HISTORY 390: A POST-MORTEM

SHARON M. LEON -- RRCHNM, GEORGE MASON

@SLEONCHNM

6FLOORS.ORG/BRACKET/

THE COURSES

History 390, Section 002: Spring 2013

http://6floors.org/teaching/HIST390/

History 390, Section 002: Fall 2013

http://6floors.org/teaching/HIST390/fall2013/

THE DIFFERENCESSpring 2013• Row seating

• Practicum at home before class

• Group Projects

• Open content focus for projects

Fall 2013• Active learning

classroom

• Practicum in class

• Individual Projects

• Single content focus for projects (American immigration)

LEARNING GOALSSpring 2013• Master the skills that make up the

General Education Information Technology requirement.

• Learn how to do historical research and scholarship using a range of tools and resources that are available on the web.

• Become familiar with the general history of information and the development of information technology.

Fall 2013• Master the skills that make up the

General Education Information Technology requirement.

• Do historical research and scholarship using a range of tools and resources that are available on the web.

• Become familiar with key issues in American Immigration History.

• Develop and publish historical scholarship on the web, offering multiple analytical perspectives on research question of your choosing.

• Work collaboratively with other people towards a common goal.

SPRING 2013, STUDENTS (36)

FALL 2013, STUDENTS (45)

HISTORY EXPERIENCE

SPRING 2013

Taken a methods course?

2

Written a seminar paper from original primary source research?

13

FALL 2013

Taken a methods course?

11

Written a seminar paper from original primary source research?

27

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY @ GEORGE MASON

1. Students will be able to use technology to locate, access, evaluate, and use information, and appropriately cite resources from digital/electronic media.

2. Students will understand the core IT concepts in a range of current and emerging technologies and learn to apply appropriate technologies to a range of tasks.

3. Students will understand many of the key ethical, legal and social issues related to information technology and how to interpret and comply with ethical principles, laws, regulations, and institutional policies.

4. Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate, create, and collaborate effectively using state-of-the-art information technologies in multiple modalities.

5. Students will understand the essential issues related to information security, how to take precautions and use techniques and tools to defend against computer crimes.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTSEach digital history project should contain the following items:

1. Omeka.net site with 6 to 8 primary sources in a range of types. The sources should be fully described using both Dublin Core and Item Type metadata.

2. At least one exhibit within that Omeka.net site that answers you research question. The exhibit should draw on evidence from the primary sources within the site and other key secondary literature from the field of immigration history. In total, the exhibit should include 2,000-2,500 words of well-crafted prose that offers your original argument in answer to your question. All use of secondary material should be fully documented using the Chicago Manual of Style for footnotes.

3. The inclusion of at least one interactive map within the exhibit or the site more broadly. You should offer an interpretation for how the map helps answer your research question.

4. The inclusion of at least one data visualization within the exhibit or the site more broadly. You should offer an interpretation for how the visualization helps answer your research question.

5. The inclusion of at least one large-scale textual analysis within the exhibit or the site more broadly. You should offer an interpretation for how the analysis helps answer your research question.

6. A comprehensive bibliography for the secondary sources informing your work.

7. An “about” page that offers a reflection on the research question and your rationale for organizing the site the way that you did.

SPRING 2013, GRADES

FALL 2013, GRADES

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• Require fewer outcomes

• Scaffold assignments more

• Set more boundaries

• Offer more examples of successful work

• Structure the collaboration more

• Seed the groups with majors and advanced students

WHAT’S NEXT?• More basic information literacy; Less internet history

• More close analysis of selected materials, more frequently during the semester

• More explicit conversation about the general uses of the tools, outside of the context of history work

• Back to group projects with more structured collaboration

• Introduction of Omeka.net at the beginning of the course• Assigned topic areas with selected universe of sources• Less emphasis on framing a research question• Two carefully described primary sources per student• One exhibit section each• Collaborative production of the maps and visualizations

through the course of the semester