assessment

Deadlines

Research (seminar) presentations: Thursday 29 March and Thursday 10 May
Research Portfolio: Thursday 10 May

Asessment method
You will be assessed using the following methods:

• A research presentation (25%)
• A research portfolio, including a weekly-updated research blog (75%)
The above course work will test the learning outcomes for the unit and, more generally, the learning outcomes of level two. The pass mark for this unit is 40%. In addition students must obtain at least 30% in each separate assessment. The portfolio will be based upon research into an area of digital and new media. You will be given more detail about this and the presentations by your tutor.
Research Presentation
You are required to give a 15-minute presentation on your chosen theme and case study, outlining the key elements and questions for your research, which provide the framework for your research portfolio. The oral presentation must include audio-visual material. Each presentation will be followed by 10 minutes of questions from the group. The presentation will take place in Week 9. The oral presentation accounts for 25% of the overall mark for the unit.

Research Portfolio, including weekly-updated blog
The research portfolio is a hard copy (print out) of your blog, and should document the research you have undertaken into a case study during the unit, to exemplify your selected theme. Your research should be about social media, making some reference to the impact of digital technology and online learning/research environments; you should focus on one particular theme. Themes might include:

• social computing
• folksonomies
• photo-sharing
• podcasting
• new media art in Second Life
• new learning collaborative environments

The weekly blog is a space (textual and audio-visual) for your research, to store reference URLs, and to document notes and feedback on discussions. When you use material from the web, you need to contextualise or annotate your selections. It may help to answer the three questions: 1) Who is the creator of this document? 2) What does it give me that none of the other documents do in my research?, and 3) How did I find it? Did I find it in a Google search or a database perhaps? Did I find it through tags or an RSS feed, or whatever the strategy?

The research portfolio should be compiled from the readings you have made each week and the research you have carried out independently, including notes and URLs from your blog, and notes from discussions within the seminars. The portfolio should also include responses to the questions set in relation to critical visual methodologies you used in your research. When assessing the research portfolio we will be looking for the following:

• A contextual statement with a rationale for choosing the theme
• Development of the ideas you are exploring on your selected theme
• Use of well selected audio-visual material (including screenshots, diagrams, images)
• The citing of URLs used for research material and references.
• Evaluation of the research process (indication of chosen visual methodologies)
• Clear headings and subheadings
• Comprehensive and accurate referencing of both academic and professional sources, laid out according to the Harvard referencing system

When compiling the portfolio it is important that you explain the significance of any research undertaken. The document should be well edited, professionally produced and bound. Whilst there is no standard format for the portfolio, please make sure that the portfolio includes:

• A title page
• A numbered contents page
• An appendix of any relevant material, or project documentation including a completed student self-assessment and presentation record forms

The research portfolio, including the weekly blog, accounts for 75% of the overall mark for the unit.