is up to date with modern advances in digital photography and we have systems in place

to help us keep them that way.

We encourage creativity and individuality. Come and share our passion for photography.

Deb Beitz

Managing Director



WELCOME

Congratulations, you are now fully enrolled in your photography or post production course with Online

Camera Ed. You are now one of us!

We applaud you for hopping on board. We know that for some of you, that was a really big step - A

leap of faith in us, and a really big leap of faith in yourself. And you did it all by yourself!

So what can you expect from this point?

First, and most importantly, you have been assigned a tutor. You are no longer “on your own”. Take

a look at your welcome email to find out his/her name. Your tutor is assigned to you for your whole

course. That’s right, the whole course, whether you take 6 weeks or 6 years to finish it, your tutor will

be there with you every step of the way.

All of our tutors are qualified professional photographers and they also all have current qualifications

in workplace training and assessment. When you get a chance, email your tutor at

[email protected] and introduce yourself. Tell your tutor what motivated you to take

this giant step forward and what camera/equipment you will be using. This is important. Apart from

starting the conversation, it gives your tutor a bit of background so he/she can provide better help

and guidance to you along the way.

We have a Facebook group. Since our campus is in cyberspace, our students needed somewhere to

hang out. This is totally optional (not compulsory), so the choice is yours. The forum is a great place

to share information, make new friends, ask questions, swap answers, get inspiration and share

images in a non-judgemental environment. If you are interested, see the “how to join the Facebook

group” info on the log-out page of our website.

You should be all set to go now. It is worth reading the rest of this little booklet before you get started.

There are a couple of important things you need to know.

mailto:[email protected]



HOW TO LOG-IN

At the time of enrolment, you entered a USER NAME and a PASSWORD.

To Log-in:

• Go to www.onlinecameraed.com

• Select STUDENT LOG-IN from the top menu

• Enter your USERNAME and PASSWORD

• Click on the LOG IN button

If you have forgotten your password, click on LOST

YOUR PASSWORD?.

If you have difficulty logging into the site, email us at

[email protected]

TIP: If you are having trouble logging in, use your username rather than your email address.

http://www.onlinecameraed.com/




HOW TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD

You can change your password or update your address and contact details at any time.

Once you are logged in,

• Go to MY PROFILE

• Select MY DETAILS



HOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR STUDY MODULES

To download your study modules:

• Log-in to our site

• go to MY COURSE

• select WHICHEVER COURSE YOU ARE ENROLLED IN (as appropriate) from the drop down menu

On your course page is where you can download your study modules and upload your assignments.

• Click on the DOWNLOAD button in the column on the left hand side for the required

module. The module will download and open.

• SAVE the module on your computer.

Once you have downloaded your study module, you can log out of the site. Saving the module to your

computer allows you to work on it anytime without needing access to the internet.



RESOURCE CENTRE

The RESOURCE CENTRE is our on-line library. It contains additional resources you may find helpful,

including video tutorials, help sheets, study guides and other resources. We are constantly updating

and adding new resources.

To access the Resource Centre:

• Log-in to our site

• Click on RESOURCE CENTRE from the menu on the top right.

Take some time and have a look around in the different areas. There are lots of helpful resources here

and they are all free.



HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE

We can’t hear you and we can’t see you, so calling out or raising your hand is not going to get our

attention. That’s why we have a whole lot of other options for you to get help when you need it.

• Check the RESOURCE CENTRE. There may be a study guide or video tutorial that answers your

question.

• Check the STUDENT QUESTIONS ANSWERED section in the HELP CENTRE. Someone else may

have asked the same question

• EMAIL YOUR TUTOR at [email protected]

• EMAIL OUR OFFICE at [email protected]

• CALL US on 0478 596 045

• REQUEST A PHONE APPOINTMENT with your tutor. Email our office at

[email protected] to arrange a phone appointment.

• Visit our FACEBOOK FORUM and post your question. Other students may be able to assist.

SPECIAL NEEDS

Online Camera Ed is a contemporary provider of education and is fully committed to catering for all

students needs including those with special requirements. If you have any special needs, make your

tutor aware of it. In consultation with management, we will work with you to help meet these

requirements wherever possible.

All student information is treated in the strictest of confidence.






STAYING CONNECTED

From time to time, there are things we need to tell you. Important things like module updates, contest

winners, new elective options, technological advances, service changes and other information our

students should be aware of.

We “pin announcements on our noticeboard” by adding them to our LOG OUT page. This is the page

you visit to log out of every session. Every student passes through this page on your way out, so take

a minute and read our “virtual noticeboard”. We will also put notifications in our BLOG, our closed

Facebook group, our college open facebook page and other social media sites.

