Student Journey: Edwine Pierre Louis

Posted on March 4, 2024March 4, 2024 by Student User

Edwine Pierre Louis lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and is a graduate student in the Emerging Media Design and Development low-res program. EMDD low-res students attend a four-day workshop at the beginning of each semester and the rest of their coursework is delivered online. Edwine is an Associate, Sales Strategy and Support Analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Whenever I mention that I’ve traveled from Jacksonville, FL, I’m often asked, “Why Ball State University?” My response is actually, “Why EMDD?” The EMDD program was something I didn’t even know existed. I was considering pursuing three separate graduate degrees to gain a comprehensive understanding of human-computer interaction, design thinking, transmedia narrative, and design execution. To my astonishment, EMDD encompassed all of these areas. Even as an out-of-state student, the components of this degree are set to shave years off my educational journey.

Regarding my experience with the low-res, in-person component—I have spent my entire life intentionally avoiding the snow, yet the weather ensured that I encountered plenty of it. Despite this, the atmosphere was incredibly conducive to learning. It gave me a clear expectation of what I would be studying in those two classes. Additionally, from my perspective as a distant learner, the setting helped to diminish any proximity bias.

Get to know Edwine:

What are you passionate about?

Learning – Science, Technology, Art
Understanding – Listen to understand not to respond
Social justice – Equitable treatment and opportunity

What is your ideal culture?

A place where everyone can belong and is celebrated, inconvenient truths, and past injustices are recognized and amended. Somewhere that failure is part of the learning journey.

Favorite Things

Landscape Photography
Podcasts
UX/UI Design
Documentaries
Reading
Remote Control Cars
Gardening
Weightlifting

Favorite Quote

“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” ― Audre Lorde

Fun Facts

I am a published photographer for minor league baseball from two years interning with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. I am also a skilled jib camera operator, a field that unfortunately has very few women.

Want to know more about Edwine’s journey and our other EMDD projects? Follow EMDD on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Visit our Ball State University webpage for more information on how to join the EMDD program.

Student Journey: Gabe Eastridge

Posted on January 25, 2024January 25, 2024 by Student User

“There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts.”

About Gabe

Gabe Eastridge graduated from the University of Indianapolis in May of 2023. He started EMDD in the fall of 2023. A creative designer, he went to school for Graphic Design and hopes to pursue that in sports. He enjoys art and visual media, which inspired him to pick up a camera and join the yearbook during high school. He loves taking documentary/street-style photos and enjoys shooting sports. He hopes to keep learning new software and using the projects in EMDD to grow his design skills, along with the understanding of storytelling to enhance his photography and video skills. Visit his portfolio here: eastridgephotoz.myportfolio.com

Thoughts on the EMMD Spring Workshop

I just attended my second set of EMDD low-res in-person classes. The first semester in the fall was a bit daunting as I had recently graduated that previous spring and decided to start my master’s, and I wasn’t sure what would be required of this higher program.

I quickly found out that the professors, Drs. M oloney and Fisher were very outgoing and excited to teach the classes. With a lot of banter back and forth and everyone getting to know one another, I was eased into this new adventure of education. I found I had similar interests and knowledge of areas that piqued the two different professors’ interest, and when brought up, it was noticeable that I had piqued their interest. They were quick to open up and start discussing the topics of AI, photography, design, varying media platforms, etc. Seeing their excitement, wealth of knowledge, and desire for discourse, I was drawn in. It’s hard to explain, but I haven’t had anything like this before in my undergrad classes. There isn’t just knowledge but a visual and physical atmosphere of excitement to learn challenging technology and concepts. They do excellent jobs pulling you in and continuously engaging.

