DGTL11001 - Foundations of Animation

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit is designed to provide students with a foundation in animation practice. Students will develop animations, applying theoretical concepts to practical solutions using industry-standard software.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026

Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Brisbane
Bundaberg
Cairns
Mackay
Online
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

This information will not be available until 8 weeks before term.
To see assessment details from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 84.62% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 17.11% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE Dashboard
Feedback
A student asked whether there is scope to allow a free choice of animation software to complete the activities for this unit
Recommendation
As much as it is possible to use a range of animation software to complete the assessment tasks for this unit, Adobe Photoshop (keyframe animation) and After Effects (motion graphics) have been selected as this is an introductory Bachelor of Digital Media unit. As such, it serves as an introduction to this industry-standard software which will be used throughout their studies. Students wishing to use alternative software for the keyframe animation components are welcome to contact the unit coordinator to discuss. At this stage, however, there are no simple solutions with respect to the use of After Effects,.
Action Taken
Software selection was re-evaluated in 2025. While alternatives to Photoshop exist for traditional animation, no viable substitute currently exists for the motion graphics component, with the exception of Blender, a complex 3D modelling suite with a significantly steeper learning curve. As emphasized in 2024, exposure to the industry-standard Adobe suite is a core requirement for Digital Media students. Furthermore, DGTL11001 serves as a critical prerequisite for advanced units, where a fundamental mastery of both Photoshop and After Effects is essential for success.
Source: Unit Coordinator Observation.
Feedback
During 2025 there was a noticeable rise in academic integrity cases, particularly from international students.
Recommendation
Additional support will be provided to international students to mitigate potential issues which may lead to breaches in academic integrity.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Unit Coordinator Observation, direct contact (email), and Student (SUTE) Feedback.
Feedback
Discrepancies between local on-campus classroom animation exercises and those defined on the unit website caused confusion for several students. As a result, there were instances of students handing in the incorrect activities for formal assessment.
Recommendation
To ensure consistency, on-campus staff will guide students through the formal weekly activities and practical assessment tasks as outlined on the unit website. Furthermore, local staff will provide continuous opportunities for feedback, allowing students to develop and iterate on their animation work prior to final submission.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes
This information will not be available until 8 weeks before term.
To see Learning Outcomes from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.