MEDIATED PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN THE CYCLES OF ITERATION INTERFACE

MEDIATED PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN: THE CYCLES OF ITERATION INTERFACE by David Cotter Murphy BFA, Simon Fraser University, 1992 PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the School of Communication © David Cotter Murphy 2003 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY July, 2003 All rights reserved This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author APPROVAL Name: David Cotter Murphy Degree: MA Title of Project: Mediated Pedagogical Design: The Cycles of Iteration Interface Examining Committee: Chair: Prof Pat Howard Associate Professor Prof Brian Lewis Senior Supervisor Dean of Applied Science, SFU Prof Richard Smith Supervisor Associate Professor, School of Communication, SFU Jim Bizzocchi Examiner Assistant Professor, Interactive Arts, SFU Date Approved: ii ABSTRACT This document is the written component of a mediated pedagogical design project that produced the Cycles of Iteration interface (see attached CD-ROM) This interface was designed to assist the process of teaching video production to novice users The Cycles of Iteration interface represents an attempt to synthesize concepts of Media Literacy, Critical Pedagogy, and Design Theory into an interactive system of instruction The design integrates presentation materials with review and reference information The design process for the Cycles of Iteration interface included scenario building and structural model development Once a prototype of the interface was created it was tested using a pilot study of undergraduate students who informed further iterations of the design An expert panel of professional video production instructors were also asked to comment on the interface The Cycles of Iteration interface was designed to assist the instructor lead process of video production It was designed with aspirations of bridging a divide between practical production skills and critical media analysis by its incorporation into existing curricula iii DEDICATION For my mother, Joyce Murphy iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisers, Dr Brian Lewis and Dr Richard Smith, for allowing me the freedom to realize this project and for their continued support and advice throughout this process Thank you to Mr Jim Bizzocchi who provided insights and suggestions that helped enormously in bringing together the final document My philosophy on teaching and media analysis has been profoundly shaped by the mentorship and friendship given to me from Dr Stephen Kline My gratitude goes out to the staff in the School of Communication, Neena Shahani, Evelyn Hassen, Denyse Zenner, and Chris Jeschelnik, all of who are responsible for making our department a great place to work This project would not have been possible with out the inspiration and devotion of my dearest true love, Anne-Marie Nicol v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval .ii Abstract .iii Dedication iv Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vi List of Figures viii List of Tables .ix List of Abbreviations and Acronyms x Introduction Problem Statement User Profile Context Theoretical Framework Media Literacy Critical Pedagogy Design Theory 11 Design Process 14 Development of a structural model 18 Hermeneutic cycle 18 Scenario Building 21 Scenario and Practical Module 01 22 Scenario and Practical Module 02 23 vi Scenario and Practical Module 03 25 Outcomes and Evaluation 27 Evaluation Criteria 27 Pilot Study 29 Cycle One Observations 32 Cycle Two Observations 33 Cycle Three Observations 34 Expert Panel 35 Web Statistics 37 Discussion and Conclusion 40 Appendix A: Informed Consent form (Pilot Study) 44 Appendix B: : Informed Consent form (Expert Panel) 46 Appendix C: Starting Instructions 47 References .48 Selected Bibliography for Instructing Video Production 51  vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Hermeneutic Cycle 18 Figure Cycles of Iteration Structural Model 19 Figure Hits on the Cycle of Iteration web site for duration of Pilot Study 37 Figure Hits, Unique Hosts, Unique URL's for duration of Pilot Study 38 Figure Hits for the top pages for each quadrant 39 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Evaluation Criteria for Multimedia Instructional Courseware 28 Table Dates and Times for completion of each practical module .32 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS HCI Human Computer Interaction URL Universal Resource Locater (web site address) DV Digital Video (video format) x a single computer for reference The completion time for the first cycle (one day) does not allow for much review The consistent number of hits on the first and second cycles right through to end of the pilot study (April th) could indicate the review process happening as intended by the design Relative Hits by Date 400 350 300 250 200 Hits 150 100 50 Jan 24th Jan 31st Feb 8th Feb 14th Feb 21st Cycle Feb 28th Mar 7th Cycle Mar 14th Mar 21st Mar 29th Apr 4th Cycle Figure Hits on the Cycle of Iteration web site for duration of Pilot Study (Dates represent the end of that week) The dramatic increase in hits that occur in the week ending March th is due to a mid-term exam that was given that week This peak