Culminating Assignment

This document explains and outlines the project directions. Check the schedule and Blackboard for due dates. You will build this project in sections and drafts.

The I-Search project developed by Ken Macrorie is designed to teach the researcher and the audience something valuable about a chosen topic and about the nature of searching and discovery.  As opposed to the standard research project where the writer usually assumes a detached and objective stance, the I-Search project allows you to take an active role in your search, to experience some of the hunt for facts and truths first-hand, and to provide a step-by-step record of the discovery. Your finished project will describe chronologically the process you went through in investigating your research question.

The “I” in I-Search means you present in first person, that you are an interactive and reactive participant in the I-Search process. In a more formal research project, the use of “I” is not (usually) appropriate. In contrast, the I-Search project invites you to tell about your research journey from your point of view (narrative), asking you to reflect and analyze using “I.”

The Career/Major Research Project is broken into five different parts.  Below is a breakdown of what you are expected to deliver in each section.

Part One: What I Already Know

This section provides the background information for your chosen topic. In this section, you will be expected to do two things:

Step 03. Submit your written response as a Word document.

Part Two: What I Want to Find Out; Why I’m Researching This section presents your research questions and the reasoning behind your interest in answering them. You will be expected to do two things:

Step 01. Present your driving question or issue. In this section, you will ask additional sub-questions. These questions will lead you to those sources that will answer your questions. These questions are the fuel that guide you through the library or internet research work, interviews, observations, etc.

• Example Driving Question: How does online learning impact student success?
• Example Sub-Questions: What are the success rates of students enrolled in online courses? Do online student success rates differ depending on the type of school (2-year vs. 4 year vs. technical)? How do they compare to other modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, etc.)? What qualities must students have in order to be successful in an online class? How can student success be improved?

***Notice that all these questions focus on student success in online learning. You may use one of the brainstorming strategies we explored such as a mind map to generate your sub-questions, though this is not required.

Step 02. Tell us why you want/need the answers to these questions. A real need should surface here; you should demonstrate that this search may make a difference in your life, especially in the understanding of the work you intend to do, the current issues in your future field, and perhaps the contribution(s) you plan to make to the world.

• Example of Impact: I could discuss how I am currently teaching online courses and how these questions could help me make improvements in my class so that students could be more successful in the online learning environment.

Step 03. Submit your written responses to Step 01 and Step 02 as a Word document.

Part Three: The Search

Here is where you’ll tell the story of the hunt for research.

Step 01. You need to read (or view—credible documentaries or YouTube interviews can be useful sources) at least three different highly credible sources and write about your experience with each source. Choose from these types of sources (you need at least one peer-reviewed article):

• People (interview or YouTube interview)
• Peer-reviewed journal articles (use the library as a resource)
• Books
• Credible websites (such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, etc.), etc., For each source, you will need to complete the following:

Step 02. Write the story behind finding the source (How/where did you find this source?)

• Examine the credibility of the source (How did you determine whether it was credible or not? Think SIFT)
• Highlight key information you took from the source (What did you learn from this source, especially related to answering your research questions?)
• Reaction to what you learned from this source (What did you think about what you learned?)

Tell the story of your search in natural language. For example: “First, I called up my classmate Greg’s aunt who lives in Lewiston. I wrote down a few questions beforehand, but I still felt nervous cold-calling a woman described by Greg as “a tree-hugging cowgirl.” Not only do you report on what others have said about your topic, but you also add your opinion of their perspectives and discuss how well they help answer your questions (or raise new ones). You also get to comment on your experience you’re having along the way. Remember—be an active, reactive participant. This is not a simple research report where you simply report what each source said. It’s the story of your research.

Step 03. Collect this information about your sources in a graphic organizer and submit it to your instructor.

Note: You do not need to complete the entire graphic organizer this week. Focus this week on your sources. Next week, you will continue to work on the graphic organizer. 

Part Four: What I Learned, and What I Still Want to Know/Assessing Class LearningThis section focuses on providing a reflection of the entire research process and developing a class assessment.

Step 01. Reflect upon the entire search experience, not only what you got out of it and what you’ve learned, but how this search has changed how you see your future field, yourself and your role in that field, or anything else. It summarizes your travel, your journey, your quest for knowledge on a topic with which you were consumed.

