Midterm (Terms Due March 10; Exam on March 11)

Midterm

As we discussed last Wednesday, your midterm will have two parts.

Part 1
The first part will require you to define eight terms without using the computer for reference (no Google!). You choose the terms from those you've been collecting for your blog.

Please send the eight terms you select with their definitions in the body of an email by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 (the day before class). I do not want this list sent as an attachment (if you've already sent it by the time you receive these instructions, I'll make an exception).

After giving this some thought, I've decided to distribute the terms to you as an exam on paper. On Wednesday, you'll each receive a final exam specifically created for you. I'll ask you to write the definitions out by hand, so please bring a pen and a sheet or two of paper to class.

Part 2
For the second part of your exam, I'd like you to write about the blog that you've created. I'd like you to begin with a general statement about the mission of the blog and the audiences (users) that you expect it to serve. I then want you to discuss every decision that you made, from selecting a title to choosing font sizes.

Tell me how and why each decision you've made fits with your understanding of how your target users will interact with the content on your blog. You should pay particular attention to the way you've labeled information on your site and think about how this enables users to find what they're looking for.

Remember that there is more than one way to be right -- you don't have to make the site fit one particular idea of what it should be. You do have to explain how your choices are consistent with what you expect the site to accomplish.

You may begin writing this part of your midterm now. If you'd like to complete Part 2 before entering class, you are welcome to do that. You will be given time in class, however, to complete this part of the midterm.

You are also free to make changes to your blog between now and Wednesday, but after Wednesday, you'll be expected to leave the formatting intact until your midterms have been returned. Good luck!