It is the student’s responsibility to check the “noticeboard” frequently and/or monitor

communications on our website, blog, facebook, twitter or blogger accounts. It is also the student’s

responsibility to contact your tutor or the office if you are having difficulties.

TIME LIMIT FOR COURSE COMPLETION

There is no time limit for completion provided you are actively working on your course, your access

remains current, and you can work at your own pace until you achieve competency in all modules of

your chosen course.

The definition of active is that you must submit at least one assignment in any twelve month period.

If you have not lodged an assignment in this timeframe you will be deemed as having abandoned your

course so you will no longer be enrolled or have site access and you are also not eligible for any kind

of refund.



IMAGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

The area of post-production is where we use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.

You are welcome to use other image editing software if you prefer, including the software supplied

with your camera, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Corel AfterShot or one of the free image editing programs

available on the internet such as Gimp. That is fine, but keep in mind that while these programs may

have similar features, our course notes and instructions have been prepared using Adobe Photoshop

and Lightroom, so it may be a little challenging to complete the exercises and your tutor may not be

able to assist you if you are using different software. Further details, options and information are

provided in Module 1 of your course.

We are not agents for Adobe products and do not have a business relationship with them. Adobe

offers a cloud-based software package specifically designed for Photographers. It includes Adobe

Photoshop and Lightroom Classic. This is all that you need for your course and it is well priced for

what it offers. We recommend sticking with the PHOTOGRAPHER’S PACKAGE.

Here is a link: https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud/plans.html

The Photographers package is subscription based. At the time of writing this, the cost was $14.29 per

month. If you want more than the photographer’s package, enrolment in our Professional Course

qualifies students to purchase selected Adobe software products at student rates. You will need a

student verification letter to do this. Email our office at [email protected] if you need this.

https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud/plans.html




STEPPED PROGRAM

All of our courses have been very cleverly put together. In each module, you will learn new skills.

These skills are in a special order to make learning as easy as possible and to make sure everything

“makes sense”.

Once you have practiced and mastered a skill, it becomes the automatic “what you do”. You have

locked it in. You are now ready to embrace the new skills you will be learning in the next module. You

can put all of your energy into mastering the next challenge, learning the next skill. You do not have

to keep looking back and trying to figure out things you did last module because you have “got it”.

You are in control. You know what you are doing.

That is why it is really important that you master each new skill before you move on to the next

module. If you don’t, you will likely get confused, frustrated and before you know it, you will have slid

right back down to the bottom on your confidence scale.

We don’t want that to happen, so if your tutor thinks you are not ready to move forward or wants you

to practice something a little bit more, follow his/her instructions and take the time needed to practice

and truly master the skill. We want you to be flying high, doing well and getting the most out of your

course. You cannot be free thinking and creative when you are stressing about camera settings,

worrying about lighting or your head is in a muddle.



ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

The assignment for assessment is included in each Module booklet toward the back. Each assignment

consists of a theory component comprising short answer questions and a practical assignment of three

or more photographic tasks relevant to the lessons provided in the training module.

Assignments are marked using contemporary adult education conventions so once your completed

assignment is marked by your tutor, you will receive feedback telling you if you have been deemed

either Competent or Not Competent, along with individual comments from your tutor on each

supplied answer. If an area of Non-Competency is identified, your tutor will work with you to

remediate this and help you achieve competency. Competency needs to be achieved before

progressing to the next module.

Theory Section:

• You should not need to do external research. All answers are contained within the course

module booklet. Yes, you may refer to the course module booklet when answering the

questions.

• Answers do not have to be too long – use as many or as few words as you need to. We just

want to know that you know the answer.

Practical Section:

• 60% of task value is based on image itself and the remaining 40% is based on image story.

• Be chatty in your images stories. Your tutor cannot see what you are doing, so he/she needs to get an idea of what you were thinking at the time so he/she can give you the best help and guidance possible.

• Points of assessment for images include:

▪ Meeting the brief

▪ Technically correct (exposure, aperture & ISO settings)

▪ Composition

▪ Creativity

Note: Your images are only assessed on technical elements covered up to each level of the course.



• Points of assessment for image story include:

▪ A clear understanding of the concept of the task

▪ Answers to any questions contained within the task

▪ Application of the concept into the image

▪ Methodology used to implement the concept

▪ Methodology used to problem solve

GENERAL NOTES:

▪ Assessment is also a learning opportunity. Your Tutor will provide suggestions for

improvement and technical ideas / techniques that could be used where relevant.

▪ Flexibility exists with subject matter for practical assessments. A student who is unable to

meet the brief for social, geographical or disability reasons may, in consultation with their

tutor, substitute the subject with a suitable alternative. So if this is you, have a discussion

with your tutor. There are always options and assessments are flexible.



