Final Project for Introductory Soils Course
Initial Publication Date: June 6, 2013
Summary
These assignments represent scaffolding for a self-directed final project.
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Context
Audience
This is a piggy back undergraduate/graduate student introductory soils course taught in the department of Geography and the Environmental Studies program.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
This is an ongoing assignment throughout the semester and as such there are not concepts that the students must have mastered before beginning this activity.
How the activity is situated in the course
This is a culminating project that is worked on through a sequence of exercises throughout the semester.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
The goals for this project are to give the students practice in developing a research project, conducting field sampling, laboratory analyses, interpreting data and writing up the results in a journal format.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Formulation of hypotheses
Analyses of data
Field sampling
Synthesis of information
Analyses of data
Field sampling
Synthesis of information
Other skills goals for this activity
Technical writing skills
Description and Teaching Materials
These assignments are meant to be given throughout the semester to provide feedback to the students as they progress on their projects and to encourage them to get started early.
General Final Project Instructions (Acrobat (PDF) 37kB Apr29 13)Title and Abstract Instructions (Acrobat (PDF) 35kB Apr29 13)
Paragraph and References Instruction (Acrobat (PDF) 47kB Apr29 13)
Grading Rubric (Acrobat (PDF) 68kB Apr29 13)
Teaching Notes and Tips
I give these assignments throughout the semester
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Assessment
I use the attached rubric for the assignments.