of activity does not reflect how the site was intended to be used but it does show the undeniable importance university students place on exams 38 It should be noted that the designed use of the Cycles of Iteration interface intergrates modes of presentation and review The data for site hits represents only the review mode within the context of the undergraduate university student Also, many students preferred to print a hard copy of the concept pages for each cycle and refer to that rather than going back to the web site Hits, Unique Hosts, URL's 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 Jan 24th Jan 31st Feb 8th Feb 14th Feb 21st Feb 28th Mar 7th Mar 14th Mar 21st Mar 29th Apr 4th Number of unique URL's: 458 536 616 390 595 579 551 532 634 593 433 Total unique hosts: 236 237 298 228 248 360 347 367 367 288 309 Total /cycle hits 349 121 271 575 331 232 1593 313 233 429 366 Figure Hits, Unique Hosts, Unique URL's for duration of Pilot Study (dates represent the end of that week) With the exception of the mid-term exam peak there seems to be a contrapuntal relationship between the total /cycle hits and the Unique URL’s This represents more activity on fewer pages The number of unique hosts accessing the /cycle site showed a slight increase during the pilot study 39 Hits for Specific Pages 500 450 400 350 300 250 Hits 200 150 100 50 Jan 24th Jan 31st Feb 8th Feb 14th Feb 21st Feb 28th Mar 7th Mar 14th Mar 21st Mar 29th Apr 4th /cycle 187 83 126 249 149 121 464 259 154 244 296 /cycle/cycle1/1a 14 13 187 12 11 /cycle/cycle2/2c 72 19 27 29 98 0 8 /cycle/cycle3/3c 200 71 14 161 22 Figure Hits for the top pages for each quadrant The pages that contributed most to this increase of activity are: Cycle 1a Pre-production, first iteration, introduction to basic camera use and shooting Cycle 2c Post-production, second iteration, digitizing footage, still frames, adding audio Cycle 3c Post-production, third iteration, assemble editing, insert editing, transitions, titles 40 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The process of developing the Cycles of Iteration interface has been an exploration into both the practical challenges of mediated pedagogical design and the theoretical reasoning for attempting to advance media literacy One of the main ideas behind this interface is that a critical understanding of media’s roll in society is enhanced by a personal, practical knowledge of its production The intention of the Cycles of Iteration interface has never been to just supply an educational resource for video production; rather it has been to create a system that can enhance an instructor lead study into how media can construct and influence our culture This intention can only be realized by the conscious practice on the part of the instructor to emphasize a critical analysis of media and its influences on society The Cycles of Iteration interface can free up an instructors time and effort to make that emphasis possible Its modular and generalized structure makes it possible for it to be incorporated as a component to a variety or more “theoretical” curricula Furthermore, the iterative nature of the interface design allows for theories to be introduced and then revisited at each subsequent iteration The idea of building a theoretical understanding upon practical knowledge can allow a form of media literacy that reduces the separation between a purely academic critique and the isolated tradition of training for the culture industry In 41 addition this combination of theory and practice provides an important access point for students because it can use forms of popular culture they are already familiar with and it allows an outlet for their personal expression As Stanley Aronwitz points out, “…critical work without an effort to produce popular art forms remains a peculiarly intellectual take on cultural life which is already distant from the experience of students What I am saying is this: There can be no cultural pedagogy without a cultural practice that both explores the possibilities of the form and brings out students’ talents.” (1989, p.201) My experience of teaching video production has brought into question a division between the practice of production and the analysis of media as critical area of study The dependence on technology and the domination of a professional production model entrench a division between the practice of production and a critique of the media product My difficulty with this inherent division is echoed by what David Sholle and Stan Denski refer to as “feelings of schizophrenia” (1994, p.7) A dichotomy is formed when you teach to create what you are teaching to critique Sholle and Denski suggest, “building bridges” across this separation by placing production within an “integrated curriculum” (1994, p.171) This form of integration of production with theory is part of the intention behind the design of the Cycles of Iteration interface The task of bringing together the production practice with the critical theory is daunting, but the potential rewards are great The insights gained by a personal, practical awareness of production in combination with a critical theory 42 that contextualizes media socially, politically and economically far outweigh the inherent challenges The goal is