Design Cycle Project Example What is the problem? Investigate Your paragraph/writing for this section should include an explanation about your assignment. You should focus your writing around the topic we are discussing for the project and how your product can be viewed as a solution. How does it relate to the world? Your paragraph/writing for this section should be focused on the AoI that we are using for the unit. We will be focusing on a different AoI during every unit and your task during this section will be to connect it to what you see occurring in the world. What do I need to make this my best work? Your writing here is solely based on you. What do you need? Your answers will all be based on your needs; however certain items will be required for all of you. Computers, software, and time are just some of the things that I can think of for you. How can I make sure I ve included everything the teacher has asked for? CREATE A CHECKLIST for your project. Be sure to include all of the steps needed and any items for yourself. What research do I need to conduct? You will need to explain to me what you have to find out to complete the project. The research will vary from student to student, class to class, and project to project; but the idea will remain. Discuss all of the needs you have to complete this task. A note a research at this moment as well. Research is not limited to just websites, books, and some of the other standard things you use for other classes. There will be times when research might include a survey of a population or some questionnaire you create and distribute to random people. Yes; we will typically be using websites to create our bibliography and research but I do want you to be clear that it isn t always the case.
What resources can I use? Resources are anything you can use to complete the project. Again I will reference things like computers and software but they are not your only options. What limitations must I work within? Do in large part to your Level I have really limited your choices of both projects and how you can complete them. You should be discussing the amount of time, the due dates, and that I ve chosen for you the way your product can be completed.
ALRIGHT THIS IS THE TIME WHEN I SHOULD SEE YOUR RESEARCH. Now your research can be something you ve copied and pasted or something you ve written out. However I must be able to see where your data/information has come from. THINK OF THIS LIKE YOUR NOTES FROM WHAT YOU VE LEARNED! USE THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE THE ACCURACY OF YOUR SITE!
The next page should consist of your bibliography. I will stick with MLA format and expect all of your sites are listed. If you are using a general site like: http://www.google.com/publicdata/directory then you will not need to include all the sub links you use just the main site the information is pulled from.
Brainstorming the possible solutions Design Again; your Level has caused for the brainstorming to be limited. You could spend some time thinking of other solutions, better solutions, but you are still limited to what I ve asked you to complete. Checking the solutions, you ve brainstormed, using a test Now I have provided you a second rubric, an ISS rubric if you want to call it that, which focuses just on your product. While this is not the way that IB would have me do it; I feel it helps you to understand the basics of what needs to be included in your project. The rubrics will help to provide a test for you; just figure out a way to discuss the expectations with what you produce for work. Provide Pros and Cons These should be simple; tell me what is good and bad about your designs. Choose!!!!! Make sure to include detailed reasons for your choices. These need to be then I like this, it looks pretty, or Mr. Scafidi told me too!
Plan Step by step: You need to make sure you give a fair amount of detail when you are describing your steps. Remember I should be able to finish the project based on what you include in the plan. Please DO NOT work on the plan as you are working on the product. Include detail about the time the steps took you as well as what resources you used during the stages.
Evaluation Evaluate the product/solution During this you should be focused strictly on your product. The product should be explained along with your overall expectations for IB scores. Discuss what you did best and areas that you can improve upon. Evaluate the use of the design cycle Discuss your use at ALL stages. Examine your feelings about the cycle, yes I know that many of you feel the steps are unnecessary but you need to break that feeling and begin to understand that products are not the only thing for this course. We are concerned with understanding how to get there, not just the result. Your plan discussion belongs here. Assuming you followed the instructions and did your plan before you did your product that you should be able to include a discussion about what steps were missing or what extra steps you included. CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE DONE!