From students to authors: Fostering student content creation with Scalar

Abstract

The research paper, an established method of assessment, is not always the best choice of assignments. Its structured format can stifle creativity and inhibit other methods of constructing knowledge. To address these concerns, a liaison librarian partnered with faculty to have students create Scalar projects. Scalar is a free and open-source publishing platform that facilitates the creation of multimedia digital scholarship, making it a great platform to produce engaging interactive visual essays that can transcend academia and foster student content creation. This case study describes several iterations of Scalar assignments that were implemented in seven courses in six disciplines, with four different instruction methods. Variations in the effectiveness of these methods demonstrated the need for interactive in-class instruction and the benefits of the librarian-faculty collaboration.

Keywords:

• Digital assignments
• digital humanities
• digital scholarship
• scalar
• student authors

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr. Vanessa Ceia, Rev. Dr. Roland De Vries, Dr. Jordan Koch, Dr. Giuliana Minghelli, Dr. Caroline Paquette, and Dr. Stephanie Posthumus for giving her the opportunity of introducing students to Scalar. She would also like to thank librarian Sandy Hervieux for a successful collaboration in the Religious Studies course.