HIS 3630 is not a lecture-heavy history class.
In a project-based learning course, students succeed when completing reading assignments, maintaining a reasonable and effective work schedule, and asking any and all questions. Reading and working on assignments ahead of time encourages constructive conversations—both in class and online. The role of the instructor is to coach, guide, and mentor students, but above all to develop a positive learning environment as we explore the intersection of technology and history.
IMPORTANT! Teaching History with New Media takes a broad approach to education—it primarily addresses 9-12 history/social studies education, but it also considers museum and other forms of public history.
Use this Pacing Schedule to stay on track in HIS 3630
Late work tickets: No more than four can be used to submit late work without penalty. Use this Google Form. [The late-work ticket cannot be used for the Final Exam]
Assignments
Engagement: 10%
Readings Analysis (Zotero Notes): 20%
Digital tool / research topic with Lesson/Presentation Plan: 30%
- Preliminary Assignments + First Draft (up to 15%) / Final Draft (up to 15%)
Researching, Collecting, and Archiving (Omeka) Project: 30%
- Individual work is 2/3 of the final grade; group work is 1/3 of the final grade
Final Exam: 10%
Grading Scale
- A [93+] / A- [92-90]
- B+ [89-87] / B [86-83] / B- [82-80]
- C+ [79-77] / C [76-73] / C- [72-70]
- D+ [69-67] / D [66-63] / D- [62-60]
- F [59 or less]
Assignment Descriptions & Rubric
ENGAGEMENT [10 pts.]
Your engagement matters. It helps to build a shared learning community. Engagement includes regular attendance, but also the quality of contributions you offer to the class conversation. So, engagement implies doing the work (reading, taking notes, completing assignments) so you can offer something of value to the class discussions and activities.
- As a required course option for majors in the History Education Program, HIS 3630 uses the HEP’s attendance and late work policies.
- Attendance: Students are allowed to miss up to four (4) class sessions, with update notifications and a required meeting with the instructor scheduled after the third absence. Students will automatically fail HIS 3630 after their fifth absence.
- Engage Self-Assessment Form (link – also on AsuLearn)
READING ANALYSIS: Zotero Notes [20 pts.]
There are 10 weeks of readings, all of which have multiple reading selections. Your task this semester is to submit a reading analysis for 7 of the 10 possible weeks by leaving a “Note” for the readings in the HIS 3630 Zotero Group library. You choose the weeks to complete this assignment, which, of course, means you also take three (3) weeks off. You also choose which reading to focus on each week!
To submit …
- Go to the HIS 3630 Zotero Group library, click on the “Directions” folder, and read its three notes. DO NOT EDIT these notes.
- The template for notes is provided in the HIS 3630 group folder (#2). Other notes offer specific directions (#1) and an example (#3).
- Copy the template (#2), paste it in the note you will add to reading, and edit/complete. Changes will save automatically.
- Try to post at least four (4) Zotero Notes by the midterm point of the semester.
- Self-Assessment Form (link – also on AsULearn)
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECT & DIGITAL TOOL SELECTION [30 pts.]
This project asks students to select a topic in history, research it, and then select a digital tool that can help audiences make sense of the topic (help “history come alive”). The final digital product will be accompanied by a complete lesson or presentation plan using the product(s) you develop for instruction. [2/19 – First draft of Lesson/Presentation Plan now due by Feb 26]
Target a 90-minute lesson for a high school social studies class OR a 60-minute guided tour/presentation/activity at a museum or historical site.
The following are just some categories of digital tools for history:
- Social media platforms (i.e. BlueSky, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, Academia.edu, Instagram, etc.)
- Chronological presentations (like a digital timeline)
- Geographic or spatial presentations
- Data-heavy presentations (Wordle, Tableu, data visualizations)
- Multimedia narratives
- Digital Storytelling (DST)
- Image collections or galleries
- Presentation tools
- Primary-source analysis tools
RESEARCH, COLLECTING, & ARCHIVING HISTORY ONLINE [30 pts.]
In this project, we will use tools like Zotero, Google Docs, and video/photo/audio editing tools to create an Omeka.net website. The goal for this project is to better understand how an individual and group can research and collect/archive materials for online use.
You will work in a group of 3-4. The final project includes all major elements – research, collecting, writing – to produce an online exhibit. Each student will be responsible for curating and publishing 10 items. The whole group is responsible for organizing items into 3-4 collections, constructing an About page or Exhibition pages, writing descriptions for each collection, creating and posting a lesson/presentation plan that makes use of the Omeka website, and a Works Cited page.
What is the project’s focus? Explaining the history and significance of (your research topic) in 30-40 items, across 3-4 collections. [Take time to analyze Omeka sites using this worksheet]
- You will assessed on your own contribution (2/3 of your grade) & the group product as a whole (1/3 of your grade).
- Both assessments will follow a grading rubric (click button to view).
FINAL EXAM [10 pts.]
Your FINAL EXAM will be submitted by Exam Day: May 8 (8-10:30 am). No submissions will be accepted after the end of the testing window at 10:30am. We can discuss ideas, but it will most likely include either a formal essay paper, or digital-based oral/visual presentation.
Task: Use appropriately-selected readings from this semester, as well as your individual research to: a) explain how digital tools are reshaping how we teach and learn history; and b) assess the ways in which concepts like “teaching,” “history,” “technology,” and “the digital age” have changed your understanding of people learn about the past.
NEW! There are two versions: the first is a standard final exam essay, which has been available all semester. An alternative version asks students to also use an AI tool—Claude.ai—and write a brief comparative analysis.
