Navigating Ethical Boundaries When Adopting Digital Storytelling in Higher Education

Abstract

D IGITAL STORYTELLING is a promising instructional strat-egy as well as an emerging field of study in higher educa-tion. Courses on digital storytelling are offered in communi-cations and creative writing programs at a number of universities. However, the potential for digital storytelling extends far beyond the fields of communication and media studies across many fields of study, including history, American Studies, business and leadership, knowl-edge management, community planning, and much more. In addition, digital storytelling has been used to help students prepare for college. Digital storytelling applications include personal stories, digital story archives, memorial stories, avocational stories, educational stories, and stories in medicine and health. This paper examines the origins and practice of digital storytelling, highlighting a range of applications in higher education. (Keywords: digital storytelling, narrative learning, digital media, media studies, self-representation, hypertext, interac-tive games, blogs, podcasts, digital movies, oral history, creative writing, Dana Atchley, Joe Lambert, Center for Digital Storytelling, Capture Wales)