The Design for a Better World Screencast (DBWS) project results in a 6 minute screencast video that distills the core elements of your DBW project. The DBWS is challenging because it requires you to briefly present a complex project in a dynamic, highly visual medium. The first submission for this project is the final submission.
For this project, the first submission is the final submission. Project files are submitted to a DBW Screencast folder in your shared course space on Dropbox.com.
For the full list of files and submission details, see Submission Requirements.
The DBW Screencast brings together elements of research, design, writing, and oral communication into a presentation for professional (i.e., educated, but nonexpert) listeners/viewers. Two strategies are key to your success with the project: creating a connection with audience members; and, discussing in detail how your proposed program of solutions represents an effective response to the wicked problem you examine.
The DBW Screencast highlights communication concepts and strategies that complement those emphasized in the Design for a Better World project. Both assignments focus on effective writing, design, and audience connection. The Screencast project adds presentation and video production to the mix.
Just as there are multiple layers of formality in writing, the same is true of public speaking. Presentations take many forms: formal events at professional meetings, leading discussion in meetings, providing updates on projects in the moment and on the fly. This project combines elements of many different types of presentations.
Video was already on the rise as a medium of communication prior to the pandemic. It has become a daily staple of industrial practice during the past few years. Although the technologies for video production are less expensive and more accessible than ever, implementing them into the communication process still requires time and strategy. This project offers you opportunities to consider how to use video effectively into your academic & professional communication toolkit.
Deliverables: memo, screencast video, screening document
Document scope: 150 words (memo), 6 minutes (screencast), variable (screening doc)
Project value: 200
Evaluation rubric: _Eval_DBWScreencast.pdf
Recommended tool(s): Techsmith Capture, ByteDance Capcut, Screencast-O-matic.com for the screencast; Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides for the on-screen document; microphone; headphones
The DBW Screencast project distills the core arguments from the Design for a Better World essay into a 6 minute video. Build your screencast on the foundation of your research on and experience with your chosen wicked problem and proposed solutions.
Your screening document (that is, the document from which you record your screencast video) should stand in as an effective representation of your DBW essay even without your presence as a presenter. That means viewers (or readers) ought to be able to discern the core details and explanations from the content available on each screen. However, the document should be designed to serve primarily as the on-screen object during your screencast recording.
To meet these ends, your screening document must incorporate the following content and design elements. (Note that the first 6 content elements serve as an outline for your presentation as well.)
Remember that you should not feel compelled to explain how your proposed solutions will solve the problem you have framed. Part of the definition of a wicked problem is that we likely cannot tell if we have solved it until we are well into the process of attempting to do so. Instead, explain what progress toward a possible solution might look like.
Record your screencast video using the screening document as your designated recording window. Use the content from that document as the basis for your presentation. Avoid reading it to viewers. Rather, bring it to life through your discussion.
Test the resulting video file prior to submitting your project. Make sure that the audio is strong and clear and free of background noises, and make sure that the video is free of glitches.
When you are done recording, save/export your video in MP4 format. This is the most universal, and will result in the fewest problems.
Set up your video for streaming by posting it to Screencast.com (or another streaming service). One advantage of Screencast.com over some other services is that you control whether or not your files are publicly accessible. Copy the SHARE link for your posted video, and add it to your Memo (details below) prior to submission of the project.
A memo of transmittal introduces the accompanying document to its audience(s). Your memo should be addressed from you to me, and should introduce the accompanying project. Your memo should incorporate the following content elements.
This section offers guidance for how to interpret the project and how to proceed with your work on it. Consider the following strategies.
You establish your writer/designer ethos with the way you present your descriptive details. Be as specific and concrete as you can throughout your discussion. The more details you incorporate into your video, the more observant you appear to be. That helps establish and maintain your credibility and authority. However, it is also important to focus on the details that truly matter for understanding and interpreting the problem and for understanding your proposed solutions. Focus on the details that are important to understanding the topic you discuss.
Consider what viewers might find most useful. Provide as much detail, explanation, and evaluative discussion as you can in the allotted time.
All topics are more easily understood through visual representation. Provide relevant images that illustrate the problem or that show the solutions you propose.
