Webscapes: An academic vision for Digital Humanities Projects on the web

An overarching goal of the Instructional Technology Programme at the University of Houston has been to help students in our graduate courses learn technology skills by involving them in web-based ‘Digital Humanities Projects’ with local non-profit organizations. In this article, we discuss the benefits and challenges associated with the collaborative design, development and evaluation of real-world projects with community stakeholders serving as clients. Over the past decade, we have developed and used Webscapes, a theoretical model that serves as the framework for the creation of these projects. We define Webscapes as information landscapes, delivered over the web, which include a rich variety of content; challenging, cognitive explorations; intuitive navigation structures; and user-oriented interfaces. We describe the characteristics of the model and include reflections from students and community partners about accomplishments and challenges they faced. We also provide examples and discussion of Webscape projects, several of which have been completed, two that are ongoing and one that is in the early stage of development.