The Big Project

Overview

For your Big Project, select a task that you can work on throughout the semester and that has multiple dimensions of design, content, and production. Early in the semester, you'll be asked to settle on a focus and to begin mapping your project, reporting on it initially to the rest of the class, and then throughout collecting assets, setting and meeting milestones, taking the project through multiple iterations following prototyping and peer review, keeping a project log, and then presenting your work in multiple formats, including to the rest of the class, online, and during a live poster session.. Examples of suitable projects will be discussed in class. You may work individually or collaboratively. Everyone should keep a project log starting in Week 4. Those who work in groups will be asked to submit Collaborative Project Evaluation forms. Projects that complete all the steps in the process successfully will earn an A.

Elaboration, Suggestions, Examples

What counts as a Big Project? You'll work that out in the early stages through negotiation with your peers and me. Key criteria, though, are that it consist of multiple dimensions of design, content, and production; that it be sustainable and finishable this semester; that it interests you professionally and personally; and (hopefully) that it serves some broader purpose than simply personal satisfaction. Because I want you to view your work as creative and scholarly, you may want to focus it on a project that will a) build on the work of others; b) create a resource or example for others to elaborate or extend to new contexts; or c) solve some problem, fill a need, and/or teach important principles. It may be helpful to think of this project as engagement with the wider creative and intellectual community and network with which you identify.

Here are some Big Projects that someone could tackle and that address needs right here and now. Each of these would help you meet major course goals in the areas of Project Management, Project Desing, Peer Review, Public Presentation, and Technology. (See the Course Description for more on what those goals are.)

1. Take the lead on development of a Drupal site that will function as Purdue's application for hosting Computers and Writing 2010 (involves collaboration, design, project management and planning, asset collection, and more). This site would continue on as the host website as the conference nears.
2. Develop a new Drupal theme nicely tailored to one of the following: a) a writing course; b) an online (distance ed) course); c) a book publisher's website; d) an online journal; e) a conference website; or . . . (involves CSS design, asset collection, collaboration, prototyping, project management and planning, and more).
3. Make a comic book that teaches students or colleagues about an important issue or principle. Design it, write it, print it, distribute it. Read about the sample by Scott McLoud just completed for Google's new Chrome browser in the New York Times: "Archie and Jughead? No, Javascript." And check out the actual comic book: http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/index.html
4. Create a new book (including cover design) for the Prospects in Visual Rhetoric series. See http://www.parlorpress.com/prospects.html.
5. Create a space in Second Life for featuring student multimedia projects.

If you're interested in any of these, let's talk. There are many more possibilities, so I've only listed a few here just to stimulate your own ideas.

Steps in the Process

With only a few exceptions (as we get started and then conclude), the due dates for each of these steps are self-determined. You'll develop and stick to a project calendar near the start of the project.

A. Topic Development

• Go Fishing. Post blog entry (tagged "Big Project Notes") in which you discuss one or more possibilities for your "Big Project." You don't need to go into great detail (yet), but you should throw out some possibilities, explain why you're interested in the project(s), and elicit feedback from your peers. (Due Week 3.)
• Commit Yourself. After further discussion, reflection, and conversation, write a more detailed blog entry (tagged "YourUserName's Big Project Log") in which you commit to a project idea. This will be the first entry in your project log for the Big Project. (Subsequent entries will use the exact same tag so that you can track them all easily.) Discuss how this selection meets the criteria mentioned above (multiple dimensions, sustainability, interest, higher purpose). (Due Week 4.)
• Project Brief: Fairly soon after, write a short Project Brief in which you a) identify the problem you're addressing; and c) the proposed solution(s). See the sample (attached below; password protected: use the class password).(Due Week 5.)

B. Project Logs

• Log It. Once started, keep a project log in which you report on and document your progess on the Big Project. Read the Project Log Guidelines handout for ideas about what to include.
• Surveil It. Each week (in-class) read through the project logs of your peers to find out what they're up to. Comment now and then when you have suggestions (tools, further reading, encouragement, tips, etc.) One element of your project log each week should be a discussion/critique/evaluation of the technologies that you're using to complete your work.

C. Project Planning and Management

• Drop It. Create a drop.io site for managing the files and other resources for your project, then create a blog post (tagged "drop.io big project site") in which you give us the URL. Everyone should use the same access password so that we can each access the resources.
• Book It! Develop a project calendar, with multiple milestones, dates for peer review (of parts or whole), and public presentation. Two key dates may be November 5 (Professional Writing Showcase) and the last day of the semester (December 8th) in this class (our own "open house.") We will also develop a presentation space and choose a time/date for a Second Life event. (Due Week 5.)
• Incubate It. Create a "Project Planning Document" (or "Design Specification" or "Site Specifiation" document) that will evolve over the semester. The first two items in it will be your Project Brief and Calendar. More will be added later.

D. Asset and Model Collection

• Archive It. Early in the process you should begin collecting assets (more than you may actually use) at your drop.io site and that may at some point find their way into your project. Assets can include images, font choices, color palettes, audio, animation, illustrations, lightboxes (at something like http://www.istockphoto.com, for example). Always keep track of rights information as you go so that you will have it for reference later. You shouldn't publicly publish any work that is copyrighted.
• Inspire It. Start collecting links, copies, etc. to work that a) seems to do well what you would like to do with your project, on the whole or maybe just in a part; b) inspires you; c) does something with design or a tool that you want to attempt yourself. Post this information, with notes as needed, to your drop.io site.

E. Peer Review

• You can request peer review at any stage of your project development, but you must have your work reviewed before any public presentation. You will need to request peer review in class ("live") or in advance with a "story" post (tagged: "review request"; look under "create content" to see that content type; stories are automatically posted to the front page). Please provide the material to be reviewed (a link, a document, an image, etc.) in an accessible form.

F. Public Presentation

• Display It. Exhibit or present your work publicly at the PW Showcase (optional), at our Open House (last day of class; non-optional) and in some format in Second Life (non-optional, last week of class or sooner, as a group).

Grading

This project counts for 50 percent of your course grade. Your work will be judged by how well you achieve the goals outlined in your project brief and project planning documents, the quality of the work, whether you met deadlines and milestones consistently, and your participation in public presentations. You will also receive written feedback throughout the semester to let you know how you're doing on the Big Project.

Questions

You will need to take the initiative to ask questions and request peer review whenever needed or desired. Since many of the project components are self-directed, asking for help throughout the process will be very important. If you need individual help, ask me or come see me in my office.