The Creative Multimedia Adaptation assignment was originally designed for an undergraduate General Education course about AI and Digital Citizenship and functions as a creative alternative to traditional long-form essay assignments. Because this is a larger, summative project, students should complete several scaffolded low-stakes practice exercises and/or formative assignments throughout the term and the assignment details should be made available to students early on so that students can begin to plan well in advance of when the assignment is due. In addition, incorporating a Pre-Planning task at least a few weeks before the final adaptation is due can help students narrow their focus and identify what format their final creative adaptation will take (short video, visual imagery, podcast interview, etc.).
Learning Objectives
- Apply conceptual knowledge and learning to create an original adaptation or representation of a core concept or theme from the course
- Build metacognition by deconstructing and analyzing the choices that were made and strategies that were used when creating the original adaptation or representation
- Evaluate how the adaptation or representation differs from and/or reflects the original concept or theme
- Exercise creativity and digital literacy skills that can be used beyond the classroom, including leveraging various forms of Generative AI (though not required)
Grade Level
Higher Education (can be adapted for other levels)
Subject
Any
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Synthesizing information
- Metacognition
- Creativity
- Digital Literacy
- Organization
- Communication
Tools and Resources
- Adobe Express
- CarmenZoom
- Digital Union recording studios
- Microsoft 365 applications
- Microsoft Copilot
- PebblePad
- ThingLink
How Does This Assignment Address Generative AI?
One of the primary benefits of this type of assessment is the flexibility it offers students in terms of how they choose to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have learned throughout the course. Students are not restricted to a single format, such as written text, but have more autonomy related to the technologies, formats, or strategies they choose to use. This increased level of choice, personal relevance, and value reflects Universal Design for Learning principles that have been linked to increased access to learning goals, particularly by way of offering multiple means of engagement and action & expression. The incorporation of such strategies is more likely to speak to intrinsic forms of motivation, encouraging students to complete the task out of pure joy and interest, rather than viewing it as an irrelevant barrier they must overcome.
In addition, the core graded component of the assignment is not the actual multimedia adaptation or representation, but rather the evaluative reflections that accompany the creative work. The prompts used as part of the reflection are extremely specific to the user’s own creation, experiences, understanding, and strategies, connecting them to specific moments and elements found within the course itself. The level of specificity required in these follow up reflections makes it very difficult for current AI tools to generate quality outputs.
While the assignment was originally designed to combat unwanted uses of Gen AI, it also provides an opportunity for instructors and students to leverage some of its more positive aspects. For example, while Gen AI should not be used to complete the follow up personal reflections, it could be encouraged (though not required) as part of the creative adaptation and representation piece. By allowing students to utilize Gen AI to create their multimedia exhibits, it can serve more as a productivity and innovation assistant, helping students to bring complex ideas or fictional pieces to life that may be difficult for many to do without high-level design skills or access to a variety of more complex multimedia production tools.
Assignment Template
Purpose of This Task
In this final project, you will follow the development plan that you articulated in your pre-planning document to present and justify your vision of the future of AI as it relates to your chosen topic/theme. This assignment provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate the skills you have gained throughout the semester, preparing you to integrate AI and ethical practices beyond this course that will support your own educational, personal, and professional well-being.
As part of this assignment, you will:
- employ the strategies you have learned to address AI and identify synthetic media,
- demonstrate different applications of synthetic media,
- apply the elements of digital citizenship,
- describe the technological underpinnings of AI and the potential harms and benefits AI produces
- project how AI will continue to impact society over the next several years
Task Instructions
To successfully complete this assignment, follow all steps and instructions below and include each required element in a separate document (Word, PowerPoint, or ThingLink presentation) that you will upload or provide a link to upon submission of the assignment.
Note for instructors
In the original assignment, the course utilized an external eportfolio tool called PebblePad to create a digital workbook where students could collect all of their work in one place throughout the semester. The digital workbook allowed us to chunk and scaffold tasks over a period of time and incorporate templates that students could then fill in accordingly. If you plan to have students combine all items of the assignment in a separate document, it is recommend to create a document template for them to increase transparency and help students understand exactly what needs to be included in their final submission.
Step 1: Create Your Multimedia Adaptation
As described earlier in the pre-planning task, this final project requires a creative element or deliverable (visual graphic, audio recording, video, etc.) that is meant to represent your vision of the future of AI as it relates to the course topic/theme and elements of digital citizenship that you previously selected. As you work on your adaptation via the format you chose in the pre-planning assignment,
- Consider the impact of AI on your chosen topic in the future and how you will represent this future.
- Recall that during your pre-planning phase, you selected 2-3 elements of Digital Citizenship. You should address and apply those elements directly.
- As you create the adaptation, consider how each element relates to your chosen topic/theme.
- Review the reflection questions that you will be asked to respond to in Step 3, as these will help guide your creation.
Step 2: Explain and Reflect
A key requirement for this adaptation project is that you build upon the knowledge and skills you have gained throughout the course. The following questions ask you to document and reflect upon your creative process and show evidence of how you used what you accomplished during the semester to create an original adaptation that represents the future of AI. In your answers, be sure to include specific references to the course learning materials and your personal reflections, group summaries, and mini presentations to clarify the connection of your adaptation to your previous work and what you have learned. You are, of course, not bound by your previous work: feel free to explain how your adaptation represents changes in your thinking over time.
