What was the summer season like in your region? As an opening activity for this class we want to gather the “state of the state” and other regions outside of Illinois on a variety of topics.
Within scope of the ACES 100 Discovery Course we will be studying five areas, your chosen major or strong area of interest if you are undeclared falls into one of these areas:
Linked from each of the areas above is the Concept Map used in the course. By viewing these diagrams you will find possible topic areas within the realm of your major. A child development major would look for topics in the Human Social System or a crop sciences major would look in the Food & Fiber System.
Assignment Part 1: On the discussion forum write a brief (250 words) description of a prominent issue relating to your area of interest that is currently a “hot topic” in your hometown's region. We've split the state up into five regions by counties on the regions page. Find your region and report your issue there within the appropriate forum system area.
The second goal of this project is to facilitate the creation of “communities of interest” among the ACES 100 students from varied regions of the state or even country. Since there are over 400 students in this class, it's almost certain there will be others from around the state or country that have similar interests to yours. Here's your first chance to get to know them, you'll be spending more and more time together as you advance through ACES toward your diploma.
Assignment Part 2: By reading the forum boards from the other regions of the state or country find 2-3 “colleagues” from outside your region and introduce yourselves via email. You can only be in one group. This group will work on the next part of the project together. Send your discussion section leader your group members.
The final goal is the development of a comparative analysis of the topic/interest your group has in common. Find both quantitative and qualitative data that supports your analysis that compares the regions represented by your group members.
For Example:
Assignment Part 3: With your group create a five minute presentation that discusses your findings. Use a presentation graphics program such as Powerpoint to create slides for your talk. Each person in the group will present the findings to their respective discussion section. Along with the oral presentation, as a group write a 3-5 page paper that discusses the topic and your findings and post that on the discussion board.
