Final Project and Presentation (Due 12/5)

Your final project in this class will be an expansion or revision of something you began during our workshop sessions. This is the biggest and most significant task you will complete in the class, so you should be clear that this is a significant piece of work that demonstrates your learning development in the class. In addition to completing a final project, you will also complete an 5-minute presentation during which you will present and explain the project to me and your classmates.

Your proposal (due November 16) will detail what you plan to make, what medium you'll use, and how you plan to complete the project during the closing weeks of the semester. I will provide feedback on that proposal as well as on the final project.

Your project will consist of three parts: your project, a statement of goals and choices, and an 8-minute presentation.

Final Project

Your project should be uploaded to your "Work Samples" folder and/or handed in as a physical object, whichever form makes the most sense given your medium.

Statement of Goals and Choices

Title
Be creative with your title!

Content
What idea are you trying to express, or what argument are you trying to make? What is the goal of your project? What do you want the audience to gain from reading/interacting with/listening/watching your project? How have you conveyed the content you've chosen? What is the significance of the idea you're trying to express or the argument you are trying to make?

Medium
Why is this tool the best fit for what you want to do? What did you learn about the tool during our workshop that you will be applying in the final project? What does this tool do well? What is it built to do, and how does that help you with your project? What are the tool's limitations, and how will that affect the way you use it?

Writing and Design Process
Describe your writing and/or design process for the project. What drafts and revisions did you move through as you created it? Did you get feedback? Who provided it and how? What significant changes did the project undergo during this process?

Reflections
This section allows you to reflect on the process and product. What about the project are you most proud of? What might you have done differently if you repeated this project? Any other reflections are about your final project are welcome in this section.

There is no minimum or maximum number of words for this SOGC document, but it should be as detailed as possible.

Presentation

Everyone will deliver an 8-minute presentation about their project. That presentation should provide a condensed version of the Statement of Goals and choices document, explaining what your project is, what it aims to achieve, and why you've made the choices you have. In class, we will discuss approaches to slide design, and you should be attentive to those discussions. Your slides should not be lists of bullet points but should instead be designed carefully, using visuals to complement your presentation.

When providing feedback on final projects and presentations, here are the questions I will be asking:

  • Is it clear to your audience what your project is trying to accomplish (i.e. what idea you're trying to convey or what argument you're trying to make)?
  • Does the project show evidence that you've researched your chosen topic?
  • Have you made effective use of your chosen medium? Does the medium fit what you are trying to accomplish?
  • Is your project accessible? Can your audience effectively interact with/read/watch/listen to it?
  • Is your presentation carefully designed? Does it reflect that you've applied what we talked about in terms of slide design and time management? Does it observe the time limit?
  • Is your Statement of Goals and Choices complete, and does it offer a detailed account of your project and process?