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INF109 Digital Media and Society 2024-25
Individual Assessment: Blog 1 (40% of module grade)
For this assessment, you will writethree individual 700-word blog posts (2100 words total) about material covered on the ‘Digital Society’ strand of the module. You will submit these three blog posts at the end of semester 1. You will use theHTML template provided in web skillsto create both of your blogs. You will be shown how to do this in the web skills strand of the module.
Blog Topics and Deadlines
Each topic that we have covered this semester has its own unique question/prompt that has been set by the lecturer for that topic. You will complete a total of three 700-word blog posts that respond to each of these prompts. In each post, be sure to reference some of the key concepts covered in the lecture and readings and use examples from contemporary digital society to illustrate your points.
Blog Post 1 should respond to the prompt:Explain the three levels of the Digital Divide using examples from your own life or lived experience.
Blog Post 2 should respond to the prompt: What are the main types of information disorder and their causes? Pick one or two examples and explain how you and/or your friends/family have encountered or been impacted by these kinds of content.
Blog Post 3 should respond to the prompt:Pick a digital technology of your choice and, using your own experiences, describe how it either promotes or discourages different types of digital discrimination.
Deadline: Monday 16th January 2025
Submission Instructions
For each deadline, you mustsubmit your INF109 blogs in two locations:
Turnitin Submission
1. Copy and paste the text from your three blogs into a single Word document and submit to the Turnitin link in Blackboard. This will mean that you will lose any HTML formatting, but only the text in the submission to Turnitin is marked. Remember to name your file with your registration number only (e.g. 22165789.docx).This part of your submission makes up 50% of your mark and is for written content of your blog
HTML Files Submission
2. A Blackboard Journal will be made available to you within the assessment folder for INF109. In here you will need tocreate a new journal entry and attach your original HTML files (including any linked files if you have them - such as images and/or stylesheets) by the submission deadline. Only you and the module team will have access to your journal entry.This part of your submission makes up 50% of your mark and is for the design of your blog (i.e. your web skills).
If you do not submit to the two locations, you risk missing 50% of the available marks and failing your assignment. Please follow the instructions carefully.
Failure to meet the deadline
If you have extenuating circumstances which mean you are unable to meet the deadline you must apply for an extensionprior to the deadline. See the student handbook for details and email Kate Miltner ([email protected]) if you are unsure.
If you submit after the deadline, you will receive a penalty for late submission. Late submission will result in a deduction of 5% of the total mark awarded for each working day after the submission date, where ‘working day’ includes Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) and runs from 10am to 10am. The 5 working day deadline for late submission is absolute. Any coursework submitted after the 5 working day period that does not have an extension granted will receive a ZERO grade. See the Student Handbook for the policy regarding submissions and extensions.
Please leave plenty of time to convert your files and submit your files to the two places of submission. It is your responsibility to check the readability of BOTH submissions and to leave yourself enough time to do so.
Creating Your Blogs
Each blog post should be structured as follows:
● A brief title that sums up your overall argument about the topic (not included in the word count)
● Introduction: A brief introduction to the topic and your specific focus including brief definitions of any complex concepts.
● Body: Make sure that your argument is supported byhigh-quality sources (e.g. academic books, journal articles, high quality media, government reports) and that you provide Harvard citations to those sources. If you do not support your argument with evidence, it’s just your opinion! Most of your word count should be used in this main section of the blog post. You need to use multiple good quality sources to begin scoring higher marks. You should have a source for each point you make.
● Conclusion: reiterate your main argument and discuss what the wider significance of this is (for people, society, inclusion etc)
● A reference list (not included in word count). You will be taught how to produce a Harvard reference list in week 11. You will be expected to use Harvard style referencing for all written work.
● Blog-style writing: Writing an academic blog is like writing an essay, but in a less formal writing style. A good academic blog is easy to understand, clearly structured, and with strong arguments that are well-supported with high-quality sources. It is NOT an opinion piece where you say what you like without supporting your points with evidence.
○ An example of a good academic blog post can be found here: https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-friendship-dip (if it prompts you to subscribe, just click “continue reading”).
○ You have also been given examples of academic blogs on the subject of each topic unit (Digital Divide, Misinformation, Digital Discrimination) in your Optional Readings for each topic.
● Content requirements: You are expected to use examples from your own life (or the lives of people you know) in your work. You are also required to reference all of the required readings in your blog posts. You can bring in additional sources, but if you don’t reference the required readings, you will lose marks.
● Generative AI: please refer to the University’s guidelines on generative AI in assessments and adhere to them. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Kate or Pete.
You get half of your marks for blog development using HTML. Your blog should demonstrate the web skills you have learned in the module e.g. content design, navigation, links, use of images, video and other embedded media (see marking criteria for web skills below).
Sources and referencing
For each blog post you must research your blog post using material from class, the reading list, and other high-quality sources (the StarPlus library catalogue is a good place to start – ask in the library if you are unsure). You gain marks for demonstrating you have understood the materials in class, and from finding your own good quality sources. You must show where you got your information and ideas from by citing your sources. You should provide Harvard citations in your text (and link these to the original source if it is online). A full reference list in Harvard style should be provided at the end of each blog post. You will be taught how to use Harvard referencing in week 11 during the Academic Skills session. The reference list will not be included in the word count.
Word counts
The word count is +/- 10%. That means each blog post should be between 630 and 770 words. You will receive a word count penalty (3 marks) if your blog is outside of this range.
Please make sure to add your word count at the end of each blog post. You will receive a penalty if you do not include your word count.
Marking & feedback
Marking will be undertaken by the full teaching team and will be moderated to ensure consistency across markers.
Marking criteria
50% of the mark is for the content of the blog. We will mark the blog content using the standard Information School marking criteria. This means that we will be assessing your work based on:
1. Interpretation and scope of the assignment
2. Understanding of the subject (concepts, themes, debates, issues etc)
3. Evaluation and synthesis of the evidence (how you used the sources you used to evidence and develop your argument – you get higher marks from drawing on multiple sources to build an argument & evidence a point)
4. Critical Analysis
5. Argument
6. Structure of the writing
7. Use of English
8. Presentation of data, and quality of Harvard citations and reference list
9. Overall presentation
10. Identification of information/evidence (the sources you used to research the topic)
50% of the mark is for your web skills. We will mark this component using the following criteria:
1. Quality of the content design
2. Quality of navigation and links
3. Use of images, video and other embedded content
4. Appropriateness of the design to the topic