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 Assignments!
In most online courses you will use the Assignment tools to submit and get feedback for your individual and group projects. What things can you do to submit the best work possible?
Here are a few tips to create great projects and presentations:
Recognize the Purpose of the Assignment
Assignments give you an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of concepts related to the course. They can also allow you to expand on that understanding through academic research. Your courses may include both individual and group assignments. Sometimes the instructor will list the objectives or goals for an assignment. Read these carefully to get a deeper understanding of what working on the assignment should do.
Read the Assignment Directions Carefully and Print Them
What
exactly are you being asked to do? What guidelines has the instructor given? Is this an individual assignment or do you need to join a group? If you have to join a group, when do you have to do that? Has the instructor asked you to do research on a particular subject? Are you to refer to the assigned
readings or are you to find more resources? If your assignment requires a Works Cited/Bibliography, what documentation system has been asked for, APA, MLA? What is the minimum number of resources that the instructor has asked for? Has the instructor given you a rubric so that you can see what might be expected and how you will be graded? When is each assignment due?
Get Organized- Make a Plan
Now that you have a good understanding of what is being asked, it's time to get organized. If your instructor hasn't put the due date for the assignments in the Blackboard Calendar, it's time for you to add those key dates to your Blackboard Calendar. If you will be doing a large project, you might want to split it up into steps with your own due dates. If you are working in a group, you'll want to get together early and plan how to approach and work on the assignment. Groups that set out with a clear plan for how the group will run and how and when the group will put together the project are usually the most effective.
Research
Before
you begin your research on any assignment, determine your exact purpose. Write out the key questions or areas that the assignment covers. If part of your assignment is based on assigned readings, review the readings and make note of key points to include or expand on with your research. Do you know of other research that might
illustrate these concepts?
Make use of the GBC Library Learning Commons
The Library Learning Commons Provides extensive information and resources. Below are just a few of the things you can do:
Gather your References and Take Notes
As you are researching make sure to write down the information required for citing. Make
sure to reference ideas mentioned in the readings and other research.
Be careful to credit others’ ideas where you have paraphrased or quoted. See our Next page to learn about plagiarism.
Submit your Assignments on Time
Your assignments will most likely have very specific due dates and times.
You won’t be able to wait until the last week to do all your assignments. Check the date and time your assignment is due. Post your assignments before the last time to submit; that way if there is any last minute problem with your computer, internet or the system, you'll have a bit of time.
Don't be Afraid to Ask Questions in the Discussion Forums
If your instructor has
provided a Discussion area for Course Questions and/or Technical
Questions, and you have a question about an assignment, that's a great place to post your question. Choose a subject for your post that identifies the type of problem or question related to the assignment. Don't forget that if
you have a question, it's likely that others may have the same
question. By posting to the Discussion areas, your question could be
answered by your instructor or by another student and the question could also help other students.
Use Open Access and Free Tools to work on Projects Individually or Collaboratively
Consider using some of the web-based tools to complete your assignments. Below is list of tools you could consider using:
For Presentations try
Prezi is an online tool that allows you to make dynamic presentations. Instead of linear presentations like PowerPoint, Prezi allows you to move around any canvas zooming and embedding multimedia objects.
SlideRocket allows users to create presentations online. You can create from scratch or import PowerPoint and you can work collaboratively on a presentation with a group. There is a premium version, but the free version does the basics.
SlideShare.net allows you to upload PowerPoints so they can be viewed online and shared with the public or limited groups. If you have a large file and need a place to host your presentation, try SlideShare. It reformats your presentation, so if you have audio, it will be stripped out.
Authorstream provides a place to host your PowerPoint Presentation. This is a great place to host your presentation if you have a narrated or audio enhanced presentation. The site allows posting of very large presentation files.
Collaborative Tools
Skype If you need to communicate with group members online, Skype is a great way to have a group talk.
Wikispaces If you need a collaborative web-based workspace Wikispaces is a great place to work together on a project. With very simple editing tools, you can create multiple pages that contain text, images, and videos.
Google Docs Work collaboratively on presentations, spreadsheets and documents.
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