Beginning in Week 2,

you will work through the weekly research stages and writing process toward the creation of an 8-12-page formal report. Topic suggestions are provided; however, if there is a topic you'd like to use that is not on the list, please contact your instructor for approval. Other final project criteria are as follows:

The audience for this report is an industry decision-maker such as your supervisor or CEO, or a public policymaker such as a politician or bureaucrat, who could act upon your recommendations. You will identify this decision-maker in the cover letter that you will create for your report in Week 6.

Your report must feature at least one technical illustration such as a chart, graph, or image that you have created.
Your research must consist of a variety of electronic sources (websites, databases, media) and traditional sources (books, journals, magazines). All sources must be cited using the American Psychological Association (APA) documentation system.

You will present your report in a multimedia technical briefing in Week 7 using PowerPoint with audio. The information for creating this project can be found under Course Home and iConnect.
Project Time Line

Please see the chart below for the topics, deadlines, and deliverables. Under the chart, you will see details on each week's assignments.
As you will see, it's a lot of work. We will, however, be walking through each stage together. Keep up each week, and you will have no problems succeeding. You will definitely want to feature your formal report in your professional portfolio to show employers.
Lastly, don't forget about your other assignments unrelated to this Course Project.

NOTE: Because the course requires other assignments, working ahead on your Course Project is an excellent idea. Doing so will free you up when there are longer weekly assignments.

Week 1: Project Components
Your Course Project (formal report) officially begins in Week 2 and will consist of the following:
8-12 double-spaced pages
technological or business topic (There is a list of suitable topics is in Doc Sharing; however, you may choose your own topic with instructor approval.)
six sources (four traditional and two electronic)
preliminary outline (template in Doc Sharing)
final outline (template in Doc Sharing) including APA in-text citations and references page
first draft of formal report (including APA in-text citations and references page) for instructor review and feedback
cover letter and appendix, and first draft of formal report for peer review
two peer reviews (Each student will complete a review of two other classmates' reports.)
final draft of formal report (including APA in-text citations, references page, cover letter, and appendix)
multimedia briefing of formal report (PowerPoint with audio)

Week 2: Course Project Launch & Topic

This week, you will choose a technological or business topic that you would like to investigate and create a thesis for it. It could be related to your current job, future career, another DeVry course, or your Senior Project. Make sure to select a topic that will interest you throughout the course. You will also want to access the iConnect tab under Course Home to become familiar with how you will record your final presentation.

Topic suggestions are located in Doc Sharing. Topics
Submit your thesis to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday for instructor feedback.
Week 3: Valuable Sources of Information & Outline

This week, you will create a preliminary outline using the template in Doc Sharing. This template includes the first three sections of the formal report and will serve as a springboard for the rest of the project. Preliminary Outline Template
You will also search for six sources for your report: four traditional sources (books, newspapers, magazines, journals, databases such as EBSCOhost) and two electronic sources (websites, etc.).
You will need to write out the bibliographic information for each of these sources. Make sure to view the APA Guide for Citing Sources tutorial located at the bottom of the Syllabus. The bibliographic entries must be correct in content and format.
Submit the preliminary outline with the bibliographic information for the six sources to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Week 4: Final Outline
During Week 4, you will create a detailed outline (based on your preliminary outline) of your formal report. It should be comprehensive and include all sections of the formal report. An explanation of the sections of this outline can be found in Doc Sharing. Final Outline Information
There is also a template for this outline in Doc Sharing that you will want to use for your assignment. Final Outline Template
A references page should be submitted as part of the outline featuring the minimum six sources from the two categories. Correct APA content and format must be used. In-text citations must be included.
Submit the final outline to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Week 5: Formal Report First Draft with Technical Illustration
This week, based on your final outline, you will create a rough draft of the formal report that will include in-text citations and a references page that are correct in APA content and format.

You will also create a technical illustration such as a chart, graph, diagram, or schematic to help convey a point in the report. You may use a software application of your choice such as Excel or Visio. You could also create an image or photograph using a digital camera or some graphics package.

You must import the illustration into the formal report. It should be labeled correctly with a title and caption. No in-text citation is necessary because you have created it. Upload the rough draft of the formal report featuring the technical illustration to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
Submit the formal report first draft and the technical illustration to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Week 6: Cover Letter and Appendix
In Week 6, you will create an appendix that consists of data that isn't necessary for an immediate understanding of the discussion. It will be placed in the back of your report. The appendix could be any of the following: manufacturers' specifications, graphs, analytical data, drawings, sketches, excerpts from other reports, cost analyses, or correspondence. Refer to pages 135 and 136 of your text.

You will also create your cover letter and add it to your formal report. Information for this part of the project is on page 146 of your text.

You should submit the first draft of your report to the Peer Review discussion topic by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday for peer review. You must also complete two reviews on other classmates' reports by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Your grade for your peer review is given in your discussion grade this week.

Use the information provided in the iConnect tab under Course Home to prepare for recording your final presentation.
Week 7: Final Report & Technical Briefing

Create a 10-minute multimedia technical briefing based on the highlights of your formal report. Refer to the iConnect tab under Course Home to complete this briefing. You should create 6-10 highly effective slides.

You will then record your presentation, but make sure you have recorded successfully.
Submit the final presentation to the Week 7 Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
Submit the final report with cover letter and appendix to the Week 7 Course Project Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday