Now that you have researched the causes of student discontent with the General Education program, as well as alternatives to the program, I would like you to work together in groups (as directed in class) to compose a more comprehensive problem/solution report that makes a proposal argument in favor of a specific solution to the problem of student discontent with the General Education program.
Your group's report should suggest more than one viable solution to the problem(s) of the General Education program, should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each solution proposed, and should make a recommendation as to which solution is the best or most promising. Your final report should also include all appropriate front matter, formatting, and back matter for a long, formal report of 3000-4800 words. I ask, contrary to regular business practice, however, that you give me the report double-spaced (rather than single-spaced).
Each student in each group should contribute at least 1000-1200 words to the body of the group's final report. You may use all or part of your Paper 1 as the basis of your contribution(s) to your group's report, but the group report should be a seamless, logical whole -- not an unrevised, uncoordinated patchwork of your earlier papers. The purpose of this assignment is twofold:
- to give you some experience at working in a group on a writing project and
- to give you practice in revising and rethinking your writing after an initial draft.
As a result, you should concentrate on strategies for maximizing the positive energy of your group (in order to foster effective collaboration) and on strategies for revising your Paper 1 (in order to integrate it successfully into the group project).
Keep in mind that your reports will be graded based on my usual grading criteria for papers. Each report will be graded as a single whole. In other words, you will not receive an individual grade for your personal contribution(s) to your group's report. Instead, each student in your group will receive the same grade -- based solely on the merits of the single, complete report of your entire group together. This assignment, however, counts only as one of the three short argumentative essays for the course -- not as the required research paper.
Be advised that I will forward any exceptionally good reports to my Dean and to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs for their consideration during the official review and re-evaluation of the General Education program this semester. This is your opportunity to have real input into the reshaping the General Education curriculum.