Semester project information:
Here's is what the syllabus says about the semester project:
"The culmination of your semester's work will be a Web project, and that project is a major component of your final grade. This semester, the project will be a piece of explanatory journalism. That means you will create a Web site to show visitors how to do something. It can be anything, even preparing Ramen noodles, but there must be research involved as well as explanation. In addition to how to prepare them, where do Ramen noodles come from, for example, when were they invented, and how are they manufactured?"
We suggest you think of this assignment more like a magazine article than a research paper. You don't have to do some dry, highly academic paper written in perfect Kate Turabian-ese (dozens of footnotes, exact style for citations and so on). We would rather you have some fun with the writing and, especially, with the presentation. Try to think about presenting information in new ways.
That said, we do expect you to do some research, and you must include some sort of bibliography with live links to research documents you found online and decipherable citations to those you found on pulp. As long as you're consistent and we can figure out what/where the book or article or Web site is, we don't care how you do the citations.
We also expect you to produce something that is journalistically sound. That is, it must be objective and factual, not one-sided, a rant or an otherwise biased presentation.
What we're really looking for is interesting, well-written and well-designed Web presentations that involve some kind of research and show some original thought on your part. The best projects will take full advantage of the capabilities the Web brings to journalism. In other words, they will include multimedia and good, helpful links to other sites that contain additional information.
What that means,in a very roundabout way is that there really are FEW RULES.
You may not "lift" large chunks of code or design from other sites. If you do and we catch you, you'll be failed for cheating -- period.
We usually do not count the words in your report. The 2,000 word statement above is intended as a guideline, not some sort of absolute. (It's unlikely, though, you'll get the grade you want on something that's a lot shorter or a lot longer.)
Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistent usage of the language are more important than exact adherence to AP style. If you capitalize "Net" once, capitalize it every time you use the word. Be careful to attribute the words and ideas of others.
Turn the project in on a CD-ROM. Put your site in a directory named with your last name, as in "carlson." Your disc will be returned to you, but make a copy for yourself beforehand in case of loss or damage. Be sure your disc is functional before you turn it in. A blank disc or one that is unreadable will not buy you additional time to meet the project deadline.
Lastly, review and follow the Academic Honesty standards for this course particularly as they relate to plagiarism, intellectual property and copyright.
The projects will be graded on the following criteria:
Content (is it interesting, balanced, well researched, well written, well
spelled and well punctuated, and does it cover the topic fairly and well);
Design (are text, headlines and graphics attractive and consistent, well
organized and in keeping with the design parameters put forth in class
and in the book, and does the design fit, even enhance, the subject matter);
Navigation (is it easy to make one's way through the presentation, is navigation
intuitive and simple, are internal and external links differentiated in
some way);
Code Cleanliness/consistency of XHTML and CSS (are all the tags that are opened closed,
is the code consistent and up to current standards, are the graphics sized
appropriately, are file sizes reasonable, does the site work with all major browsers, is the "home page" named index or default, do the HTML and CSS validate, ect.; and lastly,
Creativity/innovation (does the whole thing make a package that's
(pick one or more) interesting, slick, fun, unique, creative, artistic, useful,
newsy, humorous, and/or whatever. Did you present the information in a
non-linear fashion? Did you use any advanced HTML features such as forms, sound, video, etc.? Does the presentation utilize
the unique features and power of the Web)?
Remember, the deadline for submission is firm. We spend many hours grading these projects and have stretched the deadline to the last possible moment as it is. Late projects will be penalized at the rate of one letter grade per day or part thereof.
Don't hesitate to ask if you feel you need more clarification. It is my sincere hope that every one of you will turn in an "A" project.
One last thing: Plagiarism is stealing and stealing is a crime. You are expected to do your own work, and if
you are caught swiping the work of others, you will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of university rules. That means you could be suspended or
even expelled from the university. It means you almost certainly will fail
the course. Don't do it; it's not worth it. You also are expected to observe
copyright laws and obtain permission for any copyrighted material you use.