Your final submission document should include each question and response and stick to the individual word counts listed for each question.
Question #1: Consider both your chosen topic/theme and the 2-3 elements of Digital Citizenship that you identified while planning your Final Exhibit. In the space below, explain the choices you made and how your final adaptation addresses them. (250-350 words)
Question #2:Use the space below to reflect on your research, creative, and development processes and strategies employed in the creation of your final adaptation. Were you able to find information about your chosen topic and Digital Citizenship elements? Did you run into any difficulty creating your Final Exhibit? Share your experience and what you’ve learned. (100-200 words)
Question #3: In the space below, explain your vision of the future of AI as you have presented it in your adaptation. How do you justify this representation? Be sure to reference specific aspects, moments, components, etc. of your adaptation in your explanation. (250-350 words)
Step 3: Submit Your Work
Once you have thoroughly completed all steps above and ensured each component is included in your final document, follow these steps to submit your work and complete this assignment:
- Scroll to the bottom of the assignment and choose your submission type: Upload or Web URL.
- Follow the prompts to locate your file or paste the URL link.
- Once the file has finished uploading or the link has been successfully added, click the Submit Assignment button to submit your work and complete the assignment.
Note for instructors
The step-by-step instructions will vary based on the specific tools being used to complete the assignment.
Criteria for Success
This assignment is worth a total of 20 points and, along with the Pre-Planning assignment, makes up 15% of your final grade. Your final grade will be based on the two key parts of this assignment:
- the multimedia adaptation and
- your reflection responses.
Please refer to the attached rubric at the bottom of this assignment for a detailed breakdown of the individual criterion that will be used to assess your work, along with the corresponding point values.
Academic Integrity
- Getting help on the assignment is not permitted.
- Collaborating, or completing the assignment with others, is not permitted.
- Copying or reusing previous work is not permitted.
- Open-book research for the assignment is permitted and encouraged.
- Using AI is permitted only for the Multimedia Adaptation component of the assignment but should only be used to help spark ideas or to help support the creation of individual components of your creative project, such as helping to generate images that are then strategically organized and curated into a larger multimedia element.
- Using AI such as the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT, or other similar tools is not permitted on the evaluation and reflection component of the assignment. These responses must be presented entirely in your own words, using your own experiences, examples, and learning developed in this course.
Rubric
| Criteria | Meets Expectations | Partially Meets Expectations | Does Not Meet Expectations | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Multimedia Adaptation: Follows All Instructions | 2 pts All instructions were followed to create the multimedia adaptation AND key concepts and relevant issues are clearly addressed | 1 pt Only some instructions were followed to create the multimedia adaptation OR key concepts and relevant issues are not clearly addressed or present in the adaptation | 0 pts Few, if any, instructions were followed to create the multimedia adaptation OR key concepts and issues addressed are not related to those discussed in the context of the course | 2 |
| 1.2 Multimedia Adaptation: Creativity and Organization | 5 pts The adaptation demonstrates innovative, original ideas that are clearly connected to course concepts and that invite curiosity and conversation AND the elements of the work are organized in a logical manner that is easy to follow and interpret | 4-2 pts The adaptation demonstrates innovative, original ideas, but the connection to course concepts is not clear or obvious OR the elements of the work are not organized in a logical manner, making it somewhat difficult to interpret or understand the relationship to the topic or concept | < 2-0 pts The adaptation does not reflect original ideas AND the elements of the work are not organized in a logical manner, making it very difficult to interpret connections to the core concepts or the general meaning of the work | 5 |
| 2.1 Evaluation & Reflection: Follows All Instructions | 2 pts All instructions are followed including minimum and maximum length AND responses are provided for all required prompts | 1 pt Some, but not all instructions are followed, OR responses are not provided for all required prompts | 0 pts Few, if any, instructions are followed | 2 |
| 2.2 Evaluation & Reflection: Clarity and Organization | 5 pts Student reflections include evidence to support ideas by offering specific examples from the student’s own course work and key concepts addressed in course materials. Ideas are presented in a logical manner that makes them easy to understand and follow | 4-2 pts Student reflections may include some evidence to support ideas through specific examples from course work and lecture materials, but the explanation of how those examples support the concept or argument is not obvious OR the presentation of ideas is not clear and well-organized and requires some effort to understand and follow | < 2-0 pts Student reflections do not provide evidence or specific examples from course work or course learning materials OR ideas are presented in a disorganized manner that is difficult to understand | 5 |
| 2.3 Evaluation & Reflection: Demonstrates Understanding and Critical Thinking | 6 pts Student clearly explains the concept or topic addressed. Evidence and examples are organized to support the connections made between the multimedia adaptation and the concepts in question, highlighting similarities, differences, notable patterns, possible solutions, and any final conclusions | 5-3 pts Student clearly defines the concept or topic addressed, but does not clearly address how it relates to their own adaptation OR Student reflection does not effectively reveal important patterns, differences, similarities, or possible solutions brought about by a thorough analysis of the original concept and its connection to the student’s multimedia adaption | < 3-0 pts Student does not clearly define the concept or topic addressed and how it relates to their own adaptation OR student reflection does not conduct any sort of analysis between the original concept and their own media adaptation and does not speak to important patterns, differences, similarities, or possible solutions brought about through that analysis | 6 |
| Total Points | 20 |