Final Project grades have now been made available via ELMS. Projects were graded according to the rubric established in the syllabus:

understanding and use of narrative elements

appropriateness of the platform for your narration

use of the technology

quality of the overall project.

There were four specific factors we looked for within these criteria:

That the product used storytelling devices correctly (plot, character, narrative arc)

That there was a clear persuasive element to the product (a story with no point of view or claims to be made didn’t cut it)

That the visual and audio elements were consistent with the storytelling elements and that there was a specific point to their use

That the digital elements enriched the product and were carefully selected

The instructors met in person and discussed each project individually for these elements, provided their own verbal assessments, and collaboratively graded the final product. The grade you earned represented the groups’ assessment of the product.

The four highest scoring projects received almost perfect marks by doing the following:

Building out their technical platform beyond perfunctory linking

Moved beyond a simple storytelling arc to allow the viewer to engage story elements independently of the narrative

Used the visual and audio elements to enrich the storytelling arc

Provided clear character motivations and persuasive tactics

For examples of these successes, please check out:

Dani and Tyreese’s http://reeseag14.wix.com/business-or-pleasure which not only used the story site but leveraged other platforms to create character depth and engagement

Kelsey’s http://mith.umd.edu/digitalstorytelling/2012/12/14/secret-storytelling/ which used classification as a way to create story elements

Jason’s careful use of sound and visual elements to enrich his machinama

Alexis’ interesting use of textual and video materials that rebuilt the mentor’s program into a story of community http://dccmentors.wordpress.com/