Week+4

= Professional Reports and Presentations =

(another study investigating issues of public importance)

Here is some food for thought regarding common uses of PowerPoint that can be less than effective:
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Presentation:
====The presentation of your analysis results will occur in class, and you have complete creative freedom to present however you see fit. The main consideration is time, since we can only allow 10 minutes per person to complete all presentations in one session and still allow for brief discussions. Therefore, you will need to prioritize what information you feature in your presentation to make the best use of this time. The grade for your presentation will be substituted for the class participation points that apply to our final class meeting, rather than being included in the grade for the project itself, which is based on the quality of your final report.====

Final Report:
====As shown in the report grading rubric posted on the Project Content Page, your grade will be mostly content based, though formatting considerations will also apply. As you have probably noticed through conducting your article searches, research studies published in scholarly journals follow relatively consistent formatting standards. For example, common elements include an abstract (summarizing the content of the article), introduction, background/history/context/setting (sometimes included in the introduction), problem statement, research questions, significance of the study, literature review (including related theories, frameworks and existing research applicable to the study), methodology (outlining the procedures and protocols involved), findings, conclusion, implications and/or recommendations for further research. In the case of this critical analysis project, we will follow a similar yet distinguishable formatting style that is more typical of organizational reports common in the private sector (sometimes referred to as a "white paper") that is used for official statements like committee reports, which you may have witnessed versions of in your own work experience.====

General formatting guidelines:

 * ====Word document file (at least 8 pages), double-spaced, 12-point font, APA 5th ed. style used throughout====

(see OWL at Purdue APA style guide website)

 * ====**Project Summary**: in this case, a shortened variation of what is commonly labeled "executive summary" (similar to an abstract, but more comprehensive and enabling a view of highlights from each section of the full report). This project summary provides a brief synopsis at-a-glance of important content in the report, including the problem investigated, the setting, and highlights from the analysis process and main conclusions.====
 * ====**Introduction**: include in this brief lead-in to your report an explanation of the setting involved in the study and your role and perspective as a participant-observer examining leadership challenges in this setting (Note: Introduction and Background sections can be combined).====
 * ====**Background**: this section should go deeper into the explanation of relevant context and history related to the problem you have investigated. Consider your audience in the hypothetical scenario used in the beginning of this process and be sure to include important contextual information that would not be familiar or obvious to outsiders.====
 * ====**Problem Statement**: this section clearly describes the leadership challenge you have investigated, the significance of the problem, the justification for examining it, and your research questions that have guided the analysis process.====
 * ====**Analysis**: this section represents the bulk of the report content, including your approach toward critically analyzing the problem, the theoretical framework(s) relevant to your investigation, important information gleaned from sources used in your research (including 2+ research studies), and any other information related to the analytical process you undertook (Note: Analysis and Findings sections can be combined).====
 * ====**Findings**: this section explains the significant results of your analysis, including anything revealed or newly determined that relates to clearly and comprehensively defining and understanding the problem.====
 * ====**Conclusion** (including implications and recommendations): this section should include your position regarding the problem, what you concluded from this research that is important for others to consider, and any related implications and/or recommendations that you wish to address, which could pertain to further defining problems and challenges or suggested paths toward determining solutions, if merited.====
 * ====**References**: a correctly formatted reference list in APA 5th ed. style is also required.====

=Instructions for Week 4 tasks:=

1) Discussion post:
(Use the discussion area of this page to submit your post)
 * ====By week's end, post a response to the following questions:====
 * ====What did you like most about this project, and why?====
 * ====What did you like least about this project, and why?====
 * ====What was the most difficult part of this process for you, and why?====
 * ====What are the most important things you gained from this process?====

2) Final writing assignment:

 * ====Submit your final report as a Word file in the Project Content Page by week's end====
 * ====Prepare your presentation for our final class meeting====
 * ====Peer evaluations will be conducted during class and through the week following our final meeting online using the discussion section of the Project Content Page====