I say all that because those ideas remain true and are why I enjoy the EMDD program. We took an exciting trip to an escape room during this last in-person session. We were briefed on what to consider during this experience. It was also super interesting because, in the previous session, we visited the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and spent a day exploring and analyzing the exhibits. This was a whole new story of engagement, and instead of just watching, you were a major piece in solving the puzzle. It was a great way to engage ideas of gamification concepts, storytelling, critical thinking, and overall design concepts. With this experience under our belt, we dove quickly into lectures and content that we will be working on for the rest of the semester.

Of course, just like the professors, the lectures are engaging and filled with funny moments, clips/imagery from real-world media, and concepts that help tell the narrative of the concepts. It was always enjoyable to see tidbits of fun during lectures as an undergrad, but these take a whole new level. They keep your attention, and I take mental notes because the content sticks with me. I am very visual and hands-on, and the way they teach works well for me. In one class, we focused more on jumping into software and starting the development process. We faced various challenges, and both professors were ready to add their problem-solving methods. They had broken us into two groups for the escape room and this short project. The two teams were the same for both events, which helped in the bonding process and the complexities of software. Having multiple minds on the topics helps solve the problems much quicker. I enjoy these short moments when we all meet in person. I love the professors and look forward to seeing them next time we meet.

Would you like to join Gabe on his journey? Follow EMDD on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Visit our Ball State University webpage for more information or to join our program.

Student Journey: Jo Beth Bootz

Posted on January 23, 2024February 1, 2024 by Student User

“The right stories can open our hearts and change who we are.”
Janet Murray

About Jo Beth

Jo Beth Bootz is the Media Communications and Broadcasting Program Instructor at the Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center in Evansville. She embarked on her media journey during high school with a focus on radio broadcasting during her senior year as part of the Career and Technical Education program through the EVSC. Building on this foundation, Jo Beth pursued her passion at Indiana University, earning a degree in Telecommunications and Communication and Culture.

Throughout her college years, Jo Beth demonstrated her dedication to media by collaborating with the IU Office of Communications and Marketing. She produced a syndicated program for high school radio stations in Indiana and gained valuable experience through a summer internship in video production with KSTN in Seattle, Washington. Jo Beth earned a prestigious summer fellowship from the International Radio and Television Society after graduation. This opportunity led her to New York, where she interned with the Sesame Workshop, contributing to home video production for Sesame Street.

In her professional career, Jo Beth worked in marketing communications with Windstream Communications, Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana, Habitat for Humanity of Evansville, and Macaroni Kid National. In 2020, Jo Beth transitioned to education, channeling her passion for media to inspire the next generation. Despite her diverse experiences, she circled back to the program and radio station where she started as a high school student. In addition to her full-time role, Jo Beth engages in freelance projects focusing on marketing communications and provides voice-over services to clients regionally and nationally. Her work can be heard on iHeartRadio’s iRead2Know literacy station.

Jo Beth is in her second semester of the Emerging Media Design and Development program.

Thoughts on the EMMD Spring Workshop

As a low-res student, the journey to Indianapolis combines excitement, anticipation, and genuine education alongside fellow professionals. In online learning, our weeks are often consumed by work, family, friends, and extracurricular activities. However, Ball State’s four-day workshop for EMDD at the beginning of each semester, where professionals convene, serves as a welcoming gateway, fostering connections with the curriculum and peers in the cohort.

The workshop became an immediate hub for bonding, featuring Dr. Maloney’s engaging stoke activities, an escape room challenge set to the backdrop of 80’s music and cars, and Dr. Fisher’s commitment to teaching a new system for crafting interactive digital experiences. Discussions traversed diverse topics, from Star Wars to Westworld, exploring storytelling models from Freytag, Kishotenketsu, and Vonnegut, and embracing Janet Murray as our personal Godmother of IDN. The exchange of knowledge and ideas during these sessions was unparalleled.

The workshop concluded with a creative challenge amid discussions, lectures, and group activities. Teams drew on their love and understanding of impactful storytelling, combining it with the structure of digital narrative using Unity for the first time. And boy, was that a challenge! Drawing inspiration from our escape room experience, two teams “competed,” weaving narratives featuring a casino mob boss to a spooky treasure hunt complete with a haunted mansion—all constructed within a text-based experience, challenging our storytelling and programming skills. Undoubtedly, each of us embarked on a Hero’s journey from Wednesday through Saturday, initiating or continuing our education journey with the EMDD family.