Step 02. You’ll also include here what you still want to know. What questions still linger, or were raised by your research? What issues and controversies did you learn about that make you curious? Remember—it’s OK if you don’t find all the answers; that’s not a “failure,” it’s just questions that remain as curiosities. You can always aim to get answers for the final portfolio draft, or you may realize some questions can’t be answered just yet.

Step 03. Reflect on your work as a researcher. How well did you do? What would you change about the process next time? What was the most productive use of your time? The least productive? Why? Which sources within your future field will you return to while you continue to study or look for work/internships/scholarships etc.?

Step 04. Design a brief (2-3 minute) class assessment activity for the end of your presentation. This assessment will help students to remember the most important takeaways from what you present. You can design a short quiz, a writing or discussion prompt, or other activity designed to help students remember your presentation.

Step 05. Create full APA style (or other accepted citation style for your major) references for your three sources.

Step 06. Collect this information about your sources in the same graphic organizer you submitted last week. Submit the completed graphic organizer assignment to your instructor.

Part Five: Final Presentation

This week, you will put everything you have learned about your project into a final PowerPoint presentation.

Step 01. Create a PowerPoint presentation with at least one slide for each of the five sections (Part 1 through Part 5). Do not write out every word of your presentation in the slides! Instead, use the notes section for longer comments. Use the final presentation template (attached) to create a presentation from the information on your graphic organizer. Make sure you include the class assessment you designed in Part 4.

Step 02.  Use PowerPoint Designer and Creative Commons licensed images to enhance the visual appeal of your slides.

Step 03. On the final slide, list, in alphabetical order, the sources you’ve consulted for your paper. Your three sources (or more) must be listed here following APA/other major documentation methods (if you major uses another style such as Chicago, MLA, or IEEE, feel free to try this out).

All sources in this list must appear in Part Three, and you must give in-text citations as well as a separate references slide, to make sure you give proper credit to the people who shared these ideas, and do not unintentionally plagiarize. In-text citations include both formal parenthetical citations and signal phrases that name the source.

Step 04. Submit your final presentation to your instructor.

Note: You are not required to record your presentation. However, if you wish to do so, you may use the following tools:

• PowerPoint narration
• Screencastify
• Loom
• YouTube
• FlipGrid

Include a link with your presentation in the comments section.

• Submit Part One as a Blackboard assignment in Week 9.
• Submit Part Two as a Blackboard assignment in Week 10.
• Collect the Part Three information about your sources in a graphic organizer and submit this as a Blackboard assignment in Week 12.
• Collect the Part Four information in the same graphic organizer and submit this as a Blackboard assignment in Week 13.
• Submit your completed PowerPoint presentation in Week 14.
• Present your presentation in class OR engage in a Blackboard discussion board about your and your classmates’ presentations in Week 15.

1. Imagine you’re documenting the research to later produce a documentary film, and the resulting film tells the story, but not every last detail. Tell only those things about yourself which will help your audience see your relationship to what you looked for. That said, please do explain your connection to the topic early in the project—Parts 1 and 2 should make your connection clear.
2. Present the information in first person by simply telling the story of what you did in your search, in the order in which it happened. You will precede this story by telling how much you knew about the topic when you started and end it by telling what you have learned.
3. If you didn’t answer your question satisfactorily, or didn’t find what you were looking for, your project can still be valuable and exciting to readers– if it shows what truly happened on the search. That doesn’t mean you need tell everything (that you got a drink at the park fountain or developed a stomachache at Jordan’s lunch counter on your journey). The high points, the happenings and facts crucial to your search should appear in your presentation.
4. The language and style you write or present in should belong to you. Maybe you feel formal or informal as you think of your search and your topic; it makes no difference. Write or present the way that seems natural to you and what you’re talking about. Consider even taking on the style of the field you’re entering, if that works—take the risk and see. Let your voice shine through, but please remember this is still an academic piece, so you still should be concerned about academic appropriateness.
5. Make this your project. Keep in control. Don’t use long quotation after quotation from other writers. Quote only a phrase or a sentence if possible. Or, put the author’s ideas and information into your own words. If you find yourself quoting long paragraphs from authorities, it makes me think you probably don’t understand what they’re saying yourself, and neither will your audience.
6. If you include an interview, avoid the “Q&A” approach, and present it as a conversation.
7. Be a little selfish—take advantage of connections and information about scholarships and internships that will benefit you as you continue in your field/major. If you meet contacts in your field, ask for their advice. Usually, people love to share it.

