Instructional Materials
Pre-Instruction: Video & Transcript
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Assignments
1. Project Proposal Assignment Summary: After an initial lesson that introduces them to the concept of crowdfunding, students will individually brainstorm a product idea and write a proposal that includes a description of the product’s niche market, a customer profile, a product category and subcategory, and a descriptive title. 2. Product Description Assignment (Lesson One) Summary: After a lesson that illustrates effective examples and ineffective non-examples of crowdfunding campaigns, students will work in their teams to draft a Product Description that outlines the product idea, including a name for the product, how the product will look and function, the intended audience, the feasibility of the product, and any anticipated problems of the product launch. 3. Incentive Structure Assignment (Lesson Two) Summary: After a lesson and class discussion about rhetorical analysis of audience (and the research available about successful and unsuccessful crowdfunding perks), students will work in their teams to draft a tiered reward plan that demonstrates an understanding of their target audience, the types of crowdfunding supporters within that audience, a description of five well-defined perks for each of the supporter types. 4. Product Infographic Assignment (Lesson Three) Summary: After a lesson about visual rhetoric and design principles for informational graphics, students will work individually and as a team to sketch an infographic for their team's product. The infographic will demonstrate the product's primary attributes and will appeal to the team's target audience. First, students will sketch an infographic individually, and then they will come together as a team to review each other's work, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each infographic. Afterward, they will collaboratively create an infographic that utilizes the design principles they learned in the lesson. |
Assessments
1. Project Assessment Students will participate in a structured Peer Review of their Product Proposal draft. This peer review will be conducted through Virginia Tech's Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas. Students will be grouped into Crowdfunding Project Teams (2-4 people per team) using the LMS's grouping feature, where they will have access to their peers' drafts and instructional materials. The Peer Review Powerpoint instructs the student on how to conduct an effective review of the Proposal Assignment draft. It walks them through the process of evaluating each individual component of the draft using a corresponding checklist. After this activity, the instructor will review the peer feedback for accuracy and helpfulness before returning it to the draft's author. Students will access their peer evaluations to the next class period, during which they will discuss their feedback face-to-face with their teams. After revision, students will vote to decide whose project idea they will develop for their Crowdfunding Project. 2-3. Product Description AND Incentive Structure Pitch Crowdfunding Project Teams will "pitch" their product description and incentive structure to the class. Members of the classroom audience will take on the role of the team's intended audience, asking the team questions to promote brainstorming and clarification. One team member will serve as "note-taker" to record questions and suggestions from the audience, and each member of the audience will provide written feedback using a Plus/Delta Chart, recording both strengths and areas for improvement for each component of the assignments. 4. Product Infographic Peer Review This evaluation will take place both in the classroom and on the LMS. In the classroom: Each Crowdfunding Project Team will informally evaluate the infographic that team members created individually, writing their comments and questions to share among the group. After this informal review, team members will come together to discuss their ideas, then will work together to design a single infographic. On the LMS: Students will upload their collaboratively-created infographic to the LMS using the groups feature, and it will be formally reviewed by the other Project Teams using a rubric. Reviewers will provide a score and written feedback for each category, and provide this information to the team via the LMS. |