How is a major project proposal written?
chip bruce
(chip@uiuc.edu)
(ready to use)
Coauthors
ASK
Subject Areas
Grade Levels
Unit Keywords
Rationale of the Unit
| This unit is the starting point for putting together a proposal for a project such as the building of a web site or an investigation into how people learn. The project will result in a public document that can be a resource for others. |
Background and Resources
BACKGROUND
Participation in a major project means making active contributions at various stages. When the project is collaborative, interactions and planning may include asynchronous, synchronous chat, telephone, and/or face-to-face meetings.
Through work on projects one can learn about a topic, but also about other topics through observing the work of others. In addition, one can learn about how to work collaboratively and to use a variety of technologies to facilitate the work, planning and communication of a group. For this to succeed, groups need to work in an independent and self-directed manner. Each team needs to take responsibility for dividing up tasks, setting project goals, and working effectively to meet them. They use various resources, which go far beyond those of a formal course.
Projects typically have several milestones. An early one is a project proposal in which to articulate plans, both to help the people doing the project shape a reasonable effort and to facilitate responses from others.
WEB SITES
See project ideas |
Activities and Open-ended problems
Content
Prepare a project proposal in which you:
- Ask -- Present the guiding question for your inquiry; a statement of the problem or question you're addressing, which identifies clearly what you want to do and why
- Investigate -- Describe the resources (readings, materials, etc.) you need, plan to use; include relevant background material, such as related projects or the context of a study
- Create -- Describe the nature and products of your work (e.g., review literature and write a paper presenting your analysis; create an iLab for yourself and produce a report describing how you used it and how iLabs could be improved to better support your use); include details such as what software or hardware you plan to use, or what specific sub-questions you will ask
- Discuss -- Note any people you plan to talk with as part of your project; who is on the project team?
- Reflect -- Include any questions have, issues you may encounter, or anything else you would like to say or ask about your project; how you plan to evaluate your success; any anticipated obstacles? questions for others, which can help them give better feedback?
Bring copies of your proposal to hand out in class. Be prepared to present and discuss your planned project.
Format
Create a web page for the proposal. This can be done using an inquiry unit. You can think of that web page as the first draft of your final project. Your proposal need not be very long, typically a page or two. The key thing is to give enough detail that others have a clear idea of what you're planning so they can give useful feedback. |
Dialogues, Discussions, and Presentations
Project groups
The work will be done by a project group. Sizes of two, three, and four people have worked well. Occasionally larger groups have formed and worked well, too. As the group becomes larger you could spend a lot of your energy just coordinating. It's also perfectly acceptable to work in a group of size one.
Groups vary in the way they work together. Some divide up the work into complementary components. Others work closely together on every detail. In many cases, groups take advantage of differing areas of expertise, with one person focusing more on software development, one on curriculum, and another on writing and evaluation.
Post your proposal to the web board, using the URL. If you work in a group, submit the assignment only once, but include all of your names. The project itself can be a single web page with all of your names on it. |
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