HOW TO SUBMIT AN ASSIGNMENT

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION

Students upload their assignments via the course progression form in the secure section of our

website. The assignment submission forms allow for detailed answers to be completed and images

attached and uploaded with the assignment.

To submit an assignment, students log-in to the site,

• go to MY COURSE

• from the drop down menu, SELECT YOUR COURSE. That takes you to your course page.

• click on the DO ASSIGNMENT button on the right hand column for the relevant module.

The assignment submission form will open. Make sure the form that opens is for the correct

assignments. If not, you have clicked on the wrong button. Go back and try again.

It is a good idea to watch the video that comes up before submitting your first assignment. It walks

you through the process step by step. You can also watch the video anytime in the RESOURCE CENTRE.



We recommend that you complete your assignment in Word or a similar program. That way you do

not have to rush, you can save it part way through, and will have time to check your answers and make

any changes before uploading your answers and images. You will also have a copy of your assignment

if you have an internet connection problem during the upload process.

When you attach your images, look for the RED CROSS INSIDE A CIRCLE as pictured below.

This symbol means your image is correctly attached and is good to go. If you have attached the

wrong image, simply click on the red cross and try again.

Once you have uploaded your assignment, a message will display on screen advising you that your

assignment has been successfully uploaded. Please be patient. This may take a minute or two

depending on the speed of your internet connection and the size of your images. You will also receive

an email confirmation containing a copy of the assignment you have uploaded.

If you do not see the confirmation message or receive the email, your assignment has not uploaded

successfully.

Try again. If you continue to have difficulty, email us at [email protected]




PREPARING IMAGES FOR ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION

When asked to submit images as part of your assignments, you will need to make your file sizes smaller

so they can be uploaded with your assignments. All files must be smaller than 1mb in size.

Follow these simple steps to reduce the file size of your images as required:

Note: Instructions may vary slightly in different versions of Photoshop or other software programs.

PHOTOSHOP 2020

• Open PHOTOSHOP

• Open the .JPG image

• Select IMAGE from the top menu bar.

• Click on IMAGE SIZE



A dialog box will appear as below displaying the current dimensions of your image.

The dialog box is where you enter your requirements.

• Click on the down arrow next to Dimensions. Set this to pixels.



• Make sure the lock (circled in red below) is locked. This will constrain the proportions. In

other words, this will keep the image the same shape as the original and the image will not be

distorted.

• Enter 1000 in the box for the new size of the long side of your image. For a landscape shaped

image (as pictured below), this will be the Width. If your image is a portrait shape, this will be

the Height.

• DO NOT CHANGE THE AMOUNT IN THE RESOLUTION BOX.

• Leave the tick on the resample box.

• Click OK button when you are done.

Your image is now smaller and will appear smaller on your screen.

The next step is to save the image in the new size. To do this, we are going to use the SAVE AS

command and give the file a new name.



• Click on FILE from the top menu

• Select SAVE AS

• Navigate to where you want to save your image.

• Give it a new name.

• Save as type: JPEG

• Click on SAVE and you are done.



LIGHTROOM CLASSIC 2020

To save an image as a .jpg file from Lightroom Classic, we have to EXPORT the image.

• Open LIGHTROOM CLASSIC

• Go to LIBRARY mode and select GRID VIEW

Click on the image or images you want to export. The first image you select will be white. Subsequent

images will be a light grey surround.

TIP: If you want to select images at random, click on the first one, then hold your Ctrl key down while

you click on the other images you want to export. If you want to select consecutive images, click on

the first image, then hold your shift key down and select the last image in the group.

You can do this either in the grid, or use the film strip at the bottom of your screen.

• Click on the EXPORT button toward the bottom on the left hand side panel.



Your EXPORT dialog box will open. Here is where you tell Lightroom exactly what you want it to do

with the files it is exporting.

In the top left hand corner of this dialog box, it tells you how may files you are about to export. Check

this first.

EXPORT TO: Select from EMAIL, HARD DRIVE or CD/DVD. This is where you want your images to go

to. To export the images to your computer, select HARD DRIVE.



EXPORT LOCATION: This is where you want to save your images.

Choose export to a specific folder, or the same folder the original image is in, but in a sub-folder. In

the demonstration above, we are putting the images in th =e same folder as the original, and in a

subfolder called “Resized for Assignment”. Tick other options as required. Select from the available

options for what you want Lightroom to do if it discovers existing files with the same name in that

location.

FILE NAMING: Your images generally have a numeric filename given to them by your camera. As the

camera has no idea whether you were at the zoo, the beach, a family picnic or backpacking through

Europe, it uses numeric values for file names. When you export your images, you might want to give

the images a name that is a little more meaningful.

