1+Research+Project+Overview


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WHY am I making you do a Research Project? ** The purpose of this project is to give you a solid foundation in the skill and art of crafting a comprehensive, logical paper based on research and credible sources. My objectives for you are to, at the completion of this paper, be able to research and find sources; evaluate the reliability of those sources; construct a paper in a widely-accepted academic format; formulate a research question, thesis, and series of logical ideas connected to those thing; support, develop and maintain those ideas; and, finally, present a paper to an instructor that you are proud of. You will be using a variety of media to accomplish all of this: the internet, research databases, Microsoft Powerpoint, wikis, blogs, and video production.

In addition, I would like you to have the experience of pulling all of your hard work together and presenting it to me in a professional manner.

Well, because I love you more than they love their students. :) Actually I do have a reason, and I am NOT just being mean. An entire project, requiring you to use a variety of sources, media, and research methods will serve you well in your future. Don't believe me? I promise that someday, somehow, you will use your newly-found powers of FANTASTIC PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION to benefit you in your personal or professional life. Honest. Get in a fight with your girlfriend? Nothing says LOVE like a well-crafted presentation using a variety of media showing how sorry you are and the many reasons she should forgive you.
 * But WHY a whole project - why not just a paper? Other 201 instructors only require a paper!! **

On a serious not, research has shown that a project such as this builds these areas:

//This list is taken from http://www.academicinnovations.com/report.html//
 * Creative Thinking--you will learn how to generate new ideas AND will learn, out of necessity, new ways to think.
 * Decision Making--you are in charge of this project, and will thus have to specify goals and constraints, generate alternatives when things don't work out as you intended, consider risks, and evaluate and choose best alternatives.
 * Problem Solving--you will recognize problems and devise and implement plan of action.
 * Seeing Things in the Mind's Eye--you will organize and process symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other information in a way that is the most effective for both you and your intended audience.
 * Knowing How to Learn--you will use efficient learning techniques to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills.
 * Reasoning--you will discover a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or objects and applies it when solving a problem.

This really is PRACTICE for LIFE. And we'll make it fun, too. :)