My presentation focuses on a course designed for English majors to teach them about digital media. The course promoted experiential learning, as students were challenged to learn a variety of digital tools to create new and innovative projects for local nonprofits. The course addressed several critical needs both within the classroom and in the community. Many students in the humanities lack experience working with and understanding the rhetorical affordances of digital media. As students acquired this knowledge in the classroom, they then produced digital marketing projects for their local nonprofit while building their individual portfolios. Many of these organizations otherwise would not have the funds/resources to produce such projects on their own. Additionally, the course featured a series of digital badges that students could earn to frame and market their digital skills to future employers.
The impetus behind the course design was to provide an online framework where students critically thought about digital media for real-world applications, both inside and outside of the traditional classroom, with classmates and with external audiences. Sample student projects included infographics, podcasts, screencasts, vlogs, meme campaigns, among others. Students synthesized course concepts in unique ways, gained valuable skills working with digital media, and provided a service to the local nonprofit community.
Mark Mabrito