Research Paper

Alan Wanamaker

Iowa State University

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Peer Reviewed Teaching Activities collection.

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Scientific Accuracy
Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
Pedagogic Effectiveness
Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
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This page first made public: Jun 29, 2010

Summary

This writing assignment was a major part of a class entitled "Stable Isotopes in the Environment" at Iowa State University. The main goals of the assignment were to foster effective scientific writing and research. A strength of this assignment was that it made students write!

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Context

Audience

This course is an upper undergraduate/graduate level course.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Basic concepts in stable isotope geochemistry
Basic scientific writing
Basic research skills
Organization skills
Time management

How the activity is situated in the course

The assignment was ultimately due at the end of the semester, however an outline and a draft copy of the paper was due during the semester. In addition, students were required to give a conference style (12 minute) talk on their paper. The final exam was based on these talks.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Students will demonstrate an understanding of a stable isotope system of their choice that complements the topics learned in class.

Students will demonstrate competency in scientific research and scientific writing in the form of a research paper and a formal presentation.