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
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.