Services
The Center for Digital Expression (CDEx) provides support for the entire TCU community—students, faculty, and staff.
We provide individual consultations, training, tutorials, and workshops on many issues related to digital composing. We believe in empowering you to feel comfortable learning, teaching, and creating digital projects.
If you’re a student, we can:
- help you learn design and software basics,
- envision a digital project from concept through completion, and
- loan equipment for an approved project and/or with a sponsoring faculty member.
If you’re a teacher, we can help you
- develop media-rich scholarly projects,
- create media-rich teaching assignments, and
- provide ongoing support and training through workshops.
If you’re a staff member, we can help you
- develop a social media campaign and/or website,
- create visuals to promote events and campaigns, and
- provide ongoing support and training through workshops.
If you are looking for a graphic designer, video producer/editor, website developer, etc to complete a project for you, we suggest looking for a freelance professional on these sites:
The Center for Digital Expression provides the following services:
Individual Consultations
Any member of the TCU community can schedule a consultation with the CDEx to discuss a project you’re working on or would like to work on. Just complete a Consultation form found here.
Open Lab Support
The services of the CDEx are open to any member of the TCU community who needs help with a new media project or just wants a space to work. A lab assistant is always on duty. See our Open Lab Hours in blue here.
Gear
The CDEx has 20 laptop computers loaded with the Adobe CC (Creative Cloud). The Studio also has available a black and white printer that works on the Pharos system (with a TCU ID card). Additional gear that can be loaned to students, faculty, or staff working on an approved project includes digital video cameras and audio recorders.
Events & Workshops
The CDEx offers several workshops each semester on topics related to new media composing and teaching. Past workshops have included Creating New Media Assignments, Composing Digital Professional Portfolios, Making Movies, Presentation Design, Document Design, and Animation. See the Workshops/Roundtables page for a list of upcoming workshops and the chance to sign up.
Tutorials
If you would like to request our help teaching a group some element of digital composing, complete a Consultation Form here. Please see our selection of tutorials below or request a customized tutorial to fit your new media project. Schedules permitting, instructional sessions are offered in the CDEx for groups of 20 or fewer. You may also request a classroom visit.
Tutorial Options
Making a Website tutorial. By the end of the tutorial, students will be able to make a website using free platforms such as Weebly, Wix, or WordPress (all use WYSIWYG editors). Students will also know where to find copyright-free images and music resources.
Making a Movie tutorial. By the end of the tutorial, students will be able to use Movie Maker (PC) and/or iMovie (MAC) to make videos with title screens, captions, transitions, images, audio, and/or video clips. Students will also know where to find copyright-free images and music resources.
Making Infographics tutorial. By the end of the tutorial, students will be able to make an infographic using Pikochart (free) or Microsoft Word/Pages. Students will also know where to find copyright-free images resources.
New Media Alternatives to PowerPoint tutorial. By the end of the tutorial, students will be able to choose a new media medium that fits their rhetorical needs: video, Prezi, infographics, websites, Pecha Kucha, Ignite, and/or podcasts. Students will also know where to find copyright-free images and music resources.
Audacity tutorial. By the end of the tutorial, students will be able to record directly into Audacity or import audio files to create multi-layered tracks in Audacity (free, open-sourced software). Students will also know where to find copyright-free music resources.
The Graduate Certificate in New Media Composing and Teaching (this program has been discontinued)
From 2006 to 2019, this professional development certificate was available to TCU graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who wished to document their use of new media for teaching, scholarship and service. No specific workshops or courses were required. Students worked on the certificate throughout their graduate program. For more information, click here.