{"id":589,"date":"2022-06-27T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parcos-project.eu\/?p=589"},"modified":"2022-07-26T15:09:20","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T15:09:20","slug":"student-assignment-on-creating-data-stories-with-different-levels-of-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parcos-project.eu\/2022\/06\/student-assignment-on-creating-data-stories-with-different-levels-of-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Student assignment on creating data stories with different levels of participation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From September 2021 till January 2022, 17 students of Media and Information Design (LUCA School of Arts, campus Brussels, Belgium) created a wide range of participatory data stories on the topic of climate change. These third year Bachelor students were already trained at designing data visualisations, from creating non-fictional stories to shaping interaction design. For this assignment, they were asked to bring their design skills together. The process was guided by the ParCos Storyteller<\/a>: a ParCos tool for guiding participation in data storytelling. Students were introduced to existing data stories that ranged from inviting the audience to interpret data and discover storyline(s) (see Figure 1 below, left), to participating in the story by contributing data, or even adding their own data story(line) (see Figure 1, right). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Figure 1. Level of participation in data storytelling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The topic of climate change was chosen because of its relevance to a wide audience, and in particular youngsters. The target audience for this assignment can be more exposed to environmental pollution and susceptible to its damaging health effects, while youngsters usually have a smaller contribution to environmental pressure and less possibilities to protect themselves. To mitigate these inequalities, participatory data stories can provide a stepping stone to engage themselves with the issue through data, enabling them to raise their voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Figure 2. Students of 3BA Media & Information Design, LUCA School of Arts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Climate change is a huge and multi-faceted issue, and the students were left free to explore any journalistic angle for a story, as well as a fitting medium. Results ranged from interactive websites to installations, physical books, and card games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Participatory Data Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

0. Consume data story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For a story to be participatory, it should at least allow for (inter-)activity. For example, consumers of the story should be able to easily retrieve a data source to further discover information or check the trustworthiness of the source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this level, none of such links are provided. Stories are created to be consumed without any active participation<\/strong> of viewer, reader or listener. Examples in this level are explainer videos or non-interactive graphs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We present this category to demonstrate how it differentiates from the other levels. However, students did not create any examples of this (as the assignment explicitly requested triggering some kind of active participation by the target audience).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Interpret data to discover storyline<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Typically, examples of data visualisation in an online journalistic context allow for some kind of interactivity<\/strong>, such as by filtering categories or zooming in and out. This activity allows for the news consumer to be involved in the interpretation, although it might be very limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Mattia Gentile explored the well-established journalistic scrollytelling format, in which the viewer is free to skip through text, images and graphs to learn about the topic of hybrid teleworking or schooling and how it affects the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Students also explored less typical media formats. Here, two projects were presented: a data story card game and a data story object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Ines Germeau designed a quartet card game on the impact of food production on climate change. This game focuses on children between 8-12 years old. In each of the quartets, she highlights one particular food group, such as meat, fish, wheats and vegetables. Children can puzzle data on the climate impact together and construct a coherent data story. This way, children are actively interpreting the data at hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Data story objects are a way to bring data stories in a surprising way to an audience. With the project of student Maureen Durviaux, we are invited to construct a chair as if it were a story. In the furniture\u2019s pieces, different data graphs on the impact of furniture waste on the climate are hidden. The audience is thus invited to construct the data story together with the actual object; the chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n