Final Project Design and Evaluation: Discussion
As we continue to blaze our trail into uncharted territory, there are some essential elements of the final projects that we need to determine before taking our next steps: project definition and evaluation criteria. First, we will work in small groups, addressing the following questions, and then we will reconvene as a class to arrive at a consensus. Take notes during your small group discussion so that you can share your results with the entire class.
Project Definition:
1) What is reasonable to expect from the final research projects (keeping in mind the amount of time left in the quarter and your various backgrounds with photography)? There must be some written/textual component, some images, and some element of presentation, but the specifics of each are flexible. The project should be research based, using a variety of forms of research.
A. How much and what kind of writing is reasonable to expect?
B. How many finished images are reasonable to expect?
C. What forms of final presentation would be acceptable?
Here are some potential presentation options to get you started thinking.
1. A traditional photo essay, designed for a print publication such as Life, Time,NewYork Times Magazine, etc.
2. A website that presents text and images within a hyper-textual context
3. A museum/gallery exhibition
4. Other possible formats?
Another very important variable to consider is the potential to work together. Should these projects be individual or collaborative in nature? (If it were collaborative, however, each person should contribute to various aspects of the final project. Having one person do all the writing, another do all the photography, and a third do all the design would not be an option.) If you want to embrace a collaborative project, how could the work be distributed equally within the group?
Evaluation Criteria:
2) How should we evaluate the final products? Once you have determined what final format(s) are possible for the final project, we will need to establish evaluation criteria. Acknowledging that these projects have to be graded eventually, what criteria should we use to determine final grades? While a traditional research paper might be evaluated on elements such as strength of thesis, organization, integration of research, mechanics, and the like, a project that incorporates multiple media might not lend itself to similar evaluative concepts. What should we use instead? You might begin by thinking of evaluative categories and then determine how much weight should be devoted to each category. Keep in mind, if we want to encourage collaboration on these projects, how should we evaluate a collaborative project versus an individual project?