Journal Club Project Assignment Bibliographic Information

Journal Club Project Assignment Spring 2019 This group assignment is intended to provide the student with an opportunity to learn and apply academic research strategies in a teamwork setting. Each group will be assigned a scientific journal article that pertains to the field of study. After reading and discussing the assigned article, the members of each group will create and present a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the work described in the article and explains its historical relevance and impact on the field of study and society. The oral presentation and materials submitted to the instructor will be assessed for competency in the areas of Critical Thinking, Communications, Empirical and Quantitative Skills, and Teamwork. Specific details and guidelines are provided below. Group Selection Students will assemble into groups of 3 to 4 and elect a group leader and co-leader (if necessary, these will be appointed by the instructor). Recommended qualities of effective group leaders include academic research, communication, and leadership skills, punctuality, and the availability to meet with group members and the instructor outside of the scheduled class times. In addition to contributing to the completion of the project, the group leaders will share responsibility for final submission of all required materials to the instructor prior to the deadline. While each student is free choose his or her group, this decision is final once reported to the instructor. Journal articles will be assigned by the instructor only after the members of a group are recorded on the official roster and group leaders have been selected. Research Topics A peer-reviewed journal article will be assigned to each group. Assignment will be at random from a pool of classic and contemporary articles that have been selected by the instructor based on their impact (or potential impact, in the case of contemporary articles) on the field of study, related disciplines, and society. The process of random assignment is intended to be unbiased and, for this reason, all article assignments are final. Re-allocation of group members and journal articles is at the discretion of the instructor, but is extremely unlikely to occur in the absence of extraordinary circumstances. Guidelines The following items must be submitted to the instructor for evaluation: 1. An oral presentation of the group’s PowerPoint 2. An electronic copy of the final PowerPoint (.ppt or .pptx) presentation 3. An electronic copy of the Works Cited in the presentation (.doc, .docx, or .rtf) Presentations should include the following: 1. Presentation title slide with group member names 2. Bibliographic information about the article 3. Background information that lead to the experiment described in your paper - Place the article in its historical context 4. The hypothesis (or hypotheses) of your paper 5. Materials and Methods used in the experiment 6. Results – Numerical and Qualitative Data 7. Conclusions and interpretations of the experimental data 8. Historical and scientific impact of the research  How did the results of a classical paper affect the state of the science?  How might the results of a contemporary paper affect the future? Presentations must meet the following guidelines:  20 to 30 slides total; 10 to 20 minute presentation  Name of student that made the slide in the top-right section of each slide  Each student must reference at least one additional journal article, one book, and one other source of information  Wikipedia is only an acceptable resource if it is used to find legitimate references, photographs, or other visuals  References cited in a slide should be listed as footnotes and listed in Works Cited in the order of their first use  Electronic copies must be submitted to the instructor via Moodle Drop-Box prior to the deadline Grading Individual grades will be based on the following criteria:  Team Contribution (50%) o Adequate coverage of required information – 30 points o Compliance with instructions and report format requirements – 10 points o Overall quality (spelling, grammar, appearance, consistency, etc.) – 10 points  Individual Contribution (50%) o Identification, use, and documentation of reliable and appropriate sources – 10 points o Identification and explanation of pertinent data and issues – 10 points o Analysis & discussion (critical assessment) of facts & implications - 10 points o Communication skills as assessed by the instructor during the presentation – 10 points o Teamwork assessment by team-mates and instructor – 10 points Important Dates (subject to change at the discretion of the instructor):  Feb 19 – Demo Presentation, Groups Selected, Articles Assigned  Apr 4 – Group Meetings  Apr 8 – PowerPoint & Works Cited due in Canvas by 11:55 PM  Apr 9 – Group Presentations in random order  Apr 11 – Group Presentations in random order Tips for Success: It is imperative that you meet with your group and communicate your goals and progress electronically via email, social media, or other telecommunications media. During (and in the duration between) such meetings, it is essential that your group:  Read and discuss the article & divide the workload  Prepare rough drafts, assess your progress, set goals  Consult each other and the instructor when needed  Assemble a final draft  Add any necessary finishing touches before the due date  Submit all electronic files necessary for completion prior to the deadline