Past NRE 301 students have told us that what they learned from the class project was one of the best parts of the course. This is an opportunity for you to combine your academic or personal interests with the environment. The project is very flexible in that you can choose a topic and form which interests you. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE CREATIVE! Choose something you can put both your heart and mind into.

GROUPS: We encourage you to work in groups and will provide time in discussion to form these groups. We require groups of 5 students or less, although you may work alone on a project if you wish. Your group may contain members from other sections, but difficulties may arise when setting meeting time and coordinating project tasks. You should understand that getting a group to function well and complete assignments on time takes time and effort. Your GSI is available to assist you with group dynamic skills if needs arise.

TOPIC DEVELOPMENT: Choosing a topic is one of the hardest assignments in the course. We will give you time to brainstorm in discussion section with your classmates and GSI. There are two interim assignments (project proposal and workplan) where you can develop you ideas and get written feedback from your GSI. Please see your GSI in office hours if you are having trouble selecting a topic that coordinates with your outside interests. To assist you with topic development we have listed some possible project forms and topics below, but please do not feel limited to these ideas!

GRADING: Your GSI will provide feedback through the interim assignments to make sure the project contains an appropriate subject, amount of work, and level of difficulty. A series of flexible requirements for the project will be returned with the project workplan. Part of your grade will include participation in your group as determined through evaluations from you other group members. It is possible for group members to receive different grades because of these evaluations (in other words – if you are a free rider, we will find out!).

REFERENCES: These projects will include background research on your topic. Although different types of projects will naturally require varying amounts of research, every group must limit themselves to 5 Internet references and have at least 5 book, magazine, or personal interview references.

This assignment is to start you thinking about your project topic, how you might complete it, and whom you might work with. Your GSI will provide written feedback on your proposal to help focus your project and work schedule. If you would like to work in a group but haven’t formed one yet, write a proposal explaining your ideas and the GSIs will try to match you with students with similar interest. Your assignment should include the following…

1. Topic – What topic are you going to address? What is your project going to be about?
2. Final Product Form – Will it be a storybook, newspaper, survey study, etc.
3. Procedure – What do you have to do to complete your project? Make a short task list including possible resources for your project such as individuals to interview, locations to purchase supplies, potential references, etc.
4. Group goals – What do you think you will learn from this project? How do you think this will affect your life?
5. Working as a group – What will your group have to do to work well together? How often will you meet to finish tasks? How will you evaluate each other? How will you make sure you stay on track and work is equally distributed?