Details

Assignment 2: ITech1001 S1 2014

Specification – Group Report and Presentation

Group Report – Collaborative Writing

The group report contains two parts, these being the writing of a group report and a review of group processes.

• Group task – The group is required to work collaboratively to complete a report on the selected topic. There are a number of tasks to complete and these are outlined below.
• Individual task – Each member of the group is required write a report reviewing the performance of the group.

The group report is to be submitted via TurnItin. Further details regarding the use of TurnItIn will be provided during class.

Overview

• The group is to meet on a regular basis, both within and outside of class. Brief details of these meetings should be recorded including date and time of meetings, who attended, and a short paragraph detailing what was discussed. This information is to be included in the appendix of your group report.
• The group is required to use at least one form of groupware technology to assist in the sharing of information. For example: a discussion forum within Moodle, Facebook, Google Docs, Drop box, Box or any other suitable form of groupware. A review of the groupware used (2-3 paragraphs) should be included in the appendix of your group report.
• The group is required to redevelop the initial mind map that was developed for the annotated bibliography.   The new mind map should take into account the readings of all of the group members. A copy of the final mind map is to be included in the final report.
• The group is required to write a report on the topic that they have selected and should be structured according to the outline below.   The report should read as if it was written by one person. In order to complete the report the following tasks are required to be undertaken:
  1. Each student is to write 1000 to 1500 words on their section of the mind map. This piece of writing is to be based upon the reading undertaken to complete the annotated bibliography and any extra resources that have been sourced.
  2. Each group member’s writing should be proof-read for use of reference material, typing, spelling and grammatical errors by another member of the group and the writing generally reviewed in a constructive manner. The review can take a number of forms including:
     1. A marked-up copy of the commentary with suggested changes to be made; and/or
     2. Two to three paragraphs indicating the suggested changes and improvements.
  3. Each student should revise their writing using the review provided by the group member. Note: only if the feedback is appropriate.
  4. The group should collate their final pieces of writing into a single report.
  5. The group is to write an introduction and a conclusion for the report.

Required Structure of Group Report

Notes:

1. The final group report should be completed using Word and then submitted as either a Word file or a pdf file. Any tables, figures or illustrations are to be appropriately captioned. The document is to include page numbers, a table of contents, a list of figures/tables/illustrations (if used), and should be formatted according to the University Guide for the Presentation of Academic Work.
2. The bibliography in the group report is only to contain all of the sources used by the group in completing their report. It is not an annotated bibliography.

Review of Group Processes – Individual Report

Each member of the group is to write a short report that includes:

• an indication of the strengths and weaknesses in the performance of their group;
• what they have learnt the experience of working in a group;
• what could have been done to improve the performance of the group; and
• an indication of, in the opinion of the member, how well the final report used each individual contribution to the topic and how well the final report integrated the individual contributions.

Submission Requirements:

• One group member is required to submit the group report using Moodle to be checked via TurnitIn.
• Each group member is required to submit a single file containing:
  1. a copy of the group report using Moodle; and
  2. an individual report on group processes.

Oral presentation:

Each group is to deliver a presentation on their group topic to the class during their normal laboratory time. This task is intended to provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate their:

• understanding of presentation theory;
• ability to present information to an uninformed audience; and
• ability to develop a presentation instructional product (PIP).

The group can use whatever presentation tool they would like including Microsoft Powerpoint or Prezi.

Tasks

There are a number of requirements for this assessment item, these being:

• The group should prepare a presentation plan. Time templates will be provided via tutorial classes for this task.
• Each individual student in the group must present once only and for between 4 to 5 minutes. For example: a group with 4 members their presentation should be between 16 to 20 minutes long.
• The presentation may incorporate a short video (maximum of 2 minutes) that is related to their topic. The video can be recorded by the group or obtained from the web.
• The presentation should be integrated and flow from one presenter to the next.
• The first presenter should include an introduction and the last presenter should include a brief summing up.
• All sources must be acknowledged in the list of references at the end of the presentation.

Peer Marking

Individual student presentation skills will also be marked by their peers. Audience members will be provided with a feedback sheet and marking guide that they will fill in during presentations. The feedback sheets will be collected and the average mark for each presenter calculated (out of 10) to be included in the students final mark for the presentation.

Submission Requirements:

Each student is required to submit a zip file containing the following files as pdf documents:

• a copy of the group’s presentation plan; and
• an electronic copy of their presentation slides.