Capstone Final History Project
Prof. Traci Hodgson

Professor Traci Hodgson

Instructional Challenge

Historians write and traditional history courses require students to write history essays. History courses have fallen in enrollment in recent years and it appears this is, in part, because students are intimidated by the amount of writing in a history course. Yet history arguments and ideas can be expressed in multiple ways.

The goal of this project was to offer student options for learning history as well as sharing their arguments, including options that were more visual and less writing-focused. A side-goal of the project is to construct a capstone assignment for courses that would allow for more meaningful and substantial interaction between students and between students and the instructor.

See What Worked below for further information on challenges that emerged with an earlier version of a Final Project which this revamped Project design is designed to eliminate for enhanced student learning and success.

Final History Project Assignment Information

See the Project Information with Assignments due throughout the course.
See the Final Project Research Options from which students choose.
See Samples of a History Project, expressed in different formats, for student use as models.

UDL Strategy

The goal was to create a final project for students where they are offered learning options. As instructor, I create the topic options and the available historical documents to explore. But I offer students the ability to choose how they will learn about the subject. This includes options that include video, audio podcasts, interactive websites, written primary documents, and longer history books.

Final History Project Research Options found here

Olaudah Equiano, one of the earliest slaves to write about his experiences.

Olaudah Equiano, slave from the 1700s who wrote of his experiences. Learning more about his experiences is one option for the Final History Project.

UDL Strategy, Part 2

The students also have options of how to present their Final Project. They can present it as an essay, Powerpoint slide presentation, website, poster, video documentary and historical dramatic presentation.

Final History Project Overview found here. Learn more about the overall project as it engages the students throughout the term, including supports for student success.

UDL Guidelines in the Final History Project

The emphasis of this Project is UDL principle to Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

This begins with Access:

Optimize individual choice and autonomy.
- This is achieved by allowing students to choose their own research topic, and within that topic which types of documents they want to explore.
Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity.
- This assignment is framed as allowing students to practice real-life professional skills of critical thinking. They know that they will be publicly sharing their work with other students in a virtual classroom, which makes the assignment feel more authentic and relevant. They should see this assignment as a valuing of their skills, signaling that they are capable of researching and putting forward arguments, having practiced these skills throughout the term in History Detective assignments.

This continues with Build:

Foster collaboration and community.
- This is achieved by having students share their projects in a community setting in a virtual classroom. The goal is to have as many students as possible attend synchronous presentation sessions, listening and offering focused and helpful feedback to other students.
Increased mastery-oriented feedback.
- The student feedback of the class presentation of the project will be focused on identifying where student mastery of critical thinking skills exists, and where future work is required.
- Instructor meeting with students in the middle of the project to help fine-tune a historical argument that has the right level of specificity and intellectual rigor will help shape this project to further develop student skills of analysis.

This continues with Self Regulation:

Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation.
- Instructor meeting with students during the project will encourage students to see that their ideas are valuable and can be shaped into a good quality work of analysis. Knowing that you will be presenting this project to other students in a synchronous setting also has the effect of motivating students to do their best.
Develop self-assessment and reflection.
- Instructor meeting will encourage self-assessment and reflection for student, as we look at what the student has already developed and talk about its strengths and weaknesses.
- Student feedback on other students' presentations should also encourage reflection of what good quality analytical work looks like.

Another emphasis will be the UDL Principle to Provide Multiple Means of Action & Expression

This includes Provide Options for Expression & Communication:

Use multiple media for communication.
- Students can choose to do historical research through reading, listening to audiobooks, listening to audio podcasts, explore interactive websites, or watching documentaries. They can also mix and match the media in their learning.
Use multiple tools for construction and composition.
- Students can choose the format to express their historical ideas in the Project. They can write an essay, produce a poster, a website, a PowerPoint slide presentation, a video documentary or a historical dramatic presentation.
- Students can also choose what media to use in their class presentation of their project.

This includes Provide Options for Executive Functions:

Guide Appropriate Goal-Setting.
- Instructor-student meeting in the middle of the research phase will support students to develop an appropriate historical argument. Students often flounder with this act of professional creativity, either choosing an argument that is too broad or is too descriptive and not original or creative. This meeting will allow students to get a historical argument that will challenge them while being more interesting to their audience. Modeling this creative process in the meeting should help students be more confident to do this themselves in future settings.
Facilitate managing information and resources.
- I will support their exploration of the historical documents, as well as their use of different technologies to create their projects.

What Worked for the Final Project

I have not taught this Project in its current form. In the past terms, I have offered options for presentation formats for a Final Project. And I have given students a list of possible historical arguments on which to focus. Students loved that they could create more visual presentations. But they didn't always understand that they needed to put forward an argument, with supporting points and evidence. And they ignored the course materials that should have been their focus and instead looked for sometimes unvetted sources online.

This revamped Project offers the following that is new:

Practice in two History Detective Assignments earlier in the term, where they practice and will get feedback on developing historical arguments. So they should enter the Final Project with a stronger sense of what a good quality historical argument looks like.
Two instructor meetings with each student to make sure they are on track for the assignment. In particular, the meeting to help develop a historical argument should be key to helping students develop a good quality project.
Development of sample projects in different formats, to emphasize to students that the focus should be the argument, points and evidence. Previously students wanted to just share descriptive information, but hopefully these samples will help them see that they are practicing analysis, not description here.
Prescribed vetted list of potential sources for students to explore. This should eliminate unvetted and untrustworthy webpages from being used by students for their projects.

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