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Reflective Post 2

Collaboration with the Cohort

Over the past three weeks, it is undeniable that we (the cohort and the mentors) have built a great sense of community. We have collaborated, supported and opened up to each other for help. Collaborating on the Albert Chance Overseas Micro project has provided us a great opportunity to act as a collaborative community of practice, and our collaborative efforts have brought results that we are proud to showcase.

The cohort has been a place of openness, collaboration, and collegiality from the first day. Since the very beginning, each of us in the cohort have demonstrated openness to listen to other’s ideas, have recognized each person’s competency, and have respected and trusted their judgments in following a “divide and conquer” strategy. We have respected each other and trusted the choices that the other has made with regards to the project. Our collaboration is centered on mutual respect and collegiality. We each operate by acknowledging our responsibility to the group.  Our mutual respect to one another has also allowed the cohort to be a safe space to ask questions without fearing any ridicule.

Openness to listen to other people and their opinions is essential in any group project, especially in one as based on collaboration as our micro project is. The cohort is always open to consider various ideas and opinions. In fact, we find it essential to ask others’ opinions on the work that we have completed personally, and we almost always seek feedback from the cohort. My thoughts, ideas, evaluations, and feedback have all been taken very well by the cohort, and I certainly feel that my thoughts are given value, respect, and weight by my peers.

Despite being miles apart from one another, we have managed to collaborate in this group project successfully. I do believe we owe a huge part of this to Zoom’s ‘Share Screen’ feature though. We have navigated new tools and created projects together with this feature. Whether it is WordPress, Scalar, a Timeline made through TimelineJS or a map made in StoryMapJS, we have shared our screens and jointly explored the tools’ features, never forgetting to applaud proudly when we figure out how to use a particularly confusing feature.

Working this closely with the cohort for our micro-project will definitely act as a great learning experience as I continue on and now take upon the challenge of completing my own project. Not only has this micro-project reminded me of the importance of feedback and the value of other people’s ideas and interpretations, but it has also taught me that it is completely okay to ask for help. Navigating the several digital humanities tools together with the cohort has equipped me with greater technical knowledge about these tools than I would have had if I had explored these tools only by myself. There were times when few of us understood a tool better than others, and other times another few understood another tool better. Working together strengthened our understanding of each of the tools, and we are now better equipped at using these tools ourselves for our own projects. As I now go forward with my project, I do so armed with all that I have learnt while working with the cohort these past weeks.

Working together with the DSSF 2021 cohort has certainly removed my general dislike for group work, and I am now much more open to collaboration. As we come to the end of this micro-project, I would like to show my appreciation to the cohort for being supportive, respectful, competent, understanding and for strengthening my work with their helpful input.

Written by Shukirti Khadka, Gettysburg College Class of 2024, and part of the DSSF 2021 Cohort.

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