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Welcome to Senior Capstone!
First and foremost, we recognize that we are embarking on this learning experience during the third year of our global pandemic when there is so much uncertainty in our lives. We are showing up at the table this semester with a lot of anxieties and concerns. We recognize this and believe it is most important we go through the year in support of one another. We commit to supporting you and advocating for your needs throughout the academic year.

This yearlong project-based course is the culmination of your digital media studies degree when you design something fantastic. Together. Collaboratively. Although we will mentor you and support you in your endeavors, this seminar is really about you learning through collaboration to make something whose sum is greater than any individual parts. Your success or failure will depend on how well you handle the challenges and situations we’ve designed for you in the year ahead.

Throughout this process, we will be your way-finder, your advocate, your toughest critic, and your biggest fan. At the end of the day though, it’s largely up to you.

The challenges of conceiving, designing, building, and launching a project in only eight months is thrilling and daunting (to you and us both!). This seminar will guide you through the design process, provide you with some allies and critics, outfit you with ideas and resources, and demand that you produce the best work that you can, individually and as a team. This semester will be spent implementing interdisciplinary and innovative strategies to the process of designing your capstones.

Course Overview
This course is in person and online in 2022/2023.

This term we will:

• Find viable projects whose members possess the talents actualize them.
• Take stock of the skills, time, research, and resources you need to complete these capstones by April.
• Build, test, and refine prototypes
• Compete for funding for equipment.

In addition and throughout the year, we will engage in creative problem-solving, work on professional development, gain experience in project planning, teamwork, and leadership, and learn to advocate for yourself and your achievements.

Over break and next semester, your group will execute these plans, build, test, and refine prototypes, market and launch your capstone (to great fanfare and acclaim) just in time for graduation.

This seminar mixes talks, discussions, guest lectures and interactive presentations. We will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the entire year. You MUST communicate with us and your fellow students regarding any issue that might keep you from coming to class.

After we form capstone groups, class time will be split between professional development and meetings with your fellow capstoners, faculty and staff mentors and, of course, yours truly.

Course material will include podcasts, videos, websites and readings to support topics we cover in class. Various written assignments and exercises, independent research and self-taught material will aid in the development and production of your project. You should expect to spend 10-15 hours per week on this seminar and your capstone project work, but this workload will vary widely from week to week.

Keep in mind also that your colleagues will be depending on the timely, competent completion of your work, so you owe it to your peers and teammates not to over schedule or over-commit yourselves!

About this Course
This course is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous online learning, Please plan to come to all synchronous sessions. Consider reserving asynchronous course work time to complete your research and assignments. Please note, all classes will be recorded.

Learning Objectives and Activities
The course learning objectives for this upper-level media production course are:

1. Understand the design process
2. Understand media ethics
3. Demonstrate knowledge of media history (as it informs your capstone project)
4. Demonstrate technical production skills that relate to your media interest
5. Describe and utilize the human-centered design approach
6. Analyze and ask critical questions about ethics and racism in new media
7. Synthesize knowledge of research, production, ethics, and design in your capstone project.

Course learning activities provide opportunities for interaction with classmates and the professor and support active learning. The course learning activities are specifically designed to help students achieve the course learning objectives.

Be prepared to

1. Read and critically think about all assigned readings prior to class
2. Actively and respectfully engage in critique/discussion
3. Create a project pitch
4. Create a prototype from user research and observation
5. Actively engage in user research using a human-centered design approach
6. Demonstrate advanced critical thinking skills in written analysis of your capstone proposal
7. Evaluate the effectiveness of your designs through critique and discussion

Academic Policies 
Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the educational mission of the University of Rochester and the students’ personal and intellectual growth. All students are expected to comply with all School and University academic policies. See: Academic Policies

Expectations of students in this course
We are squeezing a lot into this capstone year. You will need to budget work time outside of class hours in order to complete your capstone project. You expect to do well in this course and we will strive to help you achieve your goals. That said, you will need to be autonomous and “active” learners.

We expect everyone to be kind and courteous to each other and to ask questions, not only to the instructors but also to fellow classmates. This class hinges on student collaboration and “co-construction” of knowledge especially when it comes to the technical aspects of capstone development. Please take advantage of our collective knowledge. The work you submit in this course must be your own original work. This is consistent with the University of Rochester’s policy on Academic Honesty.

For discussions and critiques add insight, probe more deeply, challenge (intellectually), and generally help us learn. Please concentrate on demonstrating your highest quality of writing. You MUST communicate with us regarding any issue that might keep you from coming to class. Course material will include podcasts, videos, websites and readings to support topics we cover in class. Various written assignments and exercises, independent research and self-taught material will aid in the development and production of your projects.

How you will be evaluated
Grading Policy: Student Assessment for art and design courses with Stephanie: Grading Rubric

• Class Participation & Engagement 20pts.
• Introduction: 5pts.
• Written Preliminary Project Proposal (Group) 15pts.
• First Project Pitch (Group) 15pts.
• Two Written Progress Reports (Group) – 10pts (5each)
• Preliminary Prototype (Group) 15 pts.
• End of Year Project Presentation (Group) 20pts.

Grading (University letter grade info)
CLASS PARTICIPATION and ENGAGEMENT include attendance and active, productive engagement with your fellow students and course material. In-class talks and accompanying short written work are included in this grade.

