Using the DH Center (2019)

In Spring 2019 we planned for more intentional use of the Library's Digital Humanities Center as a way to foster collaboration and experimentation. We started by hosting HIST 503 in the DH Center for an initial conversation about spatial argumentation. We utilized the unique aspects of the DH Center -- flexible furniture, lots of monitors -- to place students in their groups and get them thinking spatially in a different space than their normal classroom. Check out the interactive, 360, time-lapse video we created of the class.

We also encouraged students to use the DH Center for their group work. And Professor Pollard and Dr. Lach held office hours in the DH Center at various points in the semester.

Project Showcase

We also added a two-day project showcase in the Digital Humanities Center, scheduled at the end of the semester (April 30 and May 2) but before the final solo projects were due (May 9). The goals of this showcase were to:

1. Encourage students to make meaningful progress on their projects well before the final deadline, so that they wouldn't be scrambling at the end.
2. Build opportunities for students to workshop their projects -- to share with each other what was working, what wasn't working, and where they were getting stuck. In this way, we could underscore the importance of process as much as the final product.
3. Create more purposeful opportunities for students to engage with the DH Center.
4. Inspire students to submit their final projects to the Annual DH Showcase (May 10).

Students were assigned (by lots!) to one of two showcase sessions. Each student had thirty minutes to present their projects in a poster-style session. The rest of the class rotated through the space, using the project rubric to provide feedback.

And here's a 360 interactive time-lapse of the second showcase (May 2):