Source: Macrorie, Ken. The I-Search Paper: Revised Edition of Searching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1988.

We will be working on the culminating assignment for this course over the next six weeks. In the last two weeks of class, you will submit a completed, polished, professional 15-minute pitch slide presentation designed to help potential investors decide whether they want to invest in you and your idea.

You can record your presentation in a variety of ways including PowerPoint recording, Screencastify, or a similar program that allows you to record a PowerPoint presentation.  You will upload the recording to YouTube.  Each week, you will complete assignments to create slides for your final presentation. Note: hybrid and in-person instructors may choose to have you present your pitch in class for your peers.

This assignment will combine everything you have learned in the class and give you an opportunity to showcase your ideas and skills.  It isn’t meant to be too difficult, but creating this presentation will stretch you a bit. It should also be fun. I want you to use your creativity and include design, expression, life, and enthusiasm as you put this presentation pitch together.

Choosing a Business

For this assignment, you will develop an idea for a new business and will develop a full pitch to convince investors that your business is worth their attention. Think about the kinds of businesses that you are most interested in, brainstorm some possible options, and then choose one to research and develop throughout this project.

Week 9: Part 1, The BackgroundThis week, you will create slides and a pitch deck for the Story, Idea, Vision, and Mission of your company. You should include content for each slide with these headers. You should also choose a design theme for your entire presentation.

In addition to creating your slides, you will use the Notes section of your PowerPoint to write out your main points (pitch deck) each week. This is a simple script of what you will say for each part of the presentation.  Of course, when you record, you’ll want to share these ideas and not read them, but having these notes will help you to organize your ideas.

Step 01.  Open the PowerPoint template (Entrepreneurial Presentation Template) and create content for the slides for the Story, Idea, Vision, and Mission of your company.

Step 02.  Write your pitch deck for each slide in the Notes section of the PowerPoint.

Step 03.  Upload your PowerPoint to this assignment link in Blackboard.

Week 10: Part 2, Target Customer, Competitors, and Value Proposition

This week you will put together slides and a pitch deck to define your Target Customer, your competitors, and your value proposition. You’ll need at least three slides for this section.

Review the information on Target Customer Profiles, Competitors, and Value Propositions BEFORE you start this assignment.

In addition to creating your slides, you will use the Notes section of your PowerPoint to write out your main points (pitch deck) each week. This is a simple script of what you will say for each part of the presentation. Of course, when you record, you’ll want to share these ideas and not read them, but having these notes will help you to organize your ideas.

Step 01. Open the PowerPoint template and create content for the slides: Target Customer Profile, Competitors, and Value Proposition.

Step 02. Write your pitch deck for each slide in the Notes section of the PowerPoint.

Step 03.  Upload your PowerPoint to this assignment link in Blackboard.

Week 11: Part 3, Marketing Channels

This week you will put together slides and a pitch deck for your marketing channels. You’ll need at least two slides for marketing channels that will become part of your marketing mix.

You’ll want to review the information on marketing in the Instructor Learning section (part two) for this week BEFORE you start this assignment. This week, you will need to locate a peer-reviewed article in the CWI Library that discusses the marketing channel you plan to use. You should reference this article in your presentation slides.

In addition to creating your slides, you will use the Notes section of your PowerPoint to write out your main points (pitch deck) each week. This is a simple script of what you will say for each part of the presentation.  Of course, when you record, you’ll want to share these ideas and not read them, but having these notes will help you to organize your ideas.

Step 01. Open the PowerPoint template and create content for the slides: Marketing Channels.

Step 02. Write your pitch deck for each slide in the Notes section of the PowerPoint.

Step 03.  Upload your PowerPoint to this assignment link in Blackboard.

Week 12: Part 4, Management TeamThis week you will put together slides and a pitch deck for your Management Team. You’ll need at least two slides, one for yourself and another for your other team members. You can include open positions for which you need to recruit.  For example, if you need an engineer to help you figure out your product, you can recruit one, or you can have an open position.

You’ll want to review the information on management teams in the Instructor Learning section (part two) for this week BEFORE you start this assignment.

