Multimedia Challenge: Comics

Your goal is to develop an original educational comic (12-20 panels) that teaches the reader about some idea or concept through the use of text and image. You will utilize a design process, track your progress, and engage in peer review.

As you complete this project, you will be able to:

• Apply storytelling principles in creating effective learning opportunities
• Utilize text and imagery in a complimentary manner
• Evaluate educational comics and make suggestions for improvement
• Iterate on your project with peer feedback to refine and improve your work.
• Engage in design thinking to create multimedia learning projects

Why Comics?

Design Documentation

Your project submission should include your final comic, the prototype comic, and the entire design process. The process you follow to create your project is where most of your learning occurs, and as a result, the majority of your grade will be based on that process. So it is crucial that you record all of your design decisions. The key to success is to work through a clear design process and to justify your choices by referencing class readings and other literature.

Here is a template for you to document your work. This template is designed to guide your team through the design and creation of your project and includes the expected phases listed above.

Prototype

Your prototype is the first draft of your final project. You can share it as a web page, a document with clear project documentation, or a blog post. The prototype can be a rough sketch of your comic—it doesn’t have to be perfect. The key is to clearly get your point across.

Along with your prototype, please include your Understand and Plan phases. These don’t need to be perfect or complete; you’ll have a chance to refine them later. Please utilize this template.

Submit your prototype in the Mattermost channel here: Multimedia Critique and Challenges.

Providing Peer Review (10%)

You will be assigned two of your peers prototypes to provide feedback to (~500 words each). The instructor will setup a private channel so only the reviewer, reviewee, and instructor can see the feedback. One of the best ways we can grow individually and as a team is through the process of feedback. Both offering and receiving peer feedback can be hard, scary, and emotional – please consider your words carefully for constructive and actionable comments. Please reach out to your instructor at anytime for any kind of support.

Some prompts for feedback:

Examples

Review these past student projects to see the many different ways this challenge has been approached. Use them as inspiration while you brainstorm your own ideas. These examples aren’t meant to be “perfect” models—think critically about what works well and how you might apply course theories to improve, adapt, or differentiate your own final artifact.

• Therese Taruc: Chicken Adobo – An Educational Comic
• Roman Hudson: Calm, Plan, Solution
• Caelan Street: A Journey Through the Digestive System
• Julia Snidanko: How We Encode Memories So They Stick
• Kushank Virdi – Dispersion of White Light

Assessment Rubric

	0 – 2 (Needs Additional Work)	3 (Marginally Meets Expectations)	4 (Fully Meets Expectations)	5 (Exceeds Expectations)
Peer Review (10%)	Feedback is minimal, generic, or unhelpful. Lack of understanding of the project’s goals. It is delivered in an emotionally harmful manner.	Feedback lacks depth, is brief, and/or is unactionable. There is insufficient understanding of the project.	Feedback is thoughtful, specific, and actionable. The tone is positive, constructive, and respectful.	Feedback is exceptionally insightful, comprehensive, and emotionally intelligent. There is a deep analysis of the project and connection to theory.
Understand (5%)	Poorly defined challenge Insufficient audience description Off-target POV statement Learning outcomes inadequately described Lack of effort is apparent	Challenge is overly simple, unmanageable, or partially defined Audience description is limited POV statement is marginally effective Learning outcomes need refinement	Clear, manageable learning challenge with well-elaborated context. Audience and needs are effectively described. POV statement is clear and effective. Learning objectives and sub-objectives are well-defined. Thoughtful effort evident.	Exceptional focus and context, with an outstanding description of audience needs, goals, skills, and resources. POV statement is highly insightful. Learning outcomes are professional and comprehensive. Clear, thoughtful communication and exceptional effort.
Plan (5%)	Inadequate storyboard/script Few or no connections to multimedia principles Effort is insufficient	Adequate but unrefined storyboard/script Storyboard seems to have been created to match the prototype (instead of the other way) Limited connections to multimedia principles Plan lacks clarity or originality	Relevant and focused topic with a good solution plan. Clearly engaged in a design process with ideation and refinement. Storyboard/script is functional and clear, with authentic hand-drawn graphics and text. Effectively connects to multimedia principles.	Exceptionally focused and relevant topic with a clear, detailed plan. Engaged in an exceptional process of design with iteration evident. Outstanding storyboard/script with strong hand-drawn graphics and text, and notes for implementation. Extensive application of multimedia, design, and user-experience principles.
Reflect and Refine (5%)	Minimal or defensive response to feedback. Few substantive revisions. Limited individual reflections.	Limited reflection on feedback or incomplete revisions. Individual reflections are brief or lack depth.	Thoughtful and complete reflection on feedback. Effective revisions descriptions addressing major concerns. Individual reflections are clear and collaborative.	Exceptional reflection on feedback and thoughtful explanations of revisions to the prototype. Insights into strengths, limitations, and potential improvements are outstanding. Individual reflections are constructive and thorough.
Project Artifact (5%)	Significant deviations from the plan Poor application of multimedia principles Limited tool mastery or poor user experience	Limited use of multimedia principles Marginal evidence of effort, tool mastery, or user experience Weak initial prototype or late submission Limited refinement after feedback	Faithful to the plan and effectively addresses the challenge. Good application of multimedia principles. Competent tool mastery and positive user experience. Some refinement made after feedback.	Excellent alignment with the plan, fully addressing the challenge, to make a 12-20 panel, educational comic. Exceptional application of multimedia, design, and user-experience principles. Mastery of the chosen tool and an outstanding user experience. Solid revisions made after feedback on initial prototype.