Spring 2021 Immersive Learning Projects

November 10, 2020

Book Arts Collaborative

Video Pitch

There will be two hy-flex courses at Book Arts Collaborative during Spring 2021. Both will include learning to hand-sew and bind journals and books and to print using 19th Century moveable type. Both will also work with the newly acquired Holman Type Archive along with Tribune Showprint as the community partner. ENG 375, Book Arts Collaborative, will also give students hands-on experience at running a student-managed business, and ENG 421 provides a long historical view of the making and importance of books. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

For more information and to apply, contact Rai Peterson, Department of English.

Compass Creative

Video Pitch

Students in this immersive-learning course (formerly called Jacket Copy Creative) will be responsible for the digital community of Ball State English, History, Modern Languages and Classics, and Philosophy and Religious Studies, via social media, blog, weekly digest emails, a semi-annual alumni newsletter, etc. You will have the opportunity to get professional experience in editing/publishing, content marketing, public relations, social media management, and strategic communications. You will work together in teams and with the instructor to plan marketing strategies, create, curate, and edit content, conduct user research, discuss best practices and analytics, and make changes to our practices. Students will focus on writing and storytelling within a marketing context.

For more information, contact Kathryn S Gardiner, Department of English.

Conservation Tales

Conservation Tales currently includes 11 volumes about species or groups of animals written for grades 3-5; and two junior series for Pre-K through Grade 2. In each story, a child learns about an animal species and scientific research that is taking place to study and protect it. The child sees how scientists collect and share data to find patterns and develop conclusions. The books show how scientists work as they learn about ways to help protect the environment. The books list conservation actions that readers can do in their community, and inquiry activities that let them develop the skills illustrated in the book. The scientists in the volumes are based on real researchers, who allow Ball State students to shadow and interview them, and later review the text and imagery in the books to ensure accuracy and authenticity. Our next two books in the series will be about Asian Carp and Monarch Butterflies!

We are seeking students to participate as part of the Conservation Tales team: illustrators (scientifically accurate animals and backgrounds; including atmospheric perspective, linear perspective); character designers (these are more stylized/cartoon characters), photographer, graphic designers, web design, marketing, and elementary education. Students assist with the story development, drawings, design, promotion, and dependent upon COVID-19 restrictions we are hoping to include at least one or more community events.

Please submit the following to Barbara Giorgio or Tom McConnell by Friday, November 6:

  1. Cover letter indicating why you want to participate/ what you feel you can contribute to the project.
  2. Digital portfolio of your artwork; this can also include relevant sketchbook studies.
  3. Resume.

To see related materials from previous semesters please visit the display case on the second floor of the Art & Journalism building, between the art ed and animation classrooms. ART 370 Art Immersive: Conservation Tales is under the direction of Dr. Tom J. McConnell, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, the lead author and publisher; and Barbara Giorgio-Booher, Teaching Professor in the School of Art and art director for the series.

More information can be found here.

CS4MS+

Video Pitch

Partnering with local schools, the project team will research, develop, curate, and deliver instructional resources which incorporate Computer Science (CS) into educational offerings, and will work to advance teachers’ understanding of CS and/or interact with their students as a teaching assistant. The focus of this immersive learning class will be to expose our partners’ students, particularly underrepresented minorities and females, to CS--a need resulting from the establishment of the relatively new Indiana academic standards for CS. Although CS student focused, an interdisciplinary project team will be sought. Students in computer science, education, mathematical sciences, natural sciences, computer technology, or anyone with a related interest is encouraged to apply. There are 1,2, and 3 credit options available.

For more information and to apply, contact Dave Largent, Department of Computer Science.

Fine Focus

Video Pitch

This project represents a transdisciplinary effort to produce and publish an international academic research journal for undergraduates in microbiology. Students will learn firsthand about the process and importance of publishing, scientific peer review, professional communication with authors and reviewers, and ultimately bringing the journal to final digital and print form. Contacts with our off-campus partners, and website-based and social media promotion of our journal (along with design of our journal logo and text font) are examples of marketing and advertising angles, as we are not just a science-oriented project.

For more information and to apply, contact Dr. John McKillip, Department of Biology.

Midwestern Stories

Video Pitch

This class will appeal to fans of shows like Stranger Things, which bears a connection to the recent emergence of Rust Belt Noir, in which Gothic locales are menaced by a literal and figurative past, and Parks and Recreation, which depicts Midwesterners deeply and comically invested in the revitalization of a sleepy Indiana town. Students will compare texts like these by non-local producers with locally produced creative and rhetorical texts, ranging from downtown murals to city promotion and activist materials, which variously celebrate the Midwest (its triumphs of perseverance and excellence) and expose opportunities for growth. In this way, students will consider the extent to which assumptions about place are shaped by a view from outside and how deeply Midwesterners internalize that view. Students will hone their rhetorical awareness by interrogating the investments of the people who create each text and by exploring factors that determine the influence of some voices and forms, such as those that stand to profit from stereotypes, and the suppression of others, which may lack the political or financial power to reach large audiences. Students in the course will work together to curate an interactive exhibit at the Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie, focused on the evolution of Midwestern identity across generations.

For more information and to apply, contact Dr. Kathryn Ludwig, Department of English.

Philosophy for High School

Video Pitch

Through the Philosophy Outreach Project (POP), Ball State students engage with high school students across Indiana. By curating philosophical content and fostering philosophical discussion, POP provides high school students with tools and a platform to engage with each other and the world. Ball State students organize and run a philosophy club at Muncie Central High School; organize visits to other area schools to offer presentations on philosophy and philosophy at the college level; help interested parties start their own philosophy clubs; and plan and organize a pre-college philosophy conference for Indiana high school students to be held on the Ball State campus.

For more information and to apply, contact Dr. Sarah Vitale, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Putting Muncie on the Map

Video Pitch

For this immersive learning project, students will work together with local community groups and institutions (key partner DWNTWN Muncie Development) and plan, discuss and produce maps for organizations and businesses in Downtown Muncie. In the light of the economic impacts of COVID-19 on local economy, the focus is on the cartographic and visual support for Downtown Muncie to put this part of town “on the map” and attract customers and visitors. Knowledge of Cartography and GIS is welcome, but not a requirement.

For more information and to apply, contact Dr. Jörn Seemann, Department of Geography.

Virtual Theater: a Zoom Play

Video Pitch

This is a co-taught immersive class where a group of students writes and produces a Zoom Play. Since the stay-at-home orders companies all over the country have begun used digital production to share work. The question this project poses: Is the Zoom play just a temporary band-aid for a shut-down field? Or is a new tool for play development? Is it even an emerging form of production, like a radio-play or a screenplay? The project will be split between playwriting, directing, and acting courses.

For more information, contact Thomas Horan, Matt Reeder, or Andre Garner, Department of Theater and Dance.


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