to move towards an applied pedagogy that blends “learning to do” with “learning to critically understand” (Kline, 2002) The idea of using the popular product of the culture industry as a pedagogical device has long been a vision of educators (see Crandall, 1926) However, professional modes of media production have demanded resources that were out of reach most education environments Only recently with the advent of Digital Video (DV) technology has it become feasible to integrate production into other forms of learning In many cases the computers students are using to type essays and check email are sufficient to edit video as well The accessibility of video production technology is a major factor in the argument for incorporating production into existing media analysis curricula The process of developing the Cycles of Iteration interface was both challenging and informative It is a pursuit that has no final product only a small contribution to what can be done or improved on in the future The most important thing I learnt from this development process is that incorporating technologically based teaching resources into the learning environment does not diminish the roll of the instructor Mediating the learning process with technology can be very helpful with many practical aspects of production Technical specifications, checklists, examples, and the like are well suited to an interface such as the Cycles of Iteration However, the real synergy between theory and 43 practice comes with a combination of practical skills with critical analysis, discussion, and reflection This combination can assisted with mediated pedagogical resources but can only be realized in conjunction with traditional forms of learning that involve a dialog between teacher and learner The Cycles of iteration interface was an extremely helpful resource for teaching video production It has provided a framework for the future addition of much more information and examples However, the real challenge for future development is how to integrate practical production skills into a curriculum of critical media analysis The Cycles of Iteration interface represents only the beginning of this challenge 44 APPENDIX A: INFORMED CONSENT FORM (PILOT STUDY) Informed Consent By Subjects to Participate In a Research Project The University and those conducting this project subscribe to the ethical conduct of research and to the protection at all times of the interests, comfort, and safety of subjects This research is being conducted under permission of the Simon Fraser Research Ethics Board The chief concern of the Board is for the health, safety and psychological well being of research participants Should you wish to obtain information about your rights as a participant in research, or about the responsibilities of researchers, or if you have any questions, concerns or complaints about the manner in which you were treated in this study, please contact the Director, Office of Research Ethics by email at hweinber@sfu.ca or phone at 604-268-6593 Your signature on this form will signify that you have received a document which describes the procedures, possible risks, and benefits of this research project, that you have received an adequate opportunity to consider the information in the documents describing the project or experiment, and that you voluntarily agree to participate in the project or experiment Any information that is obtained during this study will be kept confidential to the full extent permitted by the law Knowledge of your identity is not required You will not be required to write your name on any other identifying information on research materials Name of Experiment: Pedagogical Design: Cycles of Iteration case study Investigator Name: David C Murphy Investigator Department: Communication Having been asked to participate in a research project or experiment, I certify that I have read the procedures specified in this document, describing the project or experiment I understand the procedures to be used in this experiment and the personal risks, and benefits to me in taking part in the project or experiment, as stated below: Risks and Benefits: There is no perceivable increase in risk by participating in this study Benefits to participating include experience of a research method in practice I understand that I may withdraw my participation at any time I also understand that I may register any complaint with the Director of the Office of Research Ethics or the researcher named above or with the Chair, Director or Dean of the Department, School or Faculty as shown below Dean of Applied Science: Dr Brian Lewis Director of Research Ethics: Dr H Weinberg 8888 University Way, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY I may obtain copies of the results of this study, upon its completion by contacting: David C Murphy (davidcot@sfu.ca) I have been informed that the research will be confidential to the full extent permitted by the law I understand that my supervisor or employer may require me to obtain his or her permission prior to my participation in a study of this kind Participants will be asked to contribute to a situated inquiry project testing a pedagogical model They may be asked questions in interviews and questionnaires and will be observed