Descriptions of major course projects are listed here.
The purpose of this project is to expose you to one of the new multimedia web genres, allow you to gain experience in collaborating, and allow you to gain experience in writing professional proposals and audio scripts.
The Project: Create a 3-10 minute podcast on a topic of your choice. You may use any software or platform, but the final podcast must be in MP3 format.
The elements of the project are as follows:
Project Proposal (10%): Your group must write a 2 page proposal that details your topic and plan of execution. The proposal should include:
A detailed outline of the major points/highlights in your podcast (at least half a page).
Podcasting topics must be proposed and approved before you can begin.
Podcast (80%): Good podcasts are clearly recorded, interesting, and are often accompanied by music, graphics, or any number of other elements. An “A” project for this assignment sounds professional, meets goals and standards described in your proposal, and is interesting. Additional features, like including links, images, and extras also contribute to a higher grade
Peer Collaborative Response (5%): A Peer Collaboration response is required of each individual working on the project. These should be turned in on the day the project is due.
Podcast Analysis (5%): A written group response (approximately two pages) that answers the following questions:
Extra Credit Opportunity: The Purdue OWL is looking for podcasts on writing-related and rhetoric-related topics. If your group is interested in developing a podcast for the OWL, you will receive substantial extra credit. Talk to me if you are interested.
For this project, you will be creating a 1 – 3 page handout on a course-related multimedia writing topic. The handout should assume an advanced college student audience with an interest in technology (such as students in ENGL 419).
This project will allow you to gain a more in-depth understanding of a topic in this course; give you experience using a page layout program to create an effective piece of communication; and practice instructional writing (i.e. user-centered and concise).
Topics: Each student must work on a unique topic. Topics include (but are not limited to):Defining Multimedia Writing; Introduction to Visual Rhetoric; Ethos (as geared toward multimedia writing); Logos (geared toward multimedia writing); Pathos (geared toward multimedia writing); Kairos; Writing Audio Scripts; Writing for Podcasts; Web Writing (probably enough for several persons to work on handouts); Copyrights and fair use on the web; Understanding Audiences on the Web; Importance of Web Standards; Web Accessibility; Web Usability; Writing Concisely; Learning styles and multimedia writing; Rhetoric and the WWW; etc.
Content: Before you begin your design and layout, a draft of the content of your handout must be submitted to me for comments and revision. Content should follow good professional writing standards (which you will learn in this class) including error-free prose, concise and clear writing, and writing that is scannable and user-centered.
Visuals: Handouts should be professional looking, scannable, and interesting. I recommend a page layout or graphics-based program for creating your handout. These include, but are not limited to: Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress. Microsoft publisher or powerpoint may also work if you are careful, but are not recommended.
Format: The final document should be in PDF format and be posted to our course website (under “key concepts handouts”).
Grading: This project will be graded based on the following categories:
Content (70%): Content should be clear, accessible, audience and reader centered, error-free, and well-organized.
Design (30%): Handout should be professional looking, visually appealing, and organized. Information should be visually broken up so that it is scannable.
Due: A 1/2 page proposal for this project is due during week 6 - Feb 15th. A draft of your handout is due April 7th st (or earlier, if you so choose). Your final handout is due April 14th.
For this project you will be creating a standards-based web portfolio project. This project will allow you to learn more about writing for the web in its many forms, including writing for diverse audiences, writing web professional text, thinking about taxonomies her animation company, you might create a much different web portfolio than if you were working toward a job at Microsoft.
The project proposal is a half-page proposal that describes the project you will be working on. This should include information on:
1) Audience. What industry are you going to be looking for a job in? What do they value? Who might be visiting your web portfolio? How can you cater to that audience? I.e. if you are trying for a job at Disney or another animation company, you might create a much different web portfolio than if you were working toward a job at Microsoft.
2) Purpose of the web portfolio. Purpose of the web resume.
3) Overall plan and storyboards. Provide me with a series of storyboards (see class readings and class activities from Monday, Feb 11th) that show what each page and section will look like and contain. You are welcome to draw these by hand and attach them.
4) Difficulties or concerns you anticipate with completing this project. Things you feel you need to learn to do a good job.
If you already have a decent web resume and portfolio, here is where you argue for an alternative project.
