Analyzing the syllabi

In reviewing the documents, I read each course syllabus and coded it based on whether it offered a new media composition opportunity. I included those syllabi specifically naming multimodal, alternative compositions as acceptable or those requiring the use of digital tools commonly associated with new media compositions such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, or video/sound editing software (regardless of multimodality). In some cases, the syllabi were unclear. If a web address was provided, I reviewed the available online documentation to ascertain the nature of the assignment.

I then re-read all syllabi including new media and added an additional code to determine whether the digital assignment was required or optional. Those requiring new media were given an additional code for tabulation purposes. Wording for these assignments ranged from those suggesting non-print-based compositions to those specifying the use particular digital tools. Even though the data set is incomplete, interesting patterns have begun to emerge.

Narrowing the scope • Collecting the syllabi • Analyzing the syllabi • Limitations (syllabi) • Home