during their participation Participant’s Full Name: Participant’s contact information: Date: _ Participant’s Signature Witness Signature 45 APPENDIX B: : INFORMED CONSENT FORM (EXPERT PANEL) INFORMED CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PEDAGOGICAL MEDIA DESIGN ASSESEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT The University and those conducting this project subscribe to the ethical conduct of research and to the protection at all times of the interests, comfort, and safety of subjects This form and the information it contains are given to you for your own protection and full understanding of the procedures Your signature on this form will signify that you understand the procedures, possible risks, and benefits of this research project, that you have received an adequate opportunity to consider this information, and that you voluntarily agree to participate in the project Any information that is obtained during this study will be kept confidential to the full extent permitted by law Knowledge of your identity is not required You will not be required to write your name or any other identifying information on the research materials Materials will be held in a secure location and will be destroyed after the completion of the study However, it is possible that, as a result of legal action, the researcher may be required to divulge information obtained in the course of this research to a court or other legal body The procedure for the Pedagogical Media Design Assessment research project will entail access to a prototype of the Pedagogical Media Design Interface followed by an in-person interview that will assess the efficacy of the interface Having been asked by David Murphy of the School of Communication of Simon Fraser University to participate in a research project experiment, I have read the procedures specified in this document I understand that I may withdraw my participation in this experiment at any time I also understand that I may register any complaint I might have about the experiment with the researcher named above or with Dr Brian Lewis, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science of Simon Fraser University I may obtain copies of the results of this study, upon its completion, by contacting: David Murphy (604-2913623 or davidcot@sfu.ca) I have been informed that the research material will be held confidential by the Principal Investigator I understand that my supervisor or employer may require me to obtain his or her permission prior to my participation in a study such as this I agree to participate by responding to interview questions asked by the Principal Investigator During a time period (within the dates of May 22, 2002 and August 30, 2003) and at the location to be agreed upon with the Principal Investigator Interviews can be done over the telephone The interviews will not be audio recorded NAME (please type or print legibly): _ ADDRESS: SIGNATURE: _ WITNESS: DATE: 46 APPENDIX C: STARTING INSTRUCTIONS Starting instructions for the Cycles of Iteration The site structure starts with the Cycle home symbol Each cycle begins with the Pre-Production quadrant located at the top right Clicking on a quadrant takes you into that module: Each module is divided into two modes: Concepts – textual based, vertically orientated Slides – image based, horizontally orientated Use the arrow symbols to move up or down through the concepts, or forward or back through the slides The Cycle symbol will always take you back to the previous level Shading indicates your current level (this example is 1a) The Index pages show a complete cycle on one page 47 REFERENCES Anderson, G H (1999) Video Editing and Post-Production: A Professional Guide Boston: Focal Press Aronowitz, S (1989) Working-Class Identity and Celluloid Fantasies in the Electronic Age In H A Giroux & R Simon (Eds.), Popular Culture, Schooling and Everyday Life (pp 197-218) Granby, Mass.: Bergin & Garvey Barbash, I., & Taylor, L (1997) Cross-Cultural Filmmaking: A Handbook for Making Documentary and Ethnographic Films and Videos Berkeley: University of California Press Bjorgvinsson, E B., & Hillgren, P.-A (2002) Readymade Design at an Intensive Care Unit Paper presented at the Participatory Design Conference, Malmo, Sweden Buchanan, R (1996) Wicked Problems in Design Thinking In V Margolin & R Buchanan (Eds.), The Idea of Design Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press Carrol, J M e (1995) Scenario-Based Design London: John Wiley & Sons Clark, L (1991) The Use of Scenarios By User Interface Designers Paper presented at the HCI'91 CML (2003) Media Literacy: A Definition and More Retrieved March 5, 2003, from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/rr2def.php Crandall, E L (1926) Possibilities of the Cinema in Education The Annals, 128, 109-115 Denski, S W (1991) Critical Pedagogy and Media Poduction: The Theory and Practice of the Video Documentary Journal of Film and Video, 43(3) Dewey, J (1938) Experience and Education New York: Collier Books Dourish, P (2001) Where the Action Is: The foundations of Embodied Interaction Massachusettes: MIT Press Eldridge, M (1998) Transforming experience : John Dewey's cultural instrumentalism London: Vanderbilt University Pres 48 Gadamer, H.