GROUP PROJECT GUIDELINES


WHAT IS A GROUP PROJECT?

A project is a multistep homework assignment which, because of its complexity, typically takes several days to complete. A group project is a project that a group of students work on it and each student of the group receives an equal amount of credit for his/her contribution. There will be two group projects this semester.


GROUP DYNAMICS

Each group consists of two students. Two students must have the same current class performance standing to form a group. The current class performance standing is defined to be your average grade from your quizzes, hour exams, project, at the time prior to your group formation. You can form your own group by this association rule or your TA will help you form one. In either case you need to get your TA's approval. Also, exceptions to these rules are reserved to your TA's discretion.

To help get everyone involved and functioning smoothly in a group, you should decide how to divide and share responsibilities necessary to complete the project. On logistics matters, you should decide when to meet, what to accomplish, who will write the first draft, who will proof read, who will type up the final report, and when to finish up the final report. On subject matters, you should decide how to cooperate on fact finding, problem solving, material research.


FINAL REPORT

You should write your report neatly on clean paper that has not been torn out of a spiral notebook. Also, write only on one side of the paper. Make sure the names of all the people in your group appear on the first page of your report.

Each person who worked on the project should sign the report beside his/her name on the first page of the final report. Your signature certifies that you have read the final report and that it represents work which you have made contributions to.

Part of your grade will be based on the quality of your written presentation, above and beyond its mathematical content. The paper you turn in should have a mix of equations, formulas, and prose to support your conclusions. Use simple and complete sentences, good grammar, and correct punctuation. Spelling is also important. Always try the best to find non-technical ways to interpret technical matter, independent of whether or not you will include them in your final report. The report should be written in a self-contained manner that a person not knowing the project assignment will get a good understanding on the problem, the solution, and the conclusion, if any. Especially, it should be written in such a way that it can be completely understood by anyone who knows the material for this course.