Project #4: Community Listening Project by Owen Cantrell
Assignment: In this assignment, you will work with a community partner to help their organization communicate their message to a wider audience. Each project with vary depending on the partner and the semester.
This semester, we are working with Special Equestrians of Georgia. For our project, two groups will be working to complete videos. For Project #1—which two groups will be working on—you’ll be creating a main informational video for the organization. This older example might be useful as a model. For Project #2—which will also have two groups—you’ll be creating a fund-raising video that focuses on the horses and their relationship to the children. Ideally, instead of an overview of the organization, this video will take a “slice of life” tactic.
Technology: Students can use any technology that is useful in completing the task. Negotiating the final deliverable with the partner is essential in determining what they may want from your team. For editing the video, I’d suggest an easy to use platform such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker unless you are already familiar with video editing.
Audience: The audience(s) for this project are your community partner, professor, and a public audience. Depending on the needs of your partner, the deliverable you will be producing for them may vary in its intended audience. While some partners may want to use your work as promotional materials, while other partners may want to use your work as internal materials for the partner themselves. Make sure you are aware of the intended audience for your partner when working on the project.
Planning: For this Community Listening Project, you have four planning documents.
First, once you have settled on your teams, claimed the project you wish to work on, and composed an Initial E-mail to introduce yourself, I will ask you to have me review the final e-mail during class time. Once this draft has been approved, you may submit your e-mail as your first point of contact with the group.
Second, your team will submit a Proposed Project Plan for your project to be sent to me and to your community partner. This Progress Report should be a 250-300-word memo detailing your plan for the project, as well as any questions or concerns you may have.
For the final project, you will submit what you submitted to your partner in the same form that you sent it to them. I want to see the project as your partner will see it. Each group member should submit the link or file for this project to iCollege.
After you complete the project, you will also submit Blog #4: Reflection on Community Listening Project. For this blog, you will reflect on the community listening based project after you have completed it.
Grading: This Community Listening Project will be graded based on the following: 1) effective utilization of the affordances of chosen medium (audio, video, print) to fulfill partner’s needs; 2) demonstration of awareness of audience in both the infographic and edited video; and 3) professional communications and procedure when talking to your partnered group.
This Community Listening Project is worth 15 points or 15% of your course grade.
Resources, Tips & Suggestions
• Start early in deciding your project. The scope of your project will likely depend upon your partner in this project. Be sure to listen to their needs when meeting with the group.
• Have a clear sense of your project’s scope. Consider what you can get done within the time frame.
• I ask that you include me on any e-mail communications with your partner. Since communicating with the partner is part of your grade for this project, I need to evaluate your level of professionalism and clarity.
• Keep regular lines of communication with me open. If you are having troubles with your project, your team, or the partner, be sure to come visit me during office hours. Don’t wait until it’s too late to do anything.
Deliverables Checklist:
Initial E-mail: Sent via e-mail by Thursday, April 18th (by class time)
Proposed Project Plan: Sent via email by Tuesday, April 23rd by 5:00p
Community Listening Project to Partner for Revision: Sent via email by Sunday, April 28th at 12:00p
Community Listening Final Project: Sent via email by Tuesday, April 30th at 10:00a and submitted in iCollege
Blog #4: Reflection on Community Listening Project: Submitted to iCollege by Tuesday, April 30th by 11:59pm
