Prof. Cameron Blevins

Introduction to Digital Studies
HIST 3260/5260 | COMM 3081/5081
M/W 2:00-3:15pm
North Classroom 1608
Office Hours: W. 3:30-4:30pm
TA Office Hours: M. 12:30-1:30pm

Assignment Overview

For your final project, you will be producing some kind of digital product that is going to be useful to you. I will be working with you over the course of the semester to develop a feasible project and plan for completion. You can approach this project in a few different ways. You might use it as an opportunity to dive deep into a particular method or technology (say, ArcGIS Story Maps or Tableau Public) in order to establish your competence with it. Or your can orient the project around having a finished product to show to potential employers as part of a larger portfolio of digital work. Or you can simply use this as an excuse to research a topic you’re passionate about and communicate that research in new ways. Again, I urge you to think creatively and carefully about what kind of project will be most beneficial to you. To that end, I would suggest that each of you keep a project journal over the course of the semester in which you jot down ideas or links to articles and tools might be useful.

You will present your final projects during the last week of the semester, during which you will receive feedback from your peers and Professor Blevins. You will then make revisions and submit a final version of the project.

  • Project idea due on Canvas by April 14th at 11:59pm
  • Draft of final project due on Canvas by May 1st at 12:30pm
  • In-class presentation of final project on May 1st at 2:00pm.
  • Revised final project and reflection due on Canvas by May 10th at 11:59PM

Project Idea

Write a 300-400 word idea for your final project that includes the following:

  • What is the format of the project - ie. video, website, etc.?
  • What topic are you going to focus on?
  • What specific sources, data, or other material will you need to build your project and what is your plan to find/collect it? (Be specific - don’t just say “I need photos.”)
  • What are your goal(s) for this project? Is this about learning a new skill, developing proficiency in an existing one, researching and communicating a particular topic, building something you can showcase to an employer, etc.?
  • What kind of challenges are you anticipating?
  • Is there anything in particular you would like feedback on?

Tips for choosing a project idea:

Project idea due on Canvas by April 14th at 11:59pm

Draft of Project

You will be submitting a draft of your final project during the last week of class. Submit this draft on Canvas through a media file upload, URL to website, etc. (consult with Prof. Blevins ahead of time on the format of the submission). You will then give a 5-minute presentation of the project to a group of classmates. The goal of this step of the project is to get feedback so that you can incorporate revisions into the final submission.

  • Intro (1 min.): Overview of the project’s topic, format, and your own learning goals
  • Demonstration (3 min.): Present a few specific excerpts or parts of project that give your audience a sense for the overall project - choose these ahead of time & do NOT try to cover everything!!
  • Ask for help (1 min.): Are there parts of the project that have been challenging or that you want feedback on?

Draft of final project due on Canvas by May 1st at 12:30pm (in-class presentation on May 1st)

Final Project Revision

Your final project is due during finals week. You will submit two things on Canvas:

  1. Final Project - media file upload, URL to website, etc. (consult with Prof. Blevins ahead of time on the format of the submission)
  2. Project Reflection - a 400-500 word written description of the project that addresses the following:
  • Title of the project
  • Introduction/overview the project (2-3 sentences)
  • Description of research process: How did you find/gather material? How did you put it together? What challenges did you run into?
  • Description of project revisions: what feedback did you get on your draft and how did you address that feedback in your revised project?
  • List of sources, data, and any other material you used for your project

Revised final project and reflection due on Canvas by May 10th at 11:59PM

Examples of Previous Final Projects in Introduction to Digital Studies

Podcast episode on fast fashion (excerpt)


Promotional video for outdoor recreational group (excerpts):

StoryMap of Historic Black American Sites in Colorado

Data visualization of Longmont Museum’s historic photograph collection