Misty's Major Project

Overview:

My major project is a research project for advanced senior College Prep students. In this project, the students will be taken through all the steps of writing a research paper. Some of the project will be completed through on-line reading and exercises; some will be completed through textbook reading and assignments; and some will be completed through supplementary handouts and independent learning.

Creative Style:

I tried to make the site easy to navigate by using tabs at the top and correlating links at the bottom of each page. I can't count how many times I designed an outline for the project and then changed my mind. I'm sure that I'll eventually change my mind again and revamp the entire thing once I've tried it in class. After creating all the content, I added eye candy--color and images, especially--but I avoided adding too much. I want the site to look interesting but professional/educational. I also avoided using too many bright or crazy colors (much different than this page) because I think that sometimes that makes a page harder to read. Instead, I used a soft yellow background and a dark blue text (blue and gold are our school colors). I'm still not crazy about the graphics, but I'm glad I found some that I'm allowed to use without violating any copyrights. If there is anything I can improve, PLEASE let me know. I want my students to be intrigued by this project and do the best they can.

Objective(s):

My goal is to see if the students will succeed while working more independently on the research unit in College Prep, allowing me more one-on-one time with them during class time. I always spend an insane amount of time outside of class during this unit tutoring and assisting students with their research papers. I'm a perfectionist, and I have a bad habit of taking it personally when my students don't do well in this unit. Since I haven't changed that bad habit in the past seven years, I decided that this particular unit needs revision, allowing me to help students with their work while still having a life outside of school. I will hopefully (eventually) be able to put everything (including the research papers/projects themselves) online...but as long as MLA handbooks aren't offered online, that outcome is unlikely.

Objective Evaluation:

How will I know if this online research project tutorial is successful? If I can spend more time with students individually in class and less time individually outside of class and if the final projects are at least as publishable as they have been in the past (without the online tutorial), I'll know that this online project is successful and/or has potential.

To see the project, go to my major project website.