I like to use the Custom Name – Sequence option. This renames the images as it saves them, using

the custom text you enter here and a sequence number. The sequence number is important if you

are exporting more than one image at a time because your files cannot all have the same name.

There are other options you can choose here if you prefer.



FILE SETTINGS:

• Select the image format to: JPEG

• Although not the preferred option, one way of resizing your images is to set the maximum

file size here. If you are exporting an image for your assignment, limit the file size to 1000 k

(1mb). This will resample the images and keep the file size below 1mb.

IMAGE SIZING: This is the preferred option.

• Tick RESIZE TO FIT

• Select LONG EDGE

• Enter 1000 in the pixel box

• Make sure it is set to PIXELS

Once you have made your selections, you are ready to export the images.

• Click on the EXPORT button and watch it happen.

NOTE: If your EXPORT button is greyed out, something is wrong. Look to the left of the button and

there should be an error message like below:

Go back and fix the problem, then you should be able to click on EXPORT.

You should see some activity on screen as your files are exported. This can take a few minutes

depending on how many images you are exporting at the time.



COURSE PROGRESSION

Your Tutor will assess your assignment within 5-7 working days, and email you with your result. This

is your tutor’s opportunity to check on your progress, give you a helping hand, point you in the right

direction, spur you on or send you back to the drawing board. Your tutor is on your side, so try not to

take comments personally and follow his/her instructions carefully. Assessments are a great learning

opportunity, so take note of the comments and suggestions your tutor has added. They are intended

to be helpful and/or thought provoking.

If you have not heard back from your tutor within 7 days, check your junk folder in your email. If

nothing is there, email us at [email protected] and we will follow it up for you.

Your assignment will be marked either Competent or Not Competent.

If Competent, give yourself a clap and go on to the next level of your course.

If Not Competent, don’t panic. Make yourself a coffee and chill. You get three goes at each module,

so all is not lost. You can do this. Your tutor will have explained what the problem is, provided

additional information as required and will have given you instructions on what you need to do to fix

it.

Don’t worry. Your tutor will do all in his/her power to assist you with the difficulties you may be

having. Usually you will not have to re-do the whole assignment, just the part or the skill you need to

master. You can usually email your tutor the re-submission.

Your tutor will mark your resubmission as quickly as possible. If all is good, you will be ticked off as

Competent, and you can move on to the next module.

Remember, if you need help, ASK FOR IT.




COURSE COMPLETION

Once you have done all required course module assignments and have been marked Competent in

each one, you will have officially passed your course. Providing your tuition fees have been paid in

full, it is celebration time!

You will be asked to confirm your details for issue of your certificate and transcript.

Note: Certificates cannot be issued unless course fees have been paid in full. If this is you, talk to the

office. You can either pay out your payment plan or continue making your regular payments and

your certificate and associated paperwork will be issued once all fees have been paid in full.



COURSE FEES

INCLUSIONS

Your course fee is all inclusive. It covers:

• Training Modules

• Access to the student area of our website, including training modules, video tutorials and

other learning aids in the resource centre

• Full guidance and support for the duration of the course

• Resubmission of assessments if required

For all students, your course fee includes GST. If you need a tax invoice for tax purposes, please

email us at [email protected]

PAYMENT PLANS

If you took advantage of one of the options to pay your course fees by a Payment Plan, you have

entered into a contract. You must make the specified payments in accordance with the contract.

FAILURE TO MAKE AGREED PAYMENTS

We know that things don’t always go to plan. That is life. If you miss a payment, we will contact you

by email and SMS if you have a mobile phone number nominated. You will have three days to make

funds available and pay the amount of the missed payment. If you are unable to make your

payment, please talk to us. Call us on 0478 596 045 or email us at [email protected]. We

are flexible and will help you if we can.





If the missed payment is not made within the given time period and you have not responded to our

reminder:

• You will be suspended from your course and your site access will be disabled. We will notify

you of this by email and SMS if you have a mobile phone number nominated.

• If the balance is not paid in 30 days your debt will be handed off to our Collections agency.

We will notify you of this by email and SMS if you have a mobile phone number nominated.

Failure to adhere to your payment plan is a breach of your contract with Online Camera Ed. If the

matter is not resolved, and you don’t talk to us and attempt to sort it out then the involvement of

the debt collector is the only option we have. Please talk to us before things reach this point as we

are flexible in working things out.



Remember, the more you put into things, the more you get out of them, so don’t hold back.

We encourage creativity. You learn the most when you are outside of your comfort zone, so

that is a really good place to go.

We hope you enjoy your course

And wish you well with your studies.

Date post:	26-Sep-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	0 times
Download:	0 times

STUDENT HANDBOOK 2020...Facebook group, our college open facebook page and other social media sites....

Documents