Project+Statement

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= PROJECT STATEMENT  =

** Title of Project: ** From High School to College: The Transition

** Problem: ** How to assist students in the big move, the transition from high school to college.

1. Briefly describe your proposed project. Often times, individuals are not successful in college, because they fail to prepare. This is a one week summer program that will help students with the big transition from high school to college. Making the transition is important, because more and more individuals are becoming increasingly concerned about whether young people have the skills and knowledge they need for success in college. Many students who graduate from high school are unprepared for the academic rigors of community college work. The transition from high school to college can be a very intimidating experience for many students. To make the college transition less frightening, students can take several precautions through careful planning and preparation.

2. How will you improve learner performance by engaging learners in authentic experiences? Upon completion of this workshop, the participants will have worked collaboratively together creating an online forum to provide support that will assist them in their big move. The participants will collaborate with each other via Skype, wikis, blogs, and other social networks. Also, the students will be grouped and each group has to present their findings to the other groups.

3. How will you facilitate learning through constructivist, collaborative learning experiences? The students will be conducting research, organizing, and building resources that could be used by them as well as future participants. This will allow them to have hands on experience, which helps them to create a better understanding and connection. Also, their projects require the use of various technological tools.

4. How will you create sound instructional materials and learning environments that are based on solid research and learning theory? The facilitators from each college will collaborate. By collaborating, the instructors will determine what types of projects or assignments will be used for the projects that correspond to the goals and objectives of the project.

5. How will you facilitate the use of innovations through the diffusion and integration of new technologies and technological experiences for your learners? To facilitate the use of innovations through the diffusion and integration of new technologies, using wikis and blogs, the learners will be provided with the experience of online collaboration with students in distant schools.

6. How will you most effectively manage this process? The facilitators will distribute all necessary handouts and provide and overview of what is expected. They will make sure that all participants have the skills needed to complete their tasks. Also, they will provide instructions on how to safely utilize Skype. Although, the participants will be able to utilize their creativity, they will still need to follow the guidelines for their projects.

7. What ethical considerations will you make to ensure sound decisions are made? The facilitators will review plagiarism. Also, there will be a review on how to properly cite one’s work using the APA format. The participants should be mindful of proper internet usuage and to fulfill their share of the assingments.

8. What processes and resources will you include? Word documents that provide instructions for completing required tasks will be distributed. Links for various technological tools that are required to complete tasks will be provided. Tutorials will also be provided on how to create a Skype account.

9. Describe the learning environment and population that will be engaged in your project: Participants signing up for this workshop will be high school seniors who are enrolling into college for the first-time. These participants have limited knowledge about what to expect. They are not familiar with proper procedures and processes. By actively participating in this summer academy the participants will learn the importance of creating an online collaborative community. They will learn how to prepare, plan, and carefully research their options. The gap exists in using the knowledge the participants have, they myths they have heard, and experiences shared. The participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with others, from different colleges using Skype and other social networks.

· Audience o High school students transitioning into college for the first time

· Learner characteristics: grade level, number of students o High school seniors (first time college student)

· Anticipated entry level skills of audience o Computer skills o Research skills o Technology skills

· School environment o College classrooms o Online settings

· Support for project by community, parents, and/or administrators