Would you like to join Jo Beth on her journey? Follow EMDD on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Visit our Ball State University webpage for more information or to join our program.

The Center for EMDD Presents: The Great Escape

Posted on January 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Matthew Lowe

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Last week, the Center for Emerging Media Design and Development launched its spring low-residency workshop at the Ball State Fishers Center. This immersive four-day event provided team building, networking, educational components for EMDD 630: Nonlinear & Interactive Storytelling and EMMD 640: Transmedia Storytelling & Publishing, and fun!

The week began with a pit stop at EscapeUSA Fishers’ The Race escape room, which is best described in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle via ChatGPT:

“In the dimly lit Vintage Race League garage, motor oil and adrenaline thick in the air, a mysterious veil cloaked the season’s final race. High stakes, higher tension – you and your rival teetered on victory’s edge. A clandestine caller, night-shrouded, delivered an ominous message – both race cars sabotaged, carburetors damaged. Fate’s gears took a sinister turn.

“Race rules demanded inspection two hours before engines roared. Within 60 minutes, navigate the labyrinth, find a spare carburetor, or face a penalty. The Parts Department key was left at the track; a security code guarded the crucial bastion. Unravel the mystery, find the code, secure the carburetor – destiny’s race against time: triumph or bitter defeat, the final race hung in the balance, a spectacle of cunning deduction. The game was afoot!“

At the workshop, Dr.’s Kevin Moloney and Joshua Fisher created a novel experience for their classes. Competing against one another in two identical escape rooms, the students created narratives that will inform the stories they tell via their coursework in the upcoming semester. Dr. Fisher said, “the escape room allowed students to gather story data to put theory into practice in the emerging discipline of interactive and digital storytelling.”

Students used a series of user personas to select their escape room type and sorted into two teams of five: The Perfect Mix and The Wrecking Balls. These teams raced against the clock and each other to see who could escape first. The Wrecking Balls crushed The Perfect Mix’s hopes of winning with a well-timed, if accidental, bit of sabotage, but in the end, both teams escaped with the spare carburetor!

After receiving the checkered flags, students took a pace lap and met with faculty and alums of the EMDD program at a dinner mixer at the Fishers Test Kitchen before heading to their respective homes and hotels.

The rest of the week featured morning sessions of storytelling theory and afternoons of story creation. Dr. Moloney’s course focused on how to build stories, “we used the escape room experience to seed discussions of how to structure a story. The students chatted with me as they developed nonlinear stories about how the points on a variety of story arcs could work in nonlinear form.” Dr. Fisher worked on fleshing these stories into an interactive form via Unity and Twine.

Would you like EMDD to be part of your story? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Visit our Ball State University webpage for more information or to join our program.

EMDD Students Featured in Ball State’s Top 100

Posted on March 22, 2023June 26, 2023 by Matthew Lowe

Meet EMDD’s Top 100 Students Sunny and Kami.

Written by: Steven Donahoe

Ball State’s Top 100 Student Awards recognizes outstanding junior and senior undergraduates who represent Beneficence both in and out of the classroom. All applications were reviewed and scored by BSU alumni across the country. EMDD is excited to recognize our very own Madison Clark and Kami Geron among BSU’s Top 100 Students.

Madison “Sunny” Clark comes from Brownsburg, Ind. She completed her undergraduate degree in Visual Communications at Ball State with a minor in Digital Media. She is enrolled in the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute’s Gen:i program and is a student ambassador for the Excellence in Leadership program. Sunny chose to pursue an accelerated master’s degree in Emerging Media Design and Development because she enjoyed the undergraduate design thinking course (EMDD 216) that she took her sophomore year. This led to her promotion at the Ball State Digital Corps as student design team lead. During the upcoming 2023-24 school year, Sunny is excited to take her talents to the next level in the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute program as a graduate assistant.

