ABSTRACT
Scalar is a “born-scholarly” platform for authoring rigorous multi-modal, long-form content. It was originally designed and developed with the intent of providing mature scholars a web-based option for publishing monographs with integrated rich media content, yet it has seen increasing use in the classroom for student and hybrid student-faculty projects. Scalar's affordances for import and critical analysis of media, and path-based, non-hierarchical organization of content provide flexible means to teach students key discursive and information literacy lessons while also producing engaging public-facing student scholarship. As we will describe the platform is also well suited for inquiry-based curriculum and other approaches for cultivating student proficiencies in knowledge production and participation in public intellectual communities.
This chapter will provide educators at college and advanced K12 levels with practical and conceptual guidance toward integration of Scalar book projects into classroom curriculum. Common challenges facing educators in first-time efforts with Scalar include: how to teach student participants the fundamental principles and processes of the Scalar platform; how to manage collaborative design and authorship with many students; how to scope, structure and sequence lab activities; and how to edit and publish final products created during the ebb and flow of an academic period. It includes sample lesson activities associated with key functions of the Scalar interface and user experience, such as media import, annotation, and path.
Project ideas and learning activities are based upon real lab experience and digital project work facilitated by the Center for Digital Liberal Arts (CDLA) at Occidental College. They are informed by direct involvement of a Scalar co-creator, Craig Dietrich, who joined the CDLA staff in 2016.
As an organization involved in Digital Humanities work for over a decade, The CDLA has been an early adopter of many digital technologies for curricular integration, and have found Scalar well-suited to transform scholarly practices into online spaces. The continual evolution of Scalar's affordances in response to need and usage scenarios has helped it become a centerpiece technology for interdisciplinary project work at Occidental, and with this chapter we hope to contribute to Scalar's expanding use in the classroom.
