Project Summary:
The Individual Writing and Technology Project asks students to develop an independent multimedia project that incorporates writing and technology. This project gives students the opportunity to pursue their own intellectual interests in this area.
Project options are wide open and highly individuated. Past projects have included:
- podcasts
- data visualizations
- critical research articles over aspects of video gaming and human/computer interfaces
- interactive Flash texts
- and many others...
All projects must be approved by the instructor early in their development. All students must locate and analyze at least three critical works applicable to their topic during the course of the project.
Project Sequence and Grading:
- Design Plan (20% of project grade)
Students will construct a design plan based on the rhetorical elements identified in CDA that articulates the purpose and function of the corresponding multimedia text. Design plans help guide the design process, but they are not static recipes. They are evolving documents that shift to accommodate changes encountered during project development. They are also crucial for understanding the goals of the corresponding documents and how they are accomplished. This makes them indispensable for assessment purposes. Because of this, students will turn in final, revised design plans with their completed multimedia texts. Excellent design plans will account thoroughly for all of the rhetorical elements established in CDA and present a coherent narrative rather than a collection of disconnected parts. Excellent design plans also will reflect the corresponding finished multimedia text, and be in a finished, polished format, including appropriate grammar and mechanics. - Annotated Bibliography (10% of project grade)
Each student will produce an annotated bibliography covering the three or more critical works he/she analyzes during the course of the project. Each annotated bibliography entry will contain three components: a citation of the work in a standard format (MLA, APA, Chicago, AP, etc.); one solid, well-written paragraph summarizing the work; one solid, well-written paragraph explicating how the work shaped the production of the student's project materials. Excellent annotated bibliographies will use one citation format consistently and correctly, and include useful, correct summaries and insightful, clear explications of the works' impacts on the project. - Final Project Presentation (10% of project grade)
Each student will present his/her final multimedia text to the class, explaining its purpose and function. Presentations will last approximately 10 minutes. Excellent presentations will incorporate techniques discussed in class readings. Excellent final presentations will be on time, and be rehearsed and polished. - Final Multimedia Text (50% of project grade)
Students will complete individual multimedia texts. Texts are highly individuated for each student. Because of this, each student and the instructor will collaboratively determine how the corresponding project should be assessed. Excellent multimedia texts will fulfill the requirements established by the student and instructor. - Postmortem (10% of project grade)
(The postmortem form is available here.)
Students will produce a reflective postmortem that provides insight into their process of creation. Excellent postmortems will account thoroughly for all sections of the postmortem form, thereby providing valuable insight into project development, successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Excellent postmortems will be in a finished, polished format, including appropriate grammar and mechanics.