Workshop / Knowledge + Ability Inventory
This page describes the objectives, activities, submission guidelines, and on-going work required for the Knowledge + Ability Inventory workshop.
Workshop Overview
This workshop asks you to reflect on your professional knowledge and abilities relevant to information design and project management.
Workshop Objectives
- Engage in professionally driven self reflection.
- Communicate details relevant to that reflection in a brief document.
- Share your inventory document on the dedicated discussion forum for that purpose.
Workshop Details
This workshop asks you to reflect upon and assess your professionally relevant knowledge, abilities, and other qualities in the context of the work we do during this course. The workshop results in the preparation of a brief document that organizes and shares your assessment.
Assess Your Relevant Knowledge, Abilities, and Professional Qualities
This segment of the assignment description presents three lists of relevant details. Score yourself (on a scale of 1 to 10) on each item.
When scoring yourself, use 1 only to reflect those areas where you would feel utterly unprepared to engage with that knowledge or ability. Use 10 only to reflect those areas where you would feel completely prepared to take a leadership role in that context in a professional/classroom setting. Use the following values as touchstones: 3 (baseline knowledge only); 5 (generally competent); 7 (advanced knowledge/ability).
Design Knowledge
- Conducting internet-based research. Seeking, assessing, and organizing relevant professional and scholarly resources.
- Conducting usability research. Designing, administering, assessing usability / ux trials.
- Engaging in user-centered design. Creating designed experiences that are inclusive, accessible, respectful, ethical.
- Composing written content. General content development, writing ability.
- Preparing visual content. Creating, preparing images, tables, other special content containers.
- Editing written/visual/audible content. Ability to assess and refine such content, whether yours or someone else's.
- Designing digital ink documents. Creating professional quality documents that are traditionally distributed in print, through digital ink (e.g., PDF).
- Designing web sites. Creating professional quality web documents.
- Designing audio content. Planning and executing professional podcasts.
- Designing video content. Planning and executing professional screencasts, other video documents.
- Delivering presentations. Planning and delivering professional presentations.
- Other (optional). Identify any other design knowledge relevant to our work this semester, whether or not you feel competent or qualified in that area of expertise.
Design Abilities
- Creating content/documents with Adobe Indesign. Expertise with the package.
- Creating content/documents with Adobe Audition. Expertise with the package.
- Managing audio recording technologies. Expertise with PTW audio tools and technologies (e.g., Scarlett Solo interfaces, the Big Board, microphones).
- Creating content/documents with Techsmith Camtasia. Expertise with the package.
- Creating content/documents with Adobe Premier. Expertise with the package.
- Managing video recording technologies. Expertise with PTW video tools and technologies (e.g., digital video cameras, lighting kit).
- Creating content/documents with Microsoft Word. Expertise with the package.
- Creating content/documents with Figma. Expertise with the package.
- Other (optional). Identify any other design abilities relevant to our work this semester, whether or not you feel competent or qualified in that area of expertise. You can add as many as you think are appropriate.
Professional Qualities
- Leadership. Ability to guide people, projects, to help others recognize and achieve their potential/responsibilities.
- Project management. Ability to plan, organize, and help others do the same.
- Adaptability. Ability to conduct yourself professionally and produce effective design solutions despite limitations, constraints, and changing expectations.
- Empathy. Awareness of who is impacted by your actions, and how. Insight into the needs, expectations of others. Ability to anticipate others' responses to challenges and opportunities.
- Innovation, creativity. Ability to produce effective insights and solutions that break away from historic patterns, expectations, and prior practices.
- Accountability. Dedication to others (e.g., peers, clients) and to meeting project deadlines. Ability to change habits, practices when necessary to address shortcomings and missed responsibilities.
- Other (optional). Identify any other professional qualities relevant to our work this semester, whether or not you feel competent or qualified in that area of expertise. You can add as man as you think are appropriate.
Preparing Your Inventory Document
Gather your assessment into a 1-page document. (Limit yourself to a single single-spaced digital page.) You may opt for either standard page (8.5"x11") or legal page (8.5"x14"). Your document should include two sections: your philosophy of design/ux/design thinking; your scores on the knowledge, abilities, and qualities.
- Design statement. In your own words, based on your experience and personal reflection, explain what you value in design, and what you argue are the core / important responsibilities of designers.
- Assessment scores. Organize the knowledge areas, abilities, and professional qualities listed here in the description into a table. Score each item.
Refer to the sample document (see Canvas: Files) for guidance. As an alternative, you may produce this document as an infographic.
Name your file Lastname-K+AInventory (where Lastname is replaced with your last name). Convert your inventory document to PDF.
Submitting Your Inventory Document
Post your document in two places: to the Canvas Discussion forum for the workshop; and to a folder labeled Workshops inside your shared class folder at Dropbox.com.
Evaluation Standards
This section describes the standards by which your work will be evaluated for this workshop. Attend carefully to these details. If you do so, you will earn full credit for the workshop.
Evaluation Summary
There are 50 possible points for this workshop. I will award points according to this standard.
- 50 points (full credit) for submitting a complete assessment document that meets specs to the appropriate forum in Canvas Discussions and to your shared class folder on Dropbox by the workshop deadline.
- 40 points (partial credit) for work submitted that does not fulfill all of the posted workshop requirements, or that is submitted late, but within 48 hours of the posted deadline.
- 0 points (no credit) for work that is submitted more than 48 hours late.
A Note to Instructors, Colleagues, and Others
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- Give me credit for my work in your class; and
- Share with me that you are using this material. If you adapt or alter the content, please share with me how you did so. (I appreciate seeing the ways that others apply the ideas I have developed.)