What does this mean for you as a student?
Rather than presenting in front of professors and peers, you will submit your presentation, research project, and any additional files to your professor who will then upload them into Digital Commons. After it is uploaded, you will receive questions through a comments application on your individual submission page.
How do I make my presentation virtual?
We recommend using Zoom Meetings. Learn how to create a recording and more with Zoom Support.
If you do not wish to use Zoom, you can record directly using PowerPoint and then export your presentation as a video. Simply go to File > Export > Create a Video.
If you wish to use another program, you can upload your video using YouTube or Vimeo.
What types of files can I submit that work in Digital Commons?
Digital Commons accepts most files including PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, video & audio files (.mp4, .mov, .wav, etc), pictures (.jpeg, .png), and website URLs. If there is a problem with any of your files, do not worry as we will contact you about seeking an alternate file format.
What information does my professor need?
Your professor needs to have the title of the project, all the authors names and email addresses (especially if only one person is submitting), an abstract (brief description of the project), all the associated files (Word documents, PowerPoints, videos, recordings, photos, etc) and links. It is strongly recommended that if you are submitting a PowerPoint or Word document to convert them to PDF before sending to your professor. If you are uploading your video to YouTube or Vimeo, include the Share link with your professor.
How is it going to look?
Click here to view a sample page. (link expired)
Depending on the format your submission will determine how your page will look. Digital Commons defaults to having videos embedded first and then have a secondary option to download additional files. It is wise to convert your Word documents and PowerPoint presentations into PDF documents before sending them to your professors. To create a PDF from PowerPoint or Word, go to File > Save as Adobe PDF.
How do I find my presentation after it is uploaded?
Your work will be posted through your discipline in a list on the landing page for the Spring Showcase. For example, if you did a project for an English class, look under the English link and then look for your course number before the title of your paper. If you did your project for PRISM, the Honors College, independent research, or a senior honors project, there are categories for those projects.
Once it is uploaded, you should receive an email from Digital Commons with the URL to your submission. If you do not receive an email, first check your Spam/Junk messages. If you still cannot locate the email, reach out to digitalcommons@longwood.edu and we will look into the situation for you.
What do I do after it is uploaded?
After your project is uploaded, it is your responsibility to keep track of the comments that come in on your page. It is similar to answering questions after your presentation. You can reply directly to a comment as you would in many social media platforms. If you are having difficulties or are experiencing spam messages on your page, please contact digitalcommons@longwood.edu and we’ll address your problem.
How do the comments work?
Once you receive your URL from Digital Commons with your submission, you will click the link to get to your individual submission. It takes a minute to load and the comments will show up at the bottom of the page. You have a few options for posting comments: create an IntenseDebate account, log in through WordPress, or comment as a guest.