Service learning assignment

Summary: work with a community or campus organization to complete a meaningful, sustainable computers and writing project.

Service learning involves working with a community organization, such as a church or not-for-profit charity, or a registered campus entity, such as a service fraternity or a student organization, to help that group do their work. You will get valuable experience working with clients, writing proposals, reviewing drafts, and dealing with deadlines and scheduling, all with my assistance.

Your project must meet the following critical criteria:

Meaningful
Create a computers and writing project which answers a real need expressed by the organization, not just something that might be used or which is not needed.
Sustainable
Support your project with documentation and other materials, created by you or found online, which help the organization use your work now and in the future.

Keep this in mind as you plan the project scope. While you need to bite off a big enough chunk of work to meet course requirements (imagine that this project should involve the same amount of work as a final essay in a literature course) save room, so to speak, for supporting documentation and other materials.

Additionally, your project must:

  1. be completed in a timely fashion, to ensure time for your client (and me) to review your work and suggest changes or improvements;
  2. motivate relevant computer technology, networked or offline, in a useful and interesting manner;
  3. include a substantial amount of writing (this is a WID course);
  4. strive for a professional appearance.

Students in the Quad Cities will work independently with clients of their choice. If you are unsure how to proceed, contact me ASAP to discuss your prospective client and project. We will devote some class time to independent work on the projects, as well as collective review and presentation.

Students in Macomb will work collaboratively, as a class, to redesign the WIU First Year Experience web site. We will evaluate the existing site, come up with a plan for revision, and divide the workload in class. Student teams assigned to different tasks will work independently, and some of our our regular class meeting time will be structured like a creative team meeting at a creative agency.

Milestones

Prospectus

Quad Cities students should follow the prospectus format outlined in the complimentary project, with a few small changes:

  1. If you wish to work with other students, you should turn in one prospectus as a group. Indicate who is involved, how labor will be divided, plans you have for meeting, etc. You must contact me by Sep 25 if you wish to work in a group.
  2. Include a section which describes your client in detail, including full contact information.
  3. Name your prospectus "sl-prospectus.html" and upload it to the WIU server.

Macomb students will work out responsibilities as a group, working in small teams. We will use my wiki and/or online project management software to track the project and to assemble a full prospectus. We will present that document to the FYE staff for review. (When available, details will be posted here and on the class weblog.)

Full draft

Quad Cities students should follow the full draft procedure outlined in the complimentary project, with a few small changes:

  1. When posting your project, use the categories "service learning" and "draft".

Again, Macomb students will work out the details as a group; we will find some way to post a full draft for review by our clients as well as each other. (When available, details will be posted here and on the class weblog.)