Kami Geron is a double major in Journalism and Studio Art, and is pursuing an accelerated master’s degree in EMDD, as well. Kami has been involved in a number of organizations on campus, including serving as vice president of recruitment and marketing for her sorority, Kappa Delta, art director for Ball Bearings magazine, and creative assistant at the McKinley Avenues Agency, to name a few. Kami is a true ambassador for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication.

Kami has also been working hard to bring emerging media into her artworks. Her piece “Transmedia Experience” was featured in the 88th Annual Juried Student Art Show at Ball State. As she continues into her senior thesis project, she is excited to use her knowledge of EMDD to make her artworks come alive. Kami’s art can be viewed in the Ned and Gloria Griner Art Gallery, open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until March 16, 2023.

All of Ball State’s Top 100 Student Award recipients will be recognized from 3 to 4 p.m. during One Ball State Day on April 5, 2023.

Steven Donahoe

Steven Donahoe is a second-year graduate student with EMDD and a graduate assistant for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication and EMDD.

The 2022-2023 David Letterman Learning Experience

Posted on March 15, 2023April 20, 2023 by Matthew Lowe

The 2022-2023 David Letterman Learning Experience

Written by: Steven Donahoe

The second-year EMDD project teams have hit the ground running as they forge ahead into their final semester in the program. The David Letterman Learning Experience (DLLE) team includes low-residency students Ruthie Grigoletti and Jennifer Criss and on-campus students Alexis Miller, Hayley Burris, Lydia Bertsch, Anshika Singh, Hailey Leonard, and Zainab Aamir. The DLLE is an annual project that tackles a new opportunity space each year, often inspired in some way by David Letterman, Ball State’s most notable alum.

The opportunity: Inspired by a quote from an interview with Dave — “we are all the same,” — the DLLE team decided to explore how to foster connections among Ball State students and alumni. Many students on college campuses can feel isolated, despite being surrounded by thousands of peers. This project seeks to show college students that their differences are fewer than their similarities.

The research: The group first dove into academic research to examine how to create a sense of belonging, how shared experiences affect people, and how immersive technologies like extended reality (XR) might foster a sense of connection and presence. They also interviewed BSU alumni and current undergraduate and graduate students to gain a clearer understanding of how best to engage the BSU community.

The solution: Based on this research, the DLLE team is developing several innovative storytelling platforms, including an augmented reality (AR) app, an interactive touchscreen wall, and a social media campaign. Through the app, users will explore Ball State history through an AR experience that allows them to scan campus landmarks and learn more about them. Users will see how campus has evolved, explore BSU traditions, and learn more about notable Ball State alums. Through the interactive touch wall passersby will explore stories contributed by members of the Ball State community. Stories will highlight the experiences that make being a Cardinal unique. Finally, both platforms will be promoted through a robust social media storytelling campaign. Follow the DLLE on Instagram and Facebook.

Photographs by: Alexis Miller

Steven Donahoe

Steven Donahoe is a second-year graduate student with EMDD and a graduate assistant for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication and EMDD.

Three Minute Thesis Competition

Posted on February 28, 2023March 1, 2023 by Alexis Miller

Emerging Media Design & Development students win in the 2023 Three Minute Thesis Competition

Written by: Alexis Miller

Each year, Ball State University graduate students compete in the Three Minute Thesis Competition. Initially developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, the contest now occurs worldwide at over 900 Universities across more than 85 countries. To compete, students must compete through multiple preliminary rounds to make it to the final competition. While a typical thesis could take hours to present, competing students have a 3-minute time limit. The competition challenges students by making them condense their research findings to be presented concisely to an audience who may not be familiar with the subject.

