Information Technology Skills Growth Project

 

Assignment Description

The Information Technology Skills Growth Project is an analysis of how you improved specific computer-related learning skills of your choice by using weekly Self-Assessment Journals.  During the process of the preparing Self-Assessment Journals about your selected skill areas (through recording measurements and feedback of your progress), you will accomplish your goals toward becoming a self-learner of information technology (IT).  After initially selecting 4 computer-related skills to start your project, you will later develop 3-4 other IT-related skills (See Page S-11.) that offer you greater potential for improving your learning of IT during the rest of the semester.  Good sources of information for this project include the Essential Study Skills for Science Students booklet, plus Internet and library sources describing techniques for improving such skills as critical thinking, research, organizing and other self-growth talents.  The final requirement of this project is to create a set of 10-12 job interview slides telling why the IT skills you learned support your chosen career and how your improved IT skills will make you valuable to potential employers.

 

Choosing and Assessing Learning Skills

In the beginning of the course, you should carefully think about what specific computer technology and application learning skills you would most like to focus on during this semester.  Of the 20 specific Computing Concept and Application Learning Skills listed on Page S-11, you should begin by choosing 4 of these skills to focus on during the first few weeks of the semester, and then select additional IT skills in later weeks.  Your choices can be based on improving your least effective or very strong learning skills; whichever offer you the greatest opportunity for self-growth and understanding of computer and information technology.  Assessing or measuring your progress will come from writing your weekly Self-Assessment Learning Journal Reports, especially from completing the Insights section.  Your weekly self-analysis, and feedback, will result in regular improvement of your IT skills.

 

Implementation of Action Plans

Preparing detailed short-term action plans during the writing of each Self-Assessment Journal will enhance the implementation of action plans during the following week.  And, as you will soon discover, follow-through with your action plans (and practicing your specific learning skills) will lead to steady progress in becoming a self-learner of IT terminology and technology.  In addition, your use of self-assessment and the Learning Process Methodology can make it easier for you to understand the computer applications and other information technology topics.

 

Value of Self-Assessment

Your growth in learning IT really depends on the effort and thought you put into the preparation of your Self-Assessment Journals and your faithful implementation of the short- and long-term action plans you develop each week.  Therefore, on a periodic basis, you should analyze the strengths, areas of improvement and insights recorded on your journals for the purpose of understanding why improvements did or did not occur in learning.

 

Requirements of the Information Technology Skills Growth Project Report

Suggested topics for your Information Technology Skills Growth Project Report should include the following:

 

1.       Introduction - The introduction needs to point out your general reasons for choosing your computer-related learning skills.  It also should include the perspective you had at the start of the self-assessment learning process.

2.       Skill 1 -           For each skill: - Describe the initial level of your learning performance and the final level of your learning performance.

3.       Skill 2-                                       -  Illustrate your learning growth with the chosen skills using at least 2 specific action plan examples and describing the results (using qualitative or quantitative measurements) of your progress.

4.       Skill 3-                                       -  Describe what effort or and how much follow-through you put into implementing your action plans to improve your learning growth.

5.       Skill 4-                                      -  Justify what insights or breakthroughs led to further growth in your learning performance and knowledge of information technology.

6.       Skill #                                       -  Explain how your self-assessment efforts specifically affected your progress in CS 1000 and your general success in other courses.

7.       Final Summary – Discuss your ability to self-assess yourself, your personal use of the Learning Process Methodology and how you feel about your growth in the chosen IT skills.  Also, explain how your learning skills relate to each other, and visualize how you might apply your newly acquired self-assessment abilities to improving other learning skills in the future.

8.       A list of resources used in researching self-growth topics and skills development.

Analysis Suggestion: Consider organizing each skill discussion according to the SII (Strengths, Areas of Improvement, Insights) Method as outlined on the Self-Assessment Learning Journal.  This can help you focus on the strengths of your learning performance, the changes you made between assessments from implementing chosen action plans for areas of improvement, and your insights into significant understandings gained from analyzing your learning performance.

Some Critical Thinking Questions

What Learning Process Methodology steps did you use in learning and understanding general computer terminology, especially those glossary terms that you were not aware of previously to attending this class?  What other methodologies have your used and how have they improved your growth in IT?

 

What action plans did you utilize while taking notes during lecture class or in lab and reading the textbooks?  What modifications in these action plans did you make to improve the effectiveness of your learning time?

 

What criterion (skill area of performance), factor (characteristic of the skill) and comparison (standard of quality) did you use in assessing your progress in the chosen learning skills?

 

Requirements of Your Information Technology Skills Growth Project Portfolio

You must use a word processing application to write your project report.  You may also integrate information from some other applications -- Internet browsers, spreadsheet, database, presentation, email and your selected applications -- in preparing your report.  Since the quality of content of your report is the most important, no suggested length guideline, requirement or limit of pages for your IT Skills Growth Project Report is provided.  However, in many cases the extra pages for charts, graphs, illustrations, computer-produced results and a reference (bibliography) page exceed the report.  Please use a 12-point type size and double-space the lines with a half-inch indent at the beginning of the paragraphs.  The use of subheads is suggested for appropriately separating topics and improving readership.

 

Special Note: Be sure to include your Self-Assessment Journals as an appendix along with other references.  The evaluation of your IT Skills Growth Project Report requires that your reviewed journals be included in your Portfolio.  Self-Assessment Journals that are not reviewed and dated by your lab instructor during the assessment process (weekly) will not receive credit during grading.  The report grade will be based on the criteria listed below:

 

Evaluation of Self-Learning Project Progress Report

 

Progress Criteria

Outline of development plan....................................................................................................................... 10

Report on project and skills progress......................................................................................................... 10

Research support – results, illustrations, resources and Weekly Self-Assessment Journals............. 10

Instructor Project Feedback Interview......................................................................................................... 5

                                                                                                                                                                                           35

 

Evaluation of IT Skills Growth Project Report

 

Project Criteria

Level of thought and analysis..................................................................................................................... 10

Overall quality of content – project planning and implementation..................................................... 10

Effort on the Project........................................................................................................................................ 5

Quality of writing the Project Report............................................................................................................ 5

Completeness of the Project Report............................................................................................................. 5

Results, illustrations, resources and bibliography....................................................................................... 5

                                                                                                                                                                                           40

Self-Assessment Criteria

Your level of effort and diligence throughout the self-assessment process........................................ 10

Your ability to self-assess project and skills performance..................................................................... 10

Your commitment to improving your growth through self-learning....................................................... 5

Primary referencing of information in the Self-Assessment Journals.................................................... 5

                                                                                                                                                                                           30

Journals

Start-Up Self-Assessment Journal................................................................................................................. 3

6 Weekly Self-Assessment Journals (Each worth 4.5 points)................................................................ 27

                                                                                                                                                                                           30

 

Total Points                                                                                                                                                                   135

 

NOTE: As is the case with ALL of your assignments in this class, you should keep copies of ALL of your self-assessment journals.  Your copies not only will serve as backup in case of loss during the evaluation process, but more importantly you use your Self-Assessment Journals in formulating weekly action plans in becoming a self-grower learner and as research resources for writing your IT Skills Growth Project Report.