Scientific Thinking
SCI 1020 - Group Project
worth 20% of the final grade
14% individual contribution & 6% final production
Theme of the Project:
Online Scientific Literacy Magazine
Scientific Literacy “is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and
economic productivity. Scientific literacy means that a person can ask, find, or determine answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday experiences.”
Introduction
“The mission of the Scientific Thinking course is to provide a strong foundation of scientific literacy in order to prepare students to be lifelong learners and to function as
intelligent, articulate, and active citizens and decision makers.”
The aim of this project is for you to develop an Online Popular Scientific Literacy Magazine. Your project should reflect the degree of your accomplishment of the course’s
mission and your ability to transmit your understanding of this mission to others. Each group will develop different magazine issue. Each issue can have its specific scientific
literacy theme according to the group’s choice.
Project Guidelines
1. The mission of the magazine is to promote scientific literacy to the public readers.
2. Each group is made of 4 or 5 students from your section.
3. This issue of the magazine is about: “Science and Ethics”. Each group will decide the topics of its issue and its goals.
4. You could integrate different items in the magazine; it depends on the extent of each group’s collective imagination and creativity.
5. Each student should have at least 4 different contributions.
○
Items may include, but not limited to: articles, cartoons, games, puzzles, interviews, infographic, videos production, etc.
▪
At least one article per team member.
▪
At least one survey on AUC campus or an interview per team member.
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At least one infographic per team member.
▪
Not more that one game or ad per team member.
○ Each item should have its author’s name (like a real magazine!).
6. You can establish your online site as soon as your group agrees on the topic.
○ You can use ([Link]), ([Link]) or any other online magazine publishing site you want.
7. Your final product will be graded according to a rubric (provided at the end of this document).
8. I will assess your project only once, when it is submitted. But, of course, I can provide feedback throughout the steps of the project.
9. You should provide work citation in MLA/APA to each material, unless, of course, it is your own idea.
10. You will submit your work to turnitin for verification. You can’t use an article directly from the Internet, even if you cite it.
Examples of possible topics for discussion, but you should not limit yourself to this list.
Abortion
Contraception
Cloning
Marijuana legalization
Space force
Nuclear power
Capital punishment
Euthanasia
Recycling
Designer babies
Anti-microbial resistance
Athletic supplements
Video games and social media
Gender change
Bearing of arms
In vitro fertilization
Surrogacy
Colonizing other planets
Homophobia
Animal experimentation
…...................................... Name your own! …......................................
Outline of the magazine
Administrative:
Board
Contact Information
Membership and login
Vision: Name of the magazine, slogan and logo
Mission Statement
Creative:
Organization
Design of the site
Links
Writing
Sequence of connections
Variety
Articles
Games
Puzzles
Easy to go through
Accessible links
You will be evaluated according to a rubric. The following rubric is your guideline:
Criteria Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Technical and No technical problems. One or two technical problems. Three or four technical Many errors that make the
Navigation of the There are no errors in links One or two difficulties problems. Three or four magazine inadequate to
magazine. Per group or other files. encountered while navigating the difficulties encountered navigate.
(10%) Users can successfully magazine. while navigating the Many difficulties
progress throughout the magazine. encountered while
entire magazine in a logical navigating the magazine.
path to get the information.
All links and navigations
tools work.
Accomplishment The magazine is complete. All One item is not finished Two items are not finished. Three or more items are
of the magazine. Per items are finished. not finished
group (10)
1- 1- 1- 1-
Design of the Capturing a Interesting slogan and A slogan that is too No slogan or logo.
magazine. Per group slogan and significant meaningful logo. long, and is difficult to
2-
(10%) logo. remember, and/or has an Pages are confusing
2-
Adequate delivery of the irrelevant logo. irrelevant presentations
2-
Good combination of all magazine’s elements. Good may interfere with the
the magazine’s elements. balance of the magazine’s
2- Lack of balance, and magazine’s message.
There is clear balance, elements proportion of the
proportion, and harmony that magazine’s elements.
reach the readers in an
attractive style.
Enhancemen ts of the All Graphs, videos, audio or Most enhancements are used Enhancements are present, Lack of adequate
magazine. Per group other enhancements are appropriately. One enhancement but don’t enrich the learning enhancements
(5%) used effectively to enhance may not be adequately used. experience at all time.
the information and enrich
learning.
Organization Per group The sequence of information The sequence of information is The sequence of The sequence of
(5%) is logical. Menu and paths to logical. Menu and paths to most information is somehow information is not logical.
all information are clear and of the information are clear and logical. Menu and paths to Menu and paths to
easy to follow. direct to follow. some information are not information are not clear
clear and not easy to follow. and confusing.
Citing Resources Per All sources are properly cited Most sources are properly cited. Few sources are properly No sources are properly
group according to MLA style. cited. cited.
(2%)
Originality of the Significant evidence of Some originality (few original ideas Shows extensive collection Shows only copied and
magazine. Per group originality and creativity. and some collected views) and repeat of common collected materials.
(8%) Many new approaches. ideas.
Contents Per Many interesting topics and Some interesting topics and some Few interesting topics and few Topics are not relevant
Individual: topics, good variety of items variety of items variety and very limited variety
critical thinking and relevant to Scientific
language (50%) Literacy. Language is clear. Two or three Language is adequate. Four or Language is not clear.
language errors five language errors Multiple language error
Language is very clear. No
errors
Useful Link
[Link] (Online Publishing)
[Link]
[Link] (Game Maker)
[Link] (Page Layout Software)
Useful Software
Apple Pages
iBooks Author
istudio Publisher
Adobe Page Maker
Microsoft Publisher