This page describes the objectives, project details, recommended approaches, hints and tips, submission guidelines, and evaluation standards for the Author Bio & Video/Podcast project.
The ABV establishes your professional/scholarly identity and expertise through a biographical statement and 60-second video. The ABV project challenges you to craft an appropriate, professional message that might create connections with readers/viewers.
Document type: memo, description, bio, video/podcast
Document length: 150 words (memo), 350 words (description), 50-100 words (bio), 60 seconds (video/podcast)
Project value: 200 points (50, profile description; 50, video draft; 100 final submission)
Evaluation rubric: _RPW324_Eval_AuthorBio.pdf
The Author Bio & Video/Podcast project asks that you develop and execute a plan for communicating your professional/scholarly identity, expertise, and values to interested community members, including prospective editors, publishers, followers, and peers. There are many ways of interpreting what that means and how best to accomplish such a goal. You may develop additional materials for your own promotion independent of the course, but for our purposes, you will produce a brief (50-100 word) biographical statement and one 60-second video/podcast. (If you choose, I will support the notion of producing two 30-second videos/podcast. If you produce multiple vids/podcast, each must meet the specifications and expectations described in this document.)
Your final project submission will include the following elements.
A memo of transmittal introduces the accompanying document to its audience(s). You will craft such a memo with each submission for the project. Your memos should be addressed from you to me, and should introduce the accompanying project. Your memos should incorporate the following content elements.
The Author Bio can accomplish many things. The best statements convey a sense of identity, expertise, professionalism, and personality. You can focus on general things, or on narrow ideas. Regardless of the approach, your bio should incorporate all of the following content and design elements.
When you prepare your initial description, use these content and design requirements as a guide for explaining to me how you intent to approach the project. Keep in mind the Recommended Approaches as well.
The Author Video/Podcast seeks to create a connection with your community. As with the bio, how you do so depends on how you define the purpose and approach for the project. Regardless of the approach, your video should incorporate all of the following content and design elements.
When you prepare your initial description, use these content and design requirements as a guide for explaining to me how you intent to approach the project. Keep in mind the Recommended Approaches as well.
Recommended tool(s): digital video camera, Adobe InDesign (or Scribus Team Scribus), Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Audition (or open-source Audacity), scanning device, Adobe Premier or Techsmith Camtasia
This section offers guidance for how to interpret the project, and for how to proceed with your work on it. Therefore, as you work, consider the following three strategies:
Perhaps the most difficult element of this project is determining who you are, what expertise you want to claim, and what values you want to convey. Doing so requires that you cast yourself in the role of worthy author. That is difficult to do if your experience in publishing is limited. That said, now is your chance to claim a sense of identity. As you ponder who you are and what you bring to your readers and the greater professional community, invest yourself in the task. This project offers you a mechanism for creating connections with prospective editors, publishers, followers, and peers.
There are so many ways you might approach this kind of document. Begin by considering several possibilities. Then you can determine the one (or two, or three) you want to produce this semester. Consider the following options.
How else might you approach this challenge?
Research author videos as a genre. You have ample tools and resources for doing so. What do you observe from reviewing their approaches, efforts? Design your video to present your content effectively, and to establish a strong professional ethos.
This section is designed to help you anticipate and avoid problems as you work on this project. Therefore, as you work, consider the following four hints and tips:
The heading says it clearly. Do not invest time in a project without also investing in the professional tools and technologies necessary for producing quality work. You have paid to have access to the proper equipment. Take advantage of that.
Be as specific and concrete as you can throughout your video(s). Details make the story. The more and more-tangible the details you incorporate, the more intelligent, aware, and professional you appear to be. That helps establish and maintain your credibility and authority.
Professional promotion materials are scrutinized more carefully by colleagues than any other documents. Strive for high levels of professionalism and consistency in your work.
The revisions and refinements you make from the draft to the final submission may help you understand your design process, and therefore your professional development in more-sophisticated ways. Archive your drafts of projects throughout your coursework, so you are able to examine your growth and maturation.
Read and attend carefully to these submission guidelines. Failure to do so may result in delays in receiving feedback on the draft of your project, or in points lost on the final evaluation of your project.
Create a project folder inside your shared class folder on Dropbox.com. Remember, I can only view files that you place inside the class folder. Until you place files in that space, you have not in practice submitted them.
However, do not share your project folder with me. I will not accept that invitation to view its contents. As long as you place your project files in the folder you created and shared in response to the Week 1 discussions, you are set for the semester.
Name the folder Author Bio & Video.
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the description and draft deadlines. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the final deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Note that the Feedback file is one you receive from me in response to your draft submission. Move it into your project folder when you assemble your final submission.
This section describes the standards by which your draft and final submissions will be evaluated.
There are 50 possible points each for the description and video draft. You will earn points according to the following standard.
There are 100 possible points for the final project. You will earn points according to the standard described on the policies page (40% content development, 20% design execution, and 20% professionalism & attention to detail, and 20% impact of revision; see Policies). The specific areas of emphasis for this project are drawn from the description and discussion of the project, and are detailed in the evaluation rubric (_RPW324_Eval_ProfileVideo.pdf).
Remember that I will only post the point values for projects on the Grades page in SVSU Canvas. I will post the details relevant to that evaluation in your class folder in a project-specific file.
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