The Multimodal Revamp Assignment is required for the "A" Grade Goal.
Open the menus below for the assignment directions and resources to help reconfigure your proposal argument in a different format for a different audience. You'll find resources for each of VCU's categories: images, video, audio, presentation, and web.
For help with choosing a presentation mode, using the sites and programs linked on this page, or to suggest a resource, contact a librarian.
ENGL 1301
Multimodal Revamp Assignment
This assignment is required for Grade Goal of “A.”
This assignment asks you to take your proposal argument and reconfigure it in a different format for a different audience. VCU’s writing center provides a great overview of what different options: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/multimodal-assignments/media-resources.
Choose the one you are most interested in engaging with in the time and with the skills that you have or want to develop.
In any format, you are going to want to consider what your audience needs to know and how best to convey that information effectively. Jane will be your primary content expert on this, so reach out to her ASAP with your ideas so she can provide any assistance she can!
Since we don’t have a huge amount of time to devote to this assignment, I am not expecting professional-level work. But what I do expect is an attention to the different audience, medium and context you are engaging in and a good faith effort in meeting the expectations of that medium and audience.
Grading Criteria: A “Complete” will be given for this assignment if it seems that you made a good faith effort to meet the following criteria:
- Basic Assignment: You revised your argument paper for a different audience (public), genre (of your choosing) and medium (print to web/audio/video, etc).
- Thesis/Argument: You conveyed the argument project in a new way, using other modes of creation besides strictly alphabetic text. Your audience should not have to guess what your argument is: your argument in your creative project should be clear as a “stand alone piece” to an audience outside our class who knows nothing about your work.
- Creativity/originality in making your argument: you created a piece that engages the audience you’re envisioning (most immediately our class but also beyond) in your argument and research, with perhaps, different appeals for that different audience. Overall, how well do you select interesting images, audio or video clips? How well do you arrange them to tell a story?
- Sources: You give credit to the creator / source in your project. Use list of Works Cited/Reference List/Bibliography if your project does not lend itself to a credits screen.
- Proofreading/Grammar: If you use alphabetic text, your writing style is concise and compelling, and you carefully edit and proofread your final draft so that your writing contains no errors in spelling or grammar (unless you’re do so intentionally to make a point).
- Length: The final version should be long enough to convey an argument but not longer than 3:00 minutes (if in video or audio format).
Try some of the free image editing sites and collections below, or click on the other tabs for resources for that medium.
Have a suggestion for a good site? Let Jane the Librarian know!
- Canva
- Piktochart
- Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Canva is a design and publishing platform that allows you to create images, social media posts, and more. You can create a free account or get a paid subscription.
Use Piktochart to create infographics, presentations, flyers, and more. Create a free account or sign up for a paid subscription.
GIMP is a free software you can download to retouch and edit images.
These websites may have some copyright restrictions. If you use an image, always attribute and cite the image. For help with copyright and citation, scroll down and check out the links below.
- Library of Congress Images
- Internet Archive
- Digital Public Library of America
- New York Public Library Digital Collections
- NASA Image Galleries
- Getty Images
- Metropolitan Museum
- National Gallery of Art
Sets of images, maps, and painting are free to use.
The Internet Archive is a "non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more."
The DPLA digitizes library collections across the country. You can find thousands of images and documents.
Search NYPL's Digital Collections, which include images, documents, video, and more.
Search all of NASA's image galleries from this page, including space images, historic images, mission galleries, and more.
Limit your search to "open content images."
Use the "Public Domain Images."
Search in the upper right corner. These images are available for usage.
- Harvard Guide to Copyright
- Lone Star College Guide to Copyright
- MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources
- MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples
- Citing Electronic Images in APA
- Images in APA
Explains the basics of copyright in a clear & understandable way.
A quick reference guide about copyright, images and how/when/if to use images and information while respecting the original author.
Purdue OWL's guide to citing sources like artwork (painting, sculpture, photos), music, podcasts, film/video, interviews, digital files, etc.
MLA guidelines for labeling images in your paper: "All visuals/illustrations that are not tables or musical score examples (e.g. maps, diagrams, charts, videos, podcasts, etc.) are labeled Figure or Fig."
This page from the George Washington University Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library has helpful information and examples of citing images.
Scroll down to the bottom of this page to the "Preparing Figures" and "Captions and Legends" sections for directions on labeling and citing an image.
Not every image you find through a Google search is legal to use - you may be violating the image owner's copyright. But you can limit your Image search results only to images you are legally allowed to reuse.
After you do an Image search, click on Tools. Then under the Usage Rights menu that pops up below, choose Labeled for Reuse:
Try some of the free video programs below, or click on the other tabs for resources for that medium.
You might find it helpful to check out this article on "Creating Persuasive Videos" that Prof. Taggett linked in your D2L page.
Have a suggestion for a good site? Let Jane the Librarian know!
- Screencast-o-matic
- OpenShot Video Editor
- Blender
- iMovie
- Splice (iOS app)
- Quik (app for iOS and Android)
- Kizoa
Free screencaster and video editor. If you want to record a presentation from your computer while you narrate over it, this would be a great program to use.
OpenShot is a good place for beginners to start: this is a free, open source video editor with a simple drag and drop interface.
Free and open source video editing software, especially good for videos with 3D animations/modeling.
Only for Mac users, iMovie is the native Mac app for video editing.
Splice is a free video editing app from the GoPro company, only for iPhones or iPads (iOS devices).
From the same company as Splice, Quik is a video editing app for iOS and Android. It has more auto-editing tools than Splice.
Create videos and slideshows with this free online editor.
Try some of the free audio editing programs below, or click on the other tabs for resources for that medium.
You might want to start with this guide on "How to Start a Podcast" that Prof. Taggett posted in your D2L page:
https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/how-to-start-a-podcast/
Have a suggestion for a good site? Let Jane the Librarian know!
- Anchor.fm
- Audacity
- Ocenaudio
- Ashampoo Music Studio 2018
- Freesound
- ZapSplat
Anchor is a free podcast hosting platform. You can record audio on your phone or computer and use the Anchor app to upload it to major podcatchers.
Free, open source audio software to record and edit audio. You can download for free or access it from any computer in the Tutoring area on the library's second floor.
Free audio editor available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Primarily used for music, this free download allows you to rip audio from videos and organize and edit audio files.
"Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. Browse, download and share sounds."
Search and browse free sound effects and royalty-free music.
Try some of the free presentation programs below, or click on the other tabs for resources for that medium.
Have a suggestion for a good site? Let Jane the Librarian know!
- Prezi
- Google Slides
- Slidely
- Kizoa
Create free, dynamic presentations with Prezi.
Log in or create and account with Google Drive to create slideshow presentations using Google Slides.
Free online program to create slideshows, collages, and photo galleries.
Create videos and slideshows with this free online editor.
Try some of the free web creation programs below, or click on the other tabs for resources for that medium.
Have a suggestion for a good site? Let Jane the Librarian know!
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Google Sites
- WordPress
- Adobe Creative Cloud
Sign in with your Google account to create a free website using Google Sites.
Use the 'Start with Free' option to create a simple website. Other plans start at $3 a month.
The Macs in the Tutoring area on the library's second floor have the entire Adobe Creative Cloud installed, including Dreamweaver and other image/web design programs.
