CMST 311 at UMGC moves electronic publishing beyond the printed page, using Adobe InDesign to build engaging publications for print, online and mobile devices.
UMGC now lists the course as WDDE 315, Advanced Electronic Publishing (formerly CMST 311), with WDDE 310, the renumbered Fundamentals of Electronic Publishing, as the prerequisite. Where the first course teaches clean static layout, this one asks you to add motion, interactivity and PDF publishing while keeping design quality high.
The challenge is that every added feature can break something: buttons that work in one viewer and not another, layouts that do not suit a phone screen, or files that export without their media.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) |
| Code | CMST 311, now WDDE 315 |
| Level and credits | Upper-level undergraduate, 3 credits |
| Prerequisite | WDDE 310 (formerly CMST 310) |
| Software | Adobe InDesign |
| Typical work | Interactive PDFs and digital publications, design rationales, collaborative tasks |
What CMST 311 Covers
| Official topic | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Motion and interactivity | Buttons, hyperlinks, bookmarks, animation and states that respond to the reader |
| PDF publishing | Choosing interactive versus print PDF exports and testing them |
| Design for mobile devices | Page sizes, readable type and touch-friendly targets on small screens |
| Emerging technologies | Newer digital publication formats and where the field is going |
| Ethical and legal considerations | Licensing for images, fonts, audio and video you embed |
| Collaborative work | Shared assets, consistent styles and handing files to others |
The official description also mentions print and web-ready Adobe Flash files. Adobe ended Flash Player support in 2020, so check your syllabus for the export formats your instructor actually expects.
Key Concepts Explained
Interactive Versus Print PDF
InDesign offers separate export routes. A print PDF keeps CMYK color, bleed and high-resolution images but ignores most interactivity. An interactive PDF keeps buttons, hyperlinks and page transitions but is meant for screens. Submitting the wrong type is a common way to lose marks.
Example: A digital magazine has a table of contents with clickable entries and a "Next page" button. Exported as a print PDF, both stop working. Exported with the interactive option, they work, but only in viewers that support PDF interactivity, so test in Adobe Acrobat Reader as well as a browser.
Buttons and Object States
Buttons carry actions (go to page, show or hide another object, play media). Object states let one frame hold several versions, such as a product image that changes color when a swatch is clicked.
Example: Three small color swatches are made into buttons. Each one's "On Release" action switches a multi-state image frame to the matching state, so the reader sees the product in red, blue or green.
Designing for a Phone Screen
A layout made for letter-size paper rarely reads well on a phone. Smaller page sizes, larger body text, single columns and tap targets big enough for a finger make a mobile publication usable.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
| Assignment type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive document | Buttons, links, navigation | Plan the navigation on paper first, then build and test every link |
| Multi-format version | Adapting one design for print and screen | Keep styles shared and change page size, color and export settings per version |
| Design rationale | Explaining choices for the target device | Tie decisions to the reader's device and context |
| Team or peer task | Collaboration and file handling | Agree styles and naming early, and package files when sharing |
Where Students Get Stuck
- Untested exports. Interactivity that works in InDesign preview but not in the exported file. Always open the final PDF and click everything.
- Media that goes missing. Linked video or audio not packaged with the file.
- Feature overload. Animation on every page distracts. Use motion where it helps the reader.
- Accessibility forgotten. Reading order, alt text and readable contrast matter more in digital formats, not less.
- Heavy files. Uncompressed images and video make a publication slow to open on mobile. Check the exported file size against the brief.
When collaborating, the biggest problems are usually inconsistent styles and broken links between team members' files. Agree a shared style sheet and folder structure at the start, and package files every time you hand them over.
Study Tips for CMST 311
- Revisit paragraph styles, swatches and parent pages from the fundamentals course; this course assumes them.
- Build a small test file to try each new interactive feature before adding it to the real project.
- Keep a checklist for each export: format, color mode, interactivity, media, file size.
- View your work on an actual phone, not just a resized window.
How We Help with CMST 311
Send the brief, the rubric, your packaged InDesign file or exported PDF and any feedback from your instructor. A tutor reviews the interactivity, layout and export choices, explains what is going wrong, and can prepare a model rationale or a worked example of a similar technique.
GradeEssays is independent of the University of Maryland Global Campus. We provide tutoring, feedback and reference material only; the publications you submit should be your own work under UMGC's academic integrity policy.
Get Your CMST 311 Project on Track
Share the brief, draft and feedback. We explain the advanced InDesign techniques involved and prepare a model you can study.
Start My CMST 311 HelpFree revisions · Full refund if late · Written from scratch for your order
Frequently Asked Questions
UMGC's current catalog lists WDDE 310 (formerly CMST 310), Fundamentals of Electronic Publishing, as the prerequisite.
Yes. The catalog lists Advanced Electronic Publishing as WDDE 315, formerly CMST 311. Credit is allowed for only one of CAPP 311, CMST 311 or WDDE 315.
The first course covers static layout and print-ready files. This one adds motion, interactivity, PDF publishing and design for mobile devices.
The catalog text mentions Flash files, but Adobe ended Flash Player support in 2020. Follow your syllabus for the formats required.
Usually the file was exported as a print PDF, or it is being viewed in a reader that ignores interactivity. Export as an interactive PDF and test in Acrobat Reader.
Yes. Send the package and brief; we explain any problems with navigation, states, media or export settings.