EMDD students Zainab Aamir and Matt Lowe competed against eight other contestants in the final round this year. Zainab placed 1st and won the People’s Choice Award, claiming $1500 for her efforts. She will also represent Ball State University at the regional competition – The 2023 Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools 3MT competition in Chicago, IL! Matt secured the 3rd place award and a $500 prize.

Zainab’s presentation discusses “Users’ Privacy Considerations in Virtual Reality.” Her research aims to understand user-centric privacy considerations when using VR headsets and assesses how being more informed affects users’ privacy attitudes. She is working with Advisor Dr. Joshua A. Fisher for this research. Zainab is originally from Lahore, Pakistan, where she majored in Management Science and Computer Science. Her motivation to pursue her graduate thesis on users’ privacy considerations while using VR headsets stems from her interest in usable privacy and extended reality (XR) technologies.

Matt’s thesis presentation is titled “Capitol Gains: Ethics and intent of transmedia, resulting from the January 6 Select Committee Report.” His research examines how transmedia is used by media outlets to influence their audience by looking at news stories published in the weeks surrounding the release of the January 6 Select Committee Report. For this research, he is working with Advisor Dr. Kevin Moloney. Matt is the Project Manager for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. His research is motivated by how effectively certain media outlets can spread stories among various media channels.

Photographs by: Dr. Kevin Moloney

EMDD students Zainab Aamir and Matt Lowe compete in the 2023 Three-Minute Thesis competition at Ball State University's Emmens Auditorium, Thursday, February 23, 2023. Aamir won both the competition and the People's Choice award for her project on privacy in virtual reality, and Lowe won third place for his project comparing the transmedia stopry structures resulting from the January 6 Commission Report.

Alexis Miller

Alexis Miller is a second-year graduate student with EMDD and a graduate assistant for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication and EMDD.

Pitch Night 2022

Posted on May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 by Alexis Miller

Pitch Night 2022

“I attended Ball State, which is the Harvard of Muncie”

David Letterman

Each Spring, EMDD students and faculty meet to discuss possible Year 2 projects for EMDD 660/670. At our most recent pitch night on April 14, Dr. Kevin Moloney, Dr. Jennifer Palilonis, and EMDD students Spencer Ozbun, Alec Piggott, and Meredith Erwin pitched project ideas, including: The Future of Public Media, The Remnant Trust, The David Letterman Learning Experience, Kid Architect, and Personal Climate Action.

Year 2 EMDD projects must engage a project partner external to EMDD (which could be a company, non-profit organization or other academic unit on campus), define a clear problem or opportunity space, have a scope large enough to justify nine to 12 credit hours of work for participating students, include both an applied research component (3-6 credit hours), and a creative project development component (6 credit hours).

The following projects have been chosen as Year 2 projects:

The David Letterman Learning Experience

The David Letterman Learning Experience project team aims to leverage the rich storytelling potential of items in the Letterman Collection to explore intersections between storytelling, technology, and art through interactive storytelling, augmented and virtual reality, and more.

The Future of Public Media

The Future of Public Media project team was created to help with the challenges faced in public media with the goal to develop innovative approaches to storytelling and audience engagement, through design thinking, transmedia storytelling, and user-centered design and development.

Remnant Trust

The Remnant Trust project team aims to bridge the gap between in-person teaching moments and the artifacts of The Remnant Trust using digital or other physical technologies.

Kid Architect

The Kid Architect project team was designed to help the Vance family in continuing the growth of the Kid Architect brand through user-center transmedia storytelling and marketing.

Following Pitch Night, students responded to a survey and voted for the project that they were most interested in working on. Stay tuned in to social media in the coming weeks to meet our project teams!

EMDD Year Two Pitch Nite, featuring a 1488 copy of Artistotle's Ethics illuminated in Latin, loaned by the Remnant Trust.

Alexis Miller

Alexis Miller is a first year graduate student with EMDD and a graduate assistant for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication and EMDD.