Establish a connection between your audience and the problem. Sustain that connection throughout your video. Consider what would help you create a connection to a topic, issue, or author, and seek to develop such connections with your audience now.
Remember that communication in many professional or academic contexts values highly the ability to write and speak with economy, directness, and professionalism. Another way of saying this is to make every word count. Stay focused on the details necessary to understand the problem you discuss, the research you conducted, and the solutions you propose. Write and rewrite until your explanations make sense, and represent careful, concise, professional communication.
Focus on the little and big details. Proofread your on-screen document carefully. Make sure your audio is strong and clear. Review what you say and how you say it. Check the quality of your audio and video. Redo material that does not meet expectations. Test your SHARE link after you add it to the Memo.
Design a document that presents completely the DBW project's core content. Because you will record a screencast of your movement through this document, it is most effective to design a document that fits on screen and requires no scrolling. That means using the landscape orientation rather than portrait in your design package.
I recommend Microsoft Word for this project. Word offers the best compromise of design power and ease of use. If you are familiar with a more-advanced tool such as InDesign, you may feel more comfortable using it instead. Your transitions between pages during the screencast will go more smoothly if you convert your screening doc to PDF before you record your video. That way you can use the arrow keys to move from screen to screen rather than scrolling through your document.
I offer this caution about using Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides. Although a slideshow created in one of these packages suits your needs for this task, as we have discussed already in class, I strongly recommend that you avoid using any templates provided by either company. Such templates are designed to meet outdated standards for projected documents, and are not at all appropriate for a professional document such as the one you need to create here.
Screencasting tools allow you to designate a recording window, which may be a portion of your computer screen or the whole screen. The contents of that window are recorded during the screencasting process. Designate the screening document as your recording window, rather than the whole screen. This is more professional. However, it is also more effective because it eliminates unnecessary screen content, and may allow you to record the screencast document at a larger scale.
Plan and rehearse your presentation so that you use the time allotted to you for your presentation. It is often obvious when presenters have not planned well or rehearsed their presentation. In such cases, they may have little to say, or struggle to do more than read from their screening document, or or simply stop because their time is running out. You do not have much time to discuss your topic, and thus need to emphasize organization in your planning. Plan the general presentation sections and the key details from each. Work your way through the topics toward your conclusion.
Once you have completed your recording, review your screencast to make sure that (1) your delivery is professional, coherent, and well paced, (2) your video is clear and free of flaws, and (3) your audio is clear, audible, and free of distracting clicks or other background sounds.
Although it is possible to upload a video file (typically an .mp4 format file), such files can be large. Screencast.com allows you to share a link with others that, when selected, provides access to a video stream. Always test your link before you submit your project.
Read and attend carefully to these submission guidelines. Failure to do so may result in delays in receiving feedback on the early stages of your project, or in points lost on the final evaluation of your essay.
Create a project folder inside your shared class folder on Dropbox.com. Remember, I can only view files that you place inside the shared folder. Until you place files in that space, you have not in practice submitted them.
Name the folder DBW Screencast.
Note. Do not share this folder with me. By placing it in your class folder, you have already shared it by default.
Make sure the project documents are available to me in the project folder by the final deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples.
Note. Do not share the individual files with me. By placing them in your project folder, you have already shared them by default.
Take the time to organize your work as directed here and to name each file properly. This helps me keep track of your work, and makes clear which files are meant to represent the on-going and final stages of project development. If I cannot locate or identify files when I complete your final project assessment, it will result in points lost.
The project submission is worth 200 possible points. You will earn points according to the standard described on the policies page (see Policies for a description of these categories).
The specific areas of emphasis for the DBW project are drawn from this description and our discussions of the project (including the supporting teaching materials that I provide to you along the way). Review the project rubric (_Eval_DBWScreencast.pdf) for the specific qualities and characteristics emphasized in each evaluation category.
Remember that I will only post the point values for projects on the Grades page in SVSU Canvas. I will provide the supporting details relevant to that evaluation in your class folder in a project-specific file. Look for a Microsoft Word file in your shared class space on Dropbox with a filename that that follows this pattern:
YourLastName_Eval_DBWScreencast.docx.
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