During week 7-8, we will be working on CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and examining the written-visual connection to build a basic web resume. This will familiarize everyone with CSS and allow you develop a print-based and web-based resume. The Web-Based resume must be valid html/xml and CSS (we’ll talk about this in class).
You will use the web-resume as part of the final portfolio project. You will post your web-resume to the web (either on your Purdue campus space or off campus space you have purchased) and send me the link along with the screenshots of both of your validation pages.
Grading for Web Resume:
• Includes valid HTML/XML and CSS Markup
• Uses principles of user-centered writing and user-centered design
• Design and Content match the audience and purpose
• Conciseness and accuracy
• Grammatical correctness and other issues of professional issue
The final part of the Web project (during weeks 9-12) consists of expanding your web resume into a web portfolio that showcases some of your projects, work, or something else of a professional nature. The individual aspects of these projects are worked out with the instructor on a one-on-one basis based on the skill level and interests of each student.
Web portfolios should fit the purpose and audience described in the proposal. This includes having a requisite number of pages and areas of content (can be multimedia in nature).
Students are welcome to use open-source layouts and navigations, however, substantial modifications and improvements should be made when using such layouts and all students should provide a link to the original layout and a description of the improvements when they complete the final project.
What to turn in:
1) Students should upload their final web portfolio webspace (on or off campus) and email a link to their instructor
2) Students should write a 1 page reflective piece about the project in which they answer the following: a) How did your plans change from the proposal to the finished project? b) What do you feel is most successful? c) What did you have the most difficulty with? d) What major rhetorical and design decisions did you end up making and why did you make them?
3) If you used an open-source layout / CSS / Dreamweaver template, also include a screenshot of the original template and in a paragraph or so, explain what changes you made to it (explanation can be attached to the reflective piece above).
Grading Criteria
• Includes valid HTML/XML and CSS Markup
• Uses principles of user-centered writing and user-centered design
• Design and Content match the audience and purpose
• Grammatical correctness and other issues of professional ethos
Reflection is clear and detailed
Working individually or in small groups, students will develop existing or new content for a creative or professional multimedia project that can be showcased on the web. Examples include interactive hypertext fiction or poetry with multimedia components, essays or research projects incorporating substantial multimedia components, newsletters or other publications, multimedia presentations and demonstrations on a selected topic, a digital film, flash animations, or photographic essay. Early in the semester, you will be asked to write a formal proposal and will begin your work on this project after receiving instructor feedback.
Students will be developing their own criteria for what makes a successful web project from which the projects will be graded.
Students are required to submit proposals for open-ended multimedia projects on Friday, Feb 29th. 5-10 minute meetings with the instructor will take place on Friday, Feb 29th and Monday, March 3rd about the projects.
Proposals should run about 2 pages and include:
1) 1/2 page overview of the proposed project
2) Audience, purpose, and context of the project.
3) An outline or storyboard of all major areas that the project will cover (graphic or text; your choice)
4) A list of examples of similar things done (websites, videos, etc) which will give you some indication of what possibilities exist.
5) A list of resources you need and skills you need to complete the project.
6) A timeline for completion. A draft of this project is due during week 13. A final project is due during week 15 (right before finals week).
7) IF THIS IS A GROUP PROJECT: A breakdown of group member roles and a division of labor.
Project points:
Proposal (10%)
Rubric Development and Analysis (10%)
Project (75%)
After-Project Analysis (5%)
Technical Talks
Short presentations on technical multimedia-writing related topics will be presented to the class during our web development project, podcasting project, and creative or professional projects. Each talk should run about 20 minutes and include both the presentation of some concept (5-10 minutes); a hands-on activity for the class to do (5-10 minutes) and a list of resources for more information or a handout on the topic (dependent on the topic of the talk).
Each group must propose their topic to the instructor prior to the date their talk is due in a memo format (1 page or less). In the memo, include the following:
1) A paragraph that describes your topic and articulates why it would be of interest and relevance to this class
2) Resources that you are getting your information from (your own personal experience/knowledge can be listed as a resource)
3) What you plan on doing for the hands on class activity
4) What each group member’s role is in the talk.
Examples of talks include (but are not limited to):
• Podcasting publishing options
• Cool new writing technology on the WWW (like google docs)
• RSS feeds
• Integrating PHP to create a dynamic navigation
• SQL basics
• Using Alt-Text and other accessibility options
• CSS tricks and tips, etc.
• Cool open source software
• Copyrighting through creative commons