EDIT 7320
Literature Graphic
Value: 15 points
Mode: group effort with individual components
created 5-21-08

Purpose
Although small in size, this assignment is the culmination of your research into the literature supporting your Applied Project idea.  It should be one page or one screen in size, represent the literature you have read, show relationships between the items, and provide an anchor point for your verbal presentation of this literature at the end of the semester.

In most scholarly investigations, a critical early step is to determine what it is already known about a problem area.  In the past, students beginning applied projects were required to produce a polished, lengthy "Chapter Two" as a concrete representation of their exploration.  It is still imperative that you review the literature as extensively as possible - but the lengthy writing (and reading) of the traditional literature review may not be the most efficient communication of your knowledge. 

The idea of this graphical representation comes from a) my doctoral training, during which students were required regularly to produce visualizations of ideas; and b) Dr. Marcia Mardis, who used a graphic format to display her literature review in a research presentation in 2007.

Task

By this point in the semester, you have chosen an Idea (a broad problem area for investigation), searched for relevant professional literature, reviewed that literature, and built a significant knowledge base in this area.  You have constructed an Annotated Bibliography, and kept Article Notes.  In this process, you have reduced each reviewed article down to its most basic and critical ideas, findings, or contributions.

The next task may be the most difficult: synthesize these facts into a system.  The most useful starting point for visualizing this system is a concept map, in which you create bubbles and link the bubbles together. (Software like Inspiration helps a task like this.)  Group similar ideas together.  Some facts may fit into a hierarchy with other facts. Some findings may directly oppose findings from other studies. In the end, you will have a tapestry of information that surrounds your project idea.  This information is critical to planning your inquiry, and eventually for interpreting your results.

Examples from last year will be provided for your review.  However, you should not feel constrained to fit a pattern designed by someone else.  Feel free to represent the literature as you truly see it.  The only parameters, realistically, are that the graphic should be compact, and that it be complete.

Your topic may shift, tighten, or enlarge during this entire process - this is normal.

The Problem Statement Draft is due within a few days after the presentation of this Graphic.  I expect to see a strong correspondence between this graphic and the problem statement.  However, development of your topic may still be ongoing up through early in the EDIT 7340 semester.  (Therefore, you may need to review more literature as a result.)

Components


Format 



 
Rubric


Value
Component
  Self review
Instructor's review
6
 Graphic, together with verbal presentation, provides comprehensive picture of supporting literature.
.

 

 .
5
 Correspondence between Graphic and Problem Statement Draft is clear, but may still be evolving.
 .
1
 Graphic is compact: it fits on one page or one screen.
 .
1
 Graphic is professional in appearance and mechanically clean.
  .
 .
2
 Graphic corresponds completely with Annotated Bibliography and Article Notes.    .
.
15
 Total   .

 
Comments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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History: created by MAF 5-21-08.

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