Final Paper

For the Final Paper, you will select one topic from the list below. You will want to choose a topic that is important or interesting to you.

Instructions for completing the Final Paper:

Please select from one of the following topics, which are addressed in the course textbook, Introduction to Computer Literacy:

Collaborative Technologies (covered in Chapter 1)
Ethical Concerns in Computing (covered in Chapter 1)
The Digital Divide (covered in Chapter 1)
Open Source Software (covered in Chapter 3)

The Impact of Mobile Computing (covered in Chapter 4)

Social Networks (covered in Chapter 7)

Protecting Copyrights and Intellectual Property (covered in Chapter 8)

The Future of Cloud Computing (covered in Chapter 9)

Return to the textbookand review the pages in the chapter that pertain to your selected topic.

Next, log in to the Ashford University Library and conduct a search on that topic.

The INF103. tutorial will walk you through the basic steps of doing a search for scholarly articles within the Ashford University Library. A transcript of this video can be accessed through your online course.

Select two scholarly articles to use in your paper. For each article, write down the author information, date of publication, title of the article, the publication information (journal title), and the database from which you retrieved the article. You will need this information when you create your references for the sources.

Begin the writing process. You are going to compare the points of view offered by these authors (the author of your textbook and the authors of the two articles you have selected) on your selected topic, and then offer your own point of view based upon your analysis of the readings.

The Ashford Writing Center (AWC) offers assistance with the writing process. The AWC contains many tutorials and offers online guides for how to develop an academic paper. Click on the Writing Center link under "Learning Resources" in the left navigation of this course to visit the AWC.

Criteria for Grading

You will be graded on how well your paper meets the following criteria:

Content

How clearly you demonstrate your knowledge of your chosen topic.

Frequent and appropriate use of examples from the textbook and selected articles to support your points.

Appropriate inclusion of relevant quotes from the discussion forum activities.

At least one paragraph for each of your three sources (the textbook and two scholarly articles) that includes an accurate summary of the points made by the author(s).

At least one paragraph for each of your three sources showing your thoughtful analysis of the point of view introduced by the authors.

At least two paragraphs illustrating how the authors of those three sources agree or disagree with one another about the topic.

At least two paragraphs that reflect your own point of view and provide a conclusion about your chosen topic.

Form

The way your paper looks is also important to this assignment.

Complete your assignment using Microsoft Word.

Include a proper title page.

Use correct APA formatting for an academic paper (see the Ashford Writing Center tutorial).

Use proper citation style for all quotes.

Your paper must be between five to seven pages long (excluding title and references pages).

Make sure to review your paper for grammar and use the Spell Check function in Microsoft Word before submitting your work.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.