We will have a range of assignments that will allow you to think about and use programming.
- Posts, exercises and assignments 20%
- 3 Quizzes 15%
- Data Projects (3) 30%
- Final Project 25%
- Attendance/Participation 10%
Project 1 Update Personal Site– use Bootstrap, WordPress (or both) to update your personal portfolio site. Improve graphics, add content, change navigation, add new features. The site must be responsive. Make a professional looking portfolio site. This must be a significant improvement over your early projects from Web Design. If you use WordPress, this cannot be a site hosted on WordPress.com. This should be a self-hosted WordPress site on your own domain (like your final project in Web Design).
Web App Project 2 – Use the techniques you have learned in JavaScript and HTML/CSS to create a Web application that takes input from a user and provides something that changes the DOM. This can be a Buzzfeed-like quiz application, something that performs a calculation and/or creates a simple chart. Or something else interactive that you want to do. When you are finished with your application, load it to a subdomain. I will provide a form to capture your url.
For Project 2 and Project 3, it is best to be working with data and ideas for your final project, that will help build to the final presentation of data and content.
Data Project 3 due Nov. 13 by midnight- Interactive Charting – create a page that introduces multiple (more than one) charts and/or maps that is data-driven and can be changed by user interaction. Use the Google Charts API. Use data that you hope to use for the final project. You can submit this on a folder in your main domain. You should use data you plan to use for the final project. However, it’s ok if you change your mind about topic or data after doing this project. The page should have basic design elements (divs for layout, responsive, relevant graphics), but you don’t have to use Bootstrap for this one (you can if you want). Provide some basic description of what the data represents in the charts on the page. I will provide a link for you to submit this project.
Final Project due Dec. 9 – For the final project, you will be expected to tell a complete story using data. The project will need to be uploaded to the Web on your website using a subdomain that represents your project topic. Use a Bootstrap installation (no WordPress for this one) to hold your files and create your site that includes your files, text and visuals. The project can have text, multimedia in the form of photos and video.
Data will need to be a key component, and you will provide the users a way to interact with data in some manner (manipulate the DOM). You must have multiple, interactive charts/maps based on the users’ input and at least one area where you filter a dataset with a user’s input (either a dropdown or text input).
You will need to select appropriate sources for interviews and cite properly in the project. Your page may be a single page or a multi-page reporting project. You will decide the layout and navigation of the site. Keep the user experience in mind.
You will be graded on the following areas:
Text Content and overall approach – 20% – the project answers a question that is important to your audience. Content is clear and free of spelling or grammatical errors. Article is well written and has a relevant flow. Include your name and email address and any other pertinent information about you as author somewhere in the site. As relevant, include links to outside resources.
Coding – 25% – coding for the project is done well. You use proper coding standards to ensure functionality of all elements. Use a templating site like Bootstrap. But you will probably have other elements of code on the site, like JavaScript or code as it relates to your data elements.
Data – 25% – Data is a significant portion of this project and should be key to the storytelling. Find data sources that relate to your topic and present properly within the story. Data presentation must be interactive, which means the user should be able to interact with something on the page that changes the DOM. You may use multiple forms, charts, maps, tables or other ways to present data.
Design – 15% – pages are to be designed properly. Refer to information from the Web design class to make sure you use good design principles, proper page titles, functioning navigation, effective layout. If you need to, feel free to refer to content on my Web Design site.
Multimedia 5% – multimedia (photos, slideshows and/or video) accompany the story and add to the presentation. Photo captions help tell a story, not just define what is in each photo. Visual elements add interest to the page. You may use YouTube to host the videos, but be sure to embed them properly in the page so they flow with the rest of the story.
Creativity/Innovation – 10% – you are expected to exercise a significant amount of creativity for this project. Creativity can be exercised through choice of topic, approach, use of data, use of charts/maps, in your design, in your multimedia. Simply providing the minimum elements will not be enough to achieve the highest grade. You must create a project that is worthy of public presentation on a professional site. Review a variety of great work to get inspiration for creativity.
You will post your Final Project url (using a subdomain) here.
I want to be WOWed!
Grading
For all projects, the following rubric will be utilized. Degrees within each grade may be handled by + and – . Since this is an advanced course in the Digital Media Innovation curriculum, we have high expectations for the execution of work in this course.
A – All requirements are met and are executed exceptionally well. Creativity evident in execution and some aspects of the project go beyond requirements.
B – All requirements are met and are executed in an acceptable manner. There is some creativity evident in execution, but the project does not go beyond requirements.
C – Most requirements are met and are executed in an acceptable manner. There is minimal creativity evident in execution and the project does not go beyond requirements.
D – Some requirements are not met or are not executed in an acceptable manner. No creativity evident in execution.
F – Failure to deliver on several of the requirements of the project in an acceptable manner.