Education/Archive/Case Studies/illustrations

Illustrations

Bruce Sharky

Professor

Louisiana State University
USA

Course name
Regional Planning and Design

Course level (undergraduate/graduate)
Master's students

Learning objectives
Writing Skills Development
Media and Information Literacy    
Critical Thinking and Research Skills    
Collaboration   
Wiki Technical and Communication Skills    

Discipline of course
Landscape Architecture

Class size
11

Individual or group assignment
Individual

Duration of assignment
12 weeks (part of a larger off-wiki assignment)

Assignment

I asked my students to go on Wikipedia and find an article that could use an illustration that would explain graphically what was written in words.

The topics had to do with natural processes in coastal Louisiana, such as wetland loss, hurricanes, etc. The larger assignment included a paper and an in-class presentation.

Students were very excited about the assignment because they were able to be published, they were treated as grown-ups, they were making a contribution to Wikipedia, and people all over the world were critiquing their work. I found that the quality of their other work was some of the best I’ve seen of my students, and I think it was because of the Wikipedia assignment. It made students think critically about the kind of graphic illustrations they do with all of their assignments. As landscape architects, we have to communicate to the public, and this assignment helped them gain those skills.

(CC-BY-SA 3.0) by Yue Guan

(CC-BY-SA 3.0) by Dboutte