Digital Pedagogy: Temporal Analysis

What is a temporal analysis?

​Temporal analysis projects focus on temporal data and timeline visualizations to make time-based arguments.

Learning objectives for digital assignments

Learning objectives are clearly defined statements of expected goals and outcomes from the student perspective. When a student finishes an activity or a lesson, what will they know, articulate, or be able to do?

Every digital pedagogy project should have learning objectives. Here are a few tips for creating student-centered objectives:

• Relate the project to course objectives - what's the purpose of this digital element? Examples may include learning the digital tool, applying class knowledge, or communicating their research.
• Consider transferable skills (creating a visual argument) rather than hard skills (use a dashboard in Tableau).
• Create a rubric around the learning objectives to use when evaluating students' work.
• Focus on the process, not the final product. 

Getting started: try Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs for sample action verbs to use in learning objectives.

Example learning objectives for temporal analysis

Students will be able to...

• illustrate the progression of the surrealist movement using images of specific works of art and relevant description.
• use their contextual historical research and artifacts to tell an individual’s story over the course of the great depression, anchoring the narrative with relevant legislation passed during this time.

Tools & Tutorials

Below are tools and guides to help you start a temporal project:

 TimelineJS - a free, open source tool for making annotated multimedia timelines.

 ArcGIS StoryMaps - create guided stories based in interactive maps, text, and other media.

UNC affiliates can access the online Esri platform (ArcGIS) by logging in with their ONYEN and password. See Library Data Services Events for upcoming workshops on working with StoryMaps.

 Tiki-Toki - free, web-based software for making itneractive timelines.

 Omeka Neatline - A plugin for Omeka that allows for plotting points in space to tell a story.

Icon "timeline" by Larea from the Noun Project

Finding Help

To get started with digital pedagogy and lesson planning after exploring this guide, contact Sarah Morris (semorris@email.unc.edu or (919) 962-2094).

• To work with a subject specialist, contact your Subject Librarian from Research and Instructional Services.
• For project planning and technical support, schedule a consultation with a specialist from Library Data Services.
• For help working with design and media, contact Winifred Fordham Metz (freddie@email.unc.edu), head of the Media & Design Center.

Table of Contents

• What is a temporal analysis?
• Creating learning objectives
• Tools & tutorials
• Sample project gallery
• Finding help