In addition to creating your slides, you will use the Notes section of your PowerPoint to write out your main points (pitch deck) each week. This is a simple script of what you will say for each part of the presentation.  Of course, when you record, you’ll want to share these ideas and not read them, but having these notes will help you to organize your ideas.

Step 01. Open the PowerPoint template and create content for the slides: the Management Team.

Step 02. Write your pitch deck for each slide in the Notes section of the PowerPoint.

Step 03.  Upload your PowerPoint to this assignment link in Blackboard.

Week 13: Part 5, Financial SketchThis week you will put together slides and a pitch deck for the final portion of the culminating assignment, the financial sketch. You’ll need at least two slides highlighting what you believe you can charge for your product/service, the cost to make it, and your profit margin projection. This should be a very basic sketch and not too in-depth, but it should give some idea that you believe you can make money with your idea.  You should also project how much you believe you can sell in a year and what your profit will be. These are brief sketches of more detailed financials that you would normally include in a business plan.

You’ll want to review the information on finances in the Instructor Learning section (part two) for this week BEFORE you start this assignment.

In addition to creating your slides, you will use the Notes section of your PowerPoint to write out your main points (pitch deck) each week. This is a simple script of what you will say for each part of the presentation.  Of course, when you record, you’ll want to share these ideas and not read them, but having these notes will help you to organize your ideas.

Step 01. Open the PowerPoint template and create content for the slides: financial sketch.

Step 02. Write your pitch deck for each slide in the Notes section of the PowerPoint.

Step 03.  Upload your PowerPoint to this assignment link in Blackboard.

Week 14: Entrepreneurial Presentation Pitch Final Assignment

This week, you will complete your entrepreneurial pitch presentation.  You should have lots of pictures and graphics and fewer words on the slides themselves. You’ll add your summary and request slide and submit it to your instructor.

This is our final project in the course, so please submit your best work to showcase what you’ve learned about business and entrepreneurship in this course.

Step 01. Open the PowerPoint template and create content for the slide: summary and ask.

Step 02. Write your pitch deck for the slide in the Notes section of the PowerPoint.

Step 03. On the final slide, list, in alphabetical order, the sources you’ve consulted for your paper. Your sources must be listed here following APA/other major documentation methods (if you major uses another style such as Chicago, MLA, or IEEE, feel free to try this out).

Step 04. Carefully review the entire presentation for accuracy and completeness.

Step 05. Submit your final presentation to this assignment link in Blackboard.

Week 15: Entrepreneurial Presentation PitchThis week you will make your pitch to your classmates. Depending on the class format or your instructor’s preference, you may present either in class or via a recording of your presentation. Hybrid and in-person instructors may choose to have you present your pitch in class for your peers. You will have a 15-minute complete pitch presentation with colorful slides of your idea along with some information to help investors make a decision whether or not they want to invest in you.

If you record your video presentation, you can do that in a variety of ways including PowerPoint recording, Screencastify, or a similar program that allows you to record a PowerPoint presentation.  You will upload the recording to YouTube.

You should look at the camera, smile, engage, and share your idea with enthusiasm as you cover the main points on each slide, using your notes section to assist you.

Please make sure your final presentation includes these slides:

• Story, Idea, Vision, and Mission
• Target Customer Profile
• Competition
• Value Proposition
• Marketing Channels
• Management Team
• Financial Sketch
• Closing summary and ask. Summarize what you have presented and ask for initial research funding or another meeting.

It has been my pleasure to open up the door to the adventure that is entrepreneurship.  I look forward to reviewing your final product.

Step 01.  Record your presentation and upload the video to YouTube OR Present in class to your peers.

Step 02.  If applicable, submit the video link of your presentation to Blackboard.

Step 03. Follow your instuctor’s directions for engaging with your classmates about their pitches.

• Submit Part One as a Blackboard assignment in Week 9.
• Submit Part Two as a Blackboard assignment in Week 10.
• Submit Part Three as a Blackboard assignment in Week 11.
• Submit Part Four as a Blackboard assignment in Week 12.
• Submit Part Five as a Blackboard assignment in Week 13.
• Submit your completed PowerPoint as a Blackboard assignment in Week 14.
• Present your Final Pitch in class OR engage in a Blackboard discussion board about your and your classmates’ pitches in Week 15.