Terms for Completion of Portfolio BA Thesis in Crossmedia Production

Terms for Completion of Portfolio BA Thesis in Crossmedia Production

1. The Bachelor s Thesis A portfolio based BA thesis is an indispensable partial requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Art in Crossmedia Production. In general, in the BA Program in Crossmedia Production, the bachelor s thesis is the result and conclusion of the practical and theoretical works developed by the student throughout the three year program, which consists of a number of productions created, planned and executed by the student as individual or teamwork. Certainly, the students can opt to individually present an academic bachelor s thesis according to Tallinn University standards. The following terms, however, mainly refer to the above mentioned option to present a portfolio based bachelor s thesis. 2. Portfolio Based Bachelor s Thesis Topic, Adviser and Content Requirements 2.1. Topic of the Bachelor s Thesis The main component of the thesis is the body of the crossmedia projects completed by the student that employs multiple media platforms, including interactive media formats. Accompanying the contextualization and description of the portfolio's composition, the written thesis documents and assesses the development, production and implementation of each project, each of them followed by a reflective part. 2.2. Adviser, Co-adviser and Thesis Proposal In order to prepare to the thesis completion, a thesis proposal, both in the case of a portfolio or academic thesis, should be presented (as shown in Extra 1) in the autumn semester (first week of October) of the third year to the head of the curricula and the thesis adviser. It will be the students responsibility to make sure to have submitted it to the program's Academic Assistant. The adviser should be at least a MA holder and, if it is the case, the student can also have a professional from the field as co-adviser. The purpose of the thesis proposal is to

define the specificities of the crossmedia projects, the name of the adviser and, if it is the case, the co-adviser. The thesis proposal must be approved by the head of the curricula. 2.3. Content of the Practical Bachelor s Thesis The written thesis should document the crossmedia portfolio, evidence creative decision-making, and the awareness of the context in which each project is inserted. Ultimately, the thesis should assess the development, production and implementation of each project included in the portfolio. The content of the portfolio bachelor's thesis embraces: - Introduction = short overview about what is a crossmedia/transmedia project, what are the elements of the portfolio and how do they fit within the crossmedia context. - Theoretical framework = the student will introduce the most relevant theory to this thesis and curricula - Context = the student will describe in which context each project was developed, what were its aims and specific characteristics. In this section of the thesis, each project should be concisely presented, mentioning all the planned components, even if they are not yet finalized. The following aspects of each project should be addressed: Story, platforms/experience, audience, challenges, opportunities, implementation and, if applicable, business model. This part of the thesis should include as well all visual representations; - Reflexive Considerations = This part should be divided in two components: 1. the student should describe and reflect about his/her own individual role in each project and critically assess the development of the project; 2. the students should reflect on how each individual project fit in the crossmedia landscape; - Conclusion = overall final remarks, indicating how the portfolio developed throughout the three years of crossmedia studies

3. Bachelor s Thesis Outline 3.1. Bachelor s Thesis Language and Contents The portfolio bachelor s thesis must be composed in the English language. It must be a typed and bound paper which contains the following parts: - Title page - Author s declaration page - Abstract - Acknowledgement (if it is the case) - Table of Content - List of abbreviations and acronyms (if it is the case) - List of figures (if it is the case) - List of tables (if it is the case) - Introduction - Body of the thesis - Theoretical framework (the student will prove his/her understanding of crossmedia) - Context - Project 1 o Project context o Project description o Project challenges, opportunities and achievements o Reflection about the project in relation to crossmedia - Project 2 o as above etc.. - Conclusion - References - Appendices (if it is the case) Note: The number of projects will vary from thesis to thesis, however it is suggested to have no less than three projects and no more than five. The projects included in the portfolio should represent what the student has produced in the three years of studies. The portfolio is

not limited to the outcome of crossmedia courses, hence the outcome of any of the courses passed during the three years of studies could be included in it. 3.2. Formatting Guidelines The thesis formatting should follow APA style. In general, the length of the bachelor s thesis is 50 pages (references and appendices are not included). The indicative length of each (main) part should be as follow: - Introduction 2 pages - Body of the thesis 45 pages - Conclusion 3 pages Note to the Body of the thesis: The length of each sub-chapter will depend on the structure of the specific thesis. The structure and the length mentioned in this document is just an indication, however it is important to consider that the theoretical framework chapter should not be shorter than 5 pages and the reflection chapter at the end of each project should not be shorter than 2 pages (excluding possible pictures and tables) APA style guidelines can be found at one of the following links: http://www.apastyle.org https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Despite the official APA formatting guidelines, BFM Crossmedia curricula has the following exceptions: 1.The thesis should be typed, 1.5-spaced using 12.pt Times New Roman font on standard A4 size paper with 1" margins on all sides. 2. The title page first page will have to be like the one in Figure 1 3. The declaration page (second page) should look like the one in Figure 2

Figure 1 Title page

Figure 2 Declaration page

4. Thesis Defence The student will open the oral defence with a presentation (approx 20 minutes) of his or her findings and a presentation of portfolio. After the students presentation the members of the thesis committee will question the candidate in an order determined by the Committee Chair. Questions from the thesis committee and advisor dealing with the substance, meaning and usefulness of each project making up the portfolio in relation to the Crossmedia Production bachelor program. Members of the Examination Committee shall be either 1) Faculty members with at least the MA qualification and rank of lecturer or 2) Appointed by the Director of the BFM. The Bachelor Examination Committee includes: the Chair, the supervisor and one or two additional members pointed by the Director of BFM. The oral defences will be followed by the final evaluation that will consider as equally important the portfolio, the thesis and the actual defence. In the case of a theoretical thesis the commission will consider the thesis and its defence. The evaluation criteria will consider the following elements: Portfolio - originality, variety, quality and relevance to crossmedia Thesis relevance, understanding of the topic, academic correctness Oral Defence students ability to present the topic in a clear and understandable way and to answer the committee s questions

Extra 1 REGISTRATION FOR BACHELOR s THESIS JUNE 2015 NAME: last first THESIS TITLE Preliminary thesis title in English Title in Estonian Supervisor s Name and Signature Approval from Head of Curricula Student s signature E-mail address / / Phone No Date Baltic Film and Media School, TLÜ Narva mnt. 27 Tel: +372 619 9923 E-mail: crossmedia@tlu.ee