Digital Assignment Examples

Digital Scholarship staff have supported a variety of types of digital assignments that range both in digital method and skill level.

Podcasting — Students are assigned to create a short podcast episode (usually around 5 minutes in length), usually taking the place of a more standard essay assignment. DS staff led workshops to introduce audio editing software and discuss storyboarding and other project management strategies. Under normal circumstances, students were also able to check out DSC microphones and use DSC space for recording.

Video Editing — Like podcasting, video assignments often substitute for an essay assignment or final project. In one support course, students worked in groups of four to research, author, peer review, and then record 3–5 minute videos composed of 5–6 slides that explained the significance of one object from the Pharaonic Period (3000–3332 BCE) for understanding gender in ancient Egypt. Videos included rich imagery of the object (and other images necessary to understand the object) with explanatory voiceover. These videos were similar to the idea behind the British Museum’s "History of the world in 100 objects" podcast.

Mapping — A number of instructors have assigned students to create an interactive, media-rich essay using the web-based tool StoryMaps. A more advanced course on the history of unfree migration required students to create multiple maps using the open source mapping software QGIS and the web-based ArcGIS Online. DS staff delivered workshops and developed custom tutorials for these courses.

Digital Exhibit Building — Student-created digital exhibits are best supported as group assignments scaffolded throughout the quarter and integrating source selection, digital skills, and topic exploration. These often take the place of a mid-semester project or a final project.  Timeline exhibits have focused student attention on how temporality affects their subject. Thinglink allows users to annotate images using text, other images, and online videos to call attention to specific aspects of that image and allow for close examination. For a more robust object-based virtual exhibit, we have hosted a quarter-long instance of Omeka, which allows the creation of object based virtual exhibits.

Visit What We Support to learn more about the digital methods and tools we can work with.