REPORT FOR 3D ANIMATION CAMP TO INCREASE GRADUATES’ SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY
(Multimedia Camp 1 – 3D Animation)

1.0 PURPOSE

Contents in this report include background of the camp, justification for the implementation, camp overview, and the outcome of the camp.  The purpose of this report is to address necessary information to the Ministry of Higher Education so that the camp’s success could be explicitly understood.

2.0 BACKGROUND

The field of Applied Sciences at College of Arts and Sciences (AS, UUM CAS) has planned several activities regarding multimedia content development.  In 2009, AS, UUM CAS has organized a 3D Animation Camp, which was specified for talented UUM students in 3D animation software.  The project was collaborated with the industry players i.e. Aspati, DesigneL Media, and Pix Studio. This initiative is necessary to equip students with appropriate skills as expected in the working environment.  It is also inline with the government’s aspiration, which emphasizes content creation for the purposes of nation growth to fill the existing infrastructure.   In addition, the participants are equipped with values to be employed in the industries.

3.0 JUSTIFICATION
Inline with the growing current technological infrastructure especially the Internet and broadcasting, content has been a need.  So, efforts in creating contents should be encouraged.  Contents could be developed for various applications such as entertainment, business, and advertisement.  This camp was organized based on the listed justification: 

• 3.1 Training by an instructor from the industry on 3D software discloses the needs and desires of the industries from the employees.
• 3.2 It increases the participants’ skills in using 3D software, which will interest the employers to employ the participants.
• 3.3 Participants will have their own portfolio containing the artifacts they created in the camp, which will be good to carry as references.
• 3.4 This camp is able to create relationship and tighten the existing relationships between the university and the industry.  Moreover, from the relationship, diplomatic co-operation could be established.

4.0 CAMP INFORMATION

Information about the camp is as follow:

4.1 Dates: The camp is divided into three phases:

• 4.1.1 Phase 1 – training of the software: 17 June – 2 July 2009 (14 days).  Detailed schedule of phase 1 is provided in Appendix A.
• 4.1.2 Phase 2 – study period: participants study as usual in the university.  They are expected to apply the suggestions and recommendation by course instructor and presentation judges.
• 4.1.3 Phase 3 – practicum training: participants will involve in the real working environment for six months after finishing their final semester.  They are expected to utilize their skills in 3D software in the organization.

4.2 Camp participants: 20 UUM students were selected (refer to the list in Appendix B).
4.2.1 Filtering methods:

• a) Criteria 1 – students who will do the practicum in Disember 2009.
• b) Criteria 2 – Students who get at least B for Graphic and Animation course.
• c) Bumiputera was preferred.

4.2.2 However, three participants quitted the camp for personal reasons.  So, 17 participants involved in the camp until the end.

4.3 Software:  Maya – it was recommended as response to the industry needs, where the industry is always looking forward to employ Maya-friendly applicants.

4.4 Venue: Information Technology Building, UUM CAS.

4.5 Course instructor: Selected from Aspati Sdn. Bhd. (as suggested by MdeC)

4.6 Camp effectiveness testing: Two methods used:

4.6.1 Pre-test and post-test was used to measure levels of participants’ skills before and after the camp.  The tests were organized by the course instructor.  Detailed test results are provided in Appendix C.

4.6.2 Questionnaire for measuring perception on the camp and 3D software skills (Appendix D) – participants answered the questionnaire on the last day of the camp so that their perceptions on the camp and the software could be empirically gathered.  Analyses of the data are provided in Appendix E. Overall, participants perceived that the camp was beneficial, in terms of the camp itself and the software.

4.7 Project Evaluation and Final Presentation
The camp was run fully in hands-on format, where participants were trained based-on projects.  There were three individual projects and one group project assigned to the participants to be completed in the camp (as outcomes of the camp).
Individual project:

• a. Geometrical bed room modeling.
• b. Organic fruits modeling.
• c. Character Modeling.

Group project:
a. Animating character.

Four judges were appointed to assess the outcome of the camp along with their presentation skills by standards provided by the course instructor and the committee of the camp. Three of the judges are from Department of Multimedia, UUM, and another was a representative of K-Perak (the industry).  Detailed marking scheme and results of the assessment are provided in Appendix F.  The best group in the presentation was Kelip-kelip Production which consists of:

• a. Ruwaida Yussof
• b. Roshazlida Mohamad
• c. Norsiah Noordin
• d. Noor Fazreen Shuhaza Ghazali

4.8 Implications to the participants:

4.8.1 Four best participants will be sent to do the practicum with overseas animation companies, i.e. in Philippines (2 participants), and Vietnam (2 participants).  Selection was initiated by the course instructor based-on participants performance during the course.  The list below are six participants who were selected for polling:

• a. Azuaza Abdullah
• b. Sheikh Mohd Asyraf B. Md Kasim
• c. Noor Fazreen Shuhaza bt. Ghazali
• d. Siti Hajar Sahit
• e. Siti Safinah Harith
• f. Norsiah Noordin

4.8.2 Participants are selected to participate in Content Development Contest (1st iCAAP Comp).

4.9 Participants’ progress during practicum and within the first six months after their practicum period will be monitored