assignments
There are no exams in this course; instead, there are several assignments. Each of these assignments is required to successfully pass the course. Grades are determined as follows:- Final Project - 25%
- Writing Assignments - 27%
- Group Project - 25%
- Participation - 23%
Grade Report
Grades are posted here each week as an Adobe Acrobat file. Find yours by looking for the last five digits of your UW ID. It is your responsibility to advise me if there is an error in the recording of your weekly reading assignment.
Grades are posted here each week as an Adobe Acrobat file. Find yours by looking for the last five digits of your UW ID. It is your responsibility to advise me if there is an error in the recording of your weekly reading assignment.
A. Final Project (25%)
Each student will develop a final project that critically examines an aspect of digital media; the project must be delivered in a digital format accessible via HTTP, such as a website, Flash movie, or video (mpg, mov, or avi). Possible topics include:- Book review: select a book that explores concepts covered in the course. Create a website that provides both a summary, review and critique.
- Position paper: select an issue related to digital media and present various points of view before taking a stand on the issue. Examining the pros and cons of electronic voting is one example.
- Case study: explore an industry, product or technology. Provide historical view, current status, and project future development/problems/issues.
Students will submit a final status report that includes a link to their web-enabled project via eSubmit. The final project will be evaluated based on completeness, critical thought, originality, creativity, readability and, of course, grammar/punctuation/spelling. Writing should be professional (not anecdotal).
All projects must include at least eight external references; a minimum of three must be scholarly (academic) references and at least two must be reputable media (not personal web sites). All projects must include an annotated bibliography. We will use APA for citations.
Students who wish to develop a portfolio website for this project must also write an scholarly essay on a subject related to their wish for employment. This could be an examination of the types of careers offered, a historical analysis of the field, or a treatise on how to find a job. See me for more details. [Added 3 April 2005]
- Proposal Due: Friday 8 April, 5 pm
- Comment Period Ends: Friday 15 April, 5 pm
- Mid-Term Report Due: Friday 6 May, 5 pm
- Final Project Due: Monday 6 June at 9.30 am
B. Writing Assignments (27%):
There are three written assignments to be delivered using blogging software. Each assignment will be evaluated based on thoroughness/completeness as well as grammar and punctuation. Spell-check before you post!We will set up blogs on our first day of class; students will e-mail the instructor the blog address by 5 pm the first day of class. These URLs will be compiled and made accessible to everyone via the class web site.
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Assignment 1: due
2225 April - Search - (pdf) -
Assignment 2: due
1316 May - Community (pdf - REVISED) -
Assignment 3: due
27 May6 June - Society (pdf)
C. Group Project (25%):
The class is divided into working peer groups (number of groups is a function of class size), using the "random" tool available in Catalyst*. Each peer group will decide, by Wednesday 6 April, upon a group project; both projects contribute to knowledge or scholarship outside of the University.- Project 1: Groups working on this project will use blogging software to create a "blog" that serves as a reference resource for Seattle-area blogs. This team will identify the geographic area that they plan to cover and will create appropriate categories for the blogs and bloggers. They will also periodically "blog" (post) news/information about blogs/blogging. This project will live on as seattleblogs.us
- Project 2: Groups working on this project will develop a website that explores the contributions digital media pioneers have made to the field. This team will identify individuals and the types of information that will be included in the profiles. The website can be executed via SimpleSite or Dreamweaver.
* If someone wants to change peer groups because he/she wishes to work on "the other" project, then find another student willing to swap. Both students must agree and petition me for the change.
D. Class Participation, 23%.
These points will be based both on participation in the classroom and through the Peer Review system as well as course blogs.-
Discussion Leader: Each peer group will serve as discussion leader once, by signing up for (or being assigned to) a class session. Each member of the group will select an outside scholarly or journalistic article that elaborates on the week's general topic. Please use Lexis-Nexis or ProQuest or another academic database as your source. It is your responsibility to show how your selection relates to that week's topic and readings.
Each member of the peer group will have about five minutes to relate one reading; there will be additional time to engage your classmates in discussion. Be as creative as you'd like to be when presenting your information. Use powerpoints or handouts, conduct demonstrations or structured exercises -- whatever you feel will most effectively communicate your points.
Finally, each member of the peer group will post a blog summary of the reading, experience and learnings by 5 pm on Friday the week of the presentation. [login : com300 ; password -- same as Plone]
Discussion Leaders Schedule - Proposals: Providing feedback on other peer group proposals is part of the participation grade.
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Reading Assignments: Students are asked to summarize readings to help gain cognitive understanding of material as well as to hone analytical skills. Weekly assignments are not graded, except for completeness.
Each week, students are to write a short (two-four paragraph) review of assigned readings and post those comments to their class blog; students are required to respond to at least two other student blogs each week. Please don't respond to the same people each week! The blogging medium allows us to easily continue discussion outside of class.
Students are allowed to "miss" one week's postings - either summary or comments - without penalty. Completing all reading assignments is considered extra credit.
evaluation
Grading Scale:- 4.0 - 95-100
Exceptional work. Student performance demonstrates full command of course material and evidences a high level of originality and/or creativity - 3.5 - 90-94
Outstanding work. Student performance demonstrates full command of course material and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner. - 3.3 - 87-89
Very good work. Student performance demonstrates above average understanding of the course material and completes all requirements. - 3.0 - 84-86
Good work. Student performance demonstrates comprehension of the course material and completes all requirements. - 2.7 - 80-83
Average work. Student performance demonstrates less than full comprehension of the course material but attempts all tasks. - 2.3 - 77-79
Below average work - both in terms of comprehension and completeness. - 2.0 - 73-76
Extremely below average work - student performance demonstrates flawed understanding; assignments are incomplete. - 1.0 - 70-72
Extremely below average work - student performance does not indicicate comprehension of material; assignments are incomplete; major errors in logic, procedure, grammar. - 0.0 - 69 and below
Unacceptable work; major errors; missing assignments; performance does not reflect comprehension of course material. Academic failure.