BECAUSE the design concepts and insights that we will all present are not necessarily searchable and reflect our experience, you should consider attendance mandatory.

Failure to attend weekly group meetings later in the semester will compromise the success and productivity of your entire capstone project.

Unexcused absences will significantly reduce your class participation grade.

Instructor Response and Feedback: Students should expect to receive feedback on their assignment grades within ten days after the due date.

Technical Requirements and Support
In general, students will need a device with a webcam, 8GB of memory and 256GB of local storage. This is so you can  use Blackboard, library resources, and the web (to access journals, articles, etc.), to have the ability to watch Zoom lectures (synchronously and asynchronously).

Technical Support
Visit this web site for information on obtaining technical support with Blackboard.

Other Technologies used in this Course
Adobe Suite, you can get your license from Jenn Sherwood in Multidisciplinary Studies.

Online Etiquette, Anti-discrimination and Harassment Policy
The University strictly prohibits the use of University online resources or facilities, including Blackboard, for the purpose of harassment of any individual or for the posting of any material that is scandalous, libelous, offensive or otherwise against the University’s policies.

Please see visit.

Course Etiquette
You are encouraged to follow appropriate etiquette and be kind, thoughtful and supportive of your classmates. The core rules of etiquette are as follows:

• Remember we are human
• Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
• Know where you are in cyberspace
• Respect other people’s time and bandwidth
• Share knowledge
• Respect other people’s privacy
• Don’t abuse your power
• Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes

More information on these core rules can be found here.

Accessibility Accommodations
The University of Rochester respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds and abilities. The University employs professional staff committed to assisting students with disabilities in the classroom, residence halls, libraries, and elsewhere on campus.

In the event you encounter any barrier(s) to full participation in this course due to the impact of a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Resources. The access coordinators in the Office of Disability Resources can meet with you to discuss the barriers you are experiencing and explain the eligibility process for establishing academic accommodations.

It is a personal decision to disclose the existence of a disability and to request an accommodation. A decision not to disclose will be respected. Students who request an accommodation must provide appropriate documentation to the Disability Coordinator. The University remains flexible regarding the types of reasonable accommodations that can be made. Students with disabilities are invited to offer suggestions for accommodations.

Disability Resources for Students
You can reach the Office of Disability Resources at: disability@rochester.edu; (585) 276-5075; Taylor Hall.

Accessibility Statements

• Blackboard Learn
  (Refer to the Original Experience)
• Panopto
• Voicethread
• Zoom
• Yellowdig Engage

Title IX
All members of the University community have the right to learn and work in a safe environment free from all forms of harassment, including harassment on the basis of sex or gender. Students who have been subjected to sexual harassment, including sexual assault, dating/domestic violence or stalking, have the right to receive academic, housing, transportation or other accommodations, to receive counseling and health services and to make a report about such behavior to the University and to law enforcement.

For more information please visit. Or contact the Title IX coordinator.

Student Mental Health
The following confidential and private resources exist to help students:

• University Health Service: (585) 275-2662
• University Counseling Center: (585) 275-3113
• University Health Educator: (585) 273-5772
• RESTORE Sexual Assault Services 24-Hour Crisis Line: (585) 546-2777
• Title IX Office: titleix@rochester.edu
• Public Safety: (585) 273-3333.
• CARE Network
• Mindful University Project

Privacy Statements
Privacy Statements for Tools used in this Course

• Blackboard Learn
• Panopto
• Voicethread
• Zoom

Inclusivity Statement
The DMS Program is devoted to teaching and research that applies our skills to the continuing work of transforming our environment to enable greater participation, enhance human dignity, eliminate prejudice and discrimination and improve the quality of life for everyone. More information about UR’s diversity mission here.

Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge with respect the Seneca Nation, known as the “Great Hill People” and “Keepers of the Western Door” of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. We take this opportunity to thank the people on whose ancestral lands the University of Rochester currently resides in Rochester, New York.

Anti-racist Statement:
DMS affirms its commitment to fostering understanding of the historical structures that have created and maintained racial inequity. We welcome your input and support as we work to work to follow through on this commitment.

Community Partnerships/Community Engaged Learning, best practices
Engagement. Fundamentally, community projects should take place in ways that allow students to have significant community impact. This means using human centered design to solve a public problem as determined by an open and thoughtful collaboration between faculty and community partners.

Reciprocity. Reciprocity means that everyone involved in a project – student, faculty, community members – act as both teacher and learner, and that everyone regards one another as equal colleagues.

Community Voice. Community voice in a community-based project has means that community members should be involved in every stage of the project and course, when possible to ensure a deeper community partnership and more impactful project.

Exposure to Diversity. Exposure to diversity impacts cultural understanding and community involvement. It is important at every phase of a project to make certain that this learning can take place.

Public Dissemination. To guarantee community engagement and impact, the results of the project should be shared with the partner, if and the a larger public such as the campus communities.

Grading Methods for Group Work
This is unique to every DMS course. For the purposes of Senior Capstone we will use:

Individual report: Each student writes and submits an individual report based on the group’s work on the task/project

Shared Group Grade: The group submits one product, and all group members receive the same grade, regardless of individual contribution.