-G (1979) Truth and Method (W Glen-Doepel, Trans 2nd edition ed.) London: Sheed and Ward Geuens, J.-P (2000) Film Production Theory New York: State University of New York Press Gibbs, W J (2000) Identifying Important Criteria for Multimedia Instructional Courseware Evaluation Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 12(1), 84-106 Gropius, W (1943) Scope of Total Architecture (Vol 3) New York: Harper and Row Hampe, B (1997) Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos New York: Henry Holt & Co Inc Kline, S (2002, November) E-mail correspondence Linstone, H A., & Turoff, M (Eds.) (1975) The Delphi Method: Techniques and Applications Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Long, B., & Schenk, S (2000) The Digital Filmmaking Handbook Rockland, Mass.: Charles River Media Inc Lusted, D (1986) Why Pedagogy? Screen, 12, 2-15 McLuhan, M (1962) The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographical Man New York: McGraw-Hill McLuhan, M (1964) Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man New York: McGraw-Hill Nielsen, J (1994) Usability Engineering San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Nielsen, J (1997) The Need For Speed Retrieved April, 2003, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9703a.html Nishida, K (1990, Trans.; 1921, Original) An Inquiry Into The Good (M Abe & C Ives, Trans.) Chelsea, Michigan: Yale University Press Norman, D A (2002) Gratuitous Graphics and Human-Centered Website Design Retrieved April, 2003, from http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/hcd_website_design.html Rabiger, M (1998) Directing the Documentary Boston: Focal Press 49 Schwartz, P (1991) The Art of the Long View New York: Doubleday Sholle, D., & Denski, S W (1994) Media Education and the (Re)Production of Culture Westport, Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey Simon, H A (1996) The Sciences of the Artificial Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press Wenger, E (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Williams, R (1974) Television: Technology and Cultural Form New York: Schocken Books Zettl, H (1995) Video Basics Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co 50 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR INSTRUCTING VIDEO PRODUCTION Anderson, G H (1999) Video Editing and Post-Production: A Professional Guide Boston: Focal Press Ascher, S., & Pincus, E (1999) The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age New York: Penguin Putnam Inc Barbash, I., & Taylor, L (1997) Cross-Cultural Filmmaking: A Handbook for Making Documentary and Ethnographic Films and Videos Berkeley: University of California Press Benedetti, R (2002) From Concept to Screen: An Overview of Film and Television Production Boston: Allyn and Bacon Collier, M D (2001) Digital Video Filmmaker's Handbook Hollywood: Lone Eagle Publishing Co Compesi, R J (2003) Video Field Production and Editing Boston: Allyn and Bacon Fairweather, R (1998) Basic Studio Directing Oxford: Focal Press Hampe, B (1997) Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos New York: Henry Holt & Co Inc Harding, T (1997) The Video Activist Handbook London: Pluto Press Harris, C R., & Lester, P M (2002) Visual Journalism: A Guide for New Media Professionals Boston: Allyn and Bacon Hitchcock, P (1992) Videography Toronto: Peter Hichcock Productions Jarvis, P (1998) The Essential TV Director's Handbook Oxford: Focal Press LaLoggia, N S., & Wurmfeld, E H (1999) IFP/West Independent Filmmaker's Manual Boston: Focal Press Long, B., & Schenk, S (2000) The Digital Filmmaking Handbook Rockland, Mass.: Charles River Media Inc Lyver, D., & Swainson, G (1995) Basics of Video Lighting Oxford: Focal Press 51 Lyver, D (1999) Basics of Video Sound Oxford: Focal Press Lyver, D., & Swainson, G (1999) Basics of Video Production Oxford: Focal Press Matza, A (1995) The Video Production Organizer Boston: Focal Press Orlebar, J (2002) Digital Television Production: A Handbook New York: Oxford University Press Rabiger, M (1997) Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics (2nd ed.) Boston: Focal Press Rabiger, M (1998) Directing the Documentary Boston: Focal Press Rowlands, A (1994) The Continuity Handbook Oxford: Focal Press Shook, F (2000) Television Field Production and Reporting New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc Thompson, R (1998) Grammar of the Shot Oxford: Focal Press Ward, P (2000) Digital Video Camerawork Oxford: Focal Press York, M., & Muratore, S (2001) The Computer Videomaker Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Video Boston: Focal Press Zettl, H (1995) Video Basics Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co 52 ... creativity more so then to the scientific method An area of design theory that was called upon during the development of the Cycles of Iteration interface comes out of the field of Human Computer... written component of a mediated pedagogical design project that produced the Cycles of Iteration interface (see attached CD-ROM) This interface was designed to assist the process of teaching video... study of undergraduate students who informed further iterations of the design An expert panel of professional video production instructors were also asked to comment on the interface The Cycles of