MATCH POINT TEAM JOINS UCLA-MVB IN ATLANTA FOR YOUTH CLINICS, MATCHES AT MOREHOUSE & FORT VALLEY STATE

Posted on April 20, 2022April 26, 2022 by Alexis Miller

MATCH POINT TEAM JOINS UCLA-MVB IN ATLANTA FOR YOUTH CLINICS, MATCHES AT MOREHOUSE & FORT VALLEY STATE

Written by: Dexter Ohaeri, Sarah Alison, Bridget-Anne Burke, Leo Herrera

The Match Point team joined the UCLA Men’s Volleyball team in Atlanta March 21-27 for a series of youth and coaching clinics and matches against Morehouse College and Fort Valley State University. The trip supported production for the upcoming Match Point documentary sequel that will chronicle the inaugural season for six new men’s volleyball programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), two of which are in Georgia. The new HBCU teams comprise the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, also new to men’s volleyball in 2022. The addition of the SIAC is part of a national effort to increase opportunities for minority athletes.

UCLA traveled to Atlanta in support of a nationwide campaign led by First Point Volleyball Foundation with specific foundational goals to improve men’s collegiate volleyball roster and scholarship opportunities, to increase opportunities for boys to learn the game and develop their skills in club, middle school, and high school programs, and to provide boys from low-income communities the opportunity to play and learn the game.

Youth and Coaching Clinics

The week kicked off on Tuesday, March 22 with players and coaching clinics at Lakepoint Sports Complex near Atlanta. More than 150 girls and boys, coaches, and parents attended the event during which UCLA coaches and players led drills and shared knowledge about the game.

School Visits

On Wednesday, March 23, the team visited Howard Middle School – a former high school where Martin Luther King attended – and Hope-Hill Elementary School to expose a new generation to the game. “The kids were great,” said UCLA Head Coach John Speraw. They were enthusiastic, engaged, and curious. Our players were wonderful ambassadors for the sport and UCLA. They are role models who will inspire future generations of volleyball players.”

As the UCLA players began the exhibitions, students screamed with excitement. After watching them play, students at both schools were eager to join the UCLA team on the court. The players took their time to show students how to set, pass and hit. The true joy on the students’ faces brought energy and enthusiasm to the UCLA players.

Many students asked questions of the players like: “Who is the tallest?” “Who hits the hardest?” “Who is the best player?” “Who is the worst player?” and “Why did you want to play volleyball?” The sessions ended with high-fives and hugs.

HBCU practices

“Go Tigers!” is splashed high above the court at Forbes Arena, a gym that is decked out in Morehouse’s classic maroon colors. Morehouse hosted the Bruins’ staff and team several times leading up to a match between the two teams on Friday, with both using the space to practice throughout the week. On March 23, Speraw and UCLA Assistant Coach John Hawks headed back to Forbes Arena to lead a practice for the Morehouse men’s volleyball team with Morehouse head coach Emory Lightfoot. For senior Collin Cecepcion, a Los Angeles native who in high school remembers watching and studying Speraw, it was an exciting full-circle moment. “To be able to be taught by him is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be taught by an LA legend,” Cecepcion said.

The next day, UCLA headed south of Atlanta for a joint practice with Fort Valley State University. “I love giving back to the game that’s given me so much,” Speraw said about leading practices with both Morehouse and Fort Valley State players.

HBCU matches

After the Morehouse match, Speraw applauded the players, Morehouse staff and crowd. “Morehouse didn’t win tonight, but I look forward to the day they win their first match on this court,” he said. It will be a great day for all of us, a great day for Morehouse, and a great day for volleyball.”

Although Morehouse lost the match, they still made a number of plays that erupted the crowd in excitement. Early in the first set, Cecepcion blocked UCLA hitters for a point that wowed fans.. UCLA won the match 25-8, 25-9, and 25-5. On Saturday, March 26, UCLA played at Fort Valley State and won 25-8, 25-10, 25-11…