Project 3: Using Research Online to
Produce Term Papers for Language 2101

General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Evaluation

  General Information

  Project Overview

The Language 2101 course description requires students to produce a well researched and documented paper. In this project, students will complete the major part of this process through the use of Research Online.

Research Online is an Internet website available to students through an account subscription.

After logging in to the site the students will follow a "research road map" that leads through the nine essential steps required for information access, processing and use. Using the latest developments in Web technology, the students will go beyond traditional search methods and use real Internet sites and data as sources for their work.

Students will complete each step of the research process on the website where their individual progress will be tracked and where they will be prompted to make appropriate decisions that will lead them to the final product they want. This process has a two-fold purpose:

1. to develop the critical and creative skills essential for students to become information problem solvers
2. to prepare students for the opportunities that are available to students with a sound technological background

  Curriculum Connections

The English Language Arts Curriculum stresses the importance of learning experiences which

• Develop and apply strategies for accessing information
• Access and interpret data, information and ideas from a variety of information sources
• Select information from the numerous texts from a critical perspective
• Evaluate the reliability of information
• Develop a range of transferable skills and strategies which they can apply to their learning in other areas of the curriculum

Through Research Online all of the above objectives are met while at the same time, the student acquires the skills essential for effective online research. Students will use their Internet accounts for purposes of

• selecting a topic
• narrowing the topic
• developing a preliminary outline
• producing a working reference page
• taking notes - Cornell Method of Notetaking
• developing a detailed outline
• producing a rough draft
• revising
• presenting a final product

The students will go beyond the specifics of hardware and software to the creative and critical use of the information they provide. A major benefit of this approach is that these techniques can be carried over into a variety of curriculum areas and grade levels. Another benefit of Research Online is that it combines a structured sequence with the interactive nature of the Internet.

  Evaluation

The evaluation for Language 2101 is an ongoing process. Students will be monitored and marked at each respective stage as well as on their final product. As a control one class at Gonzaga will complete their research in the traditional manner. This will allow a comparison of such factors as:

• motivation
• critical thinking skills
• creativity
• quality of finished product
• overall success rate of course