Overview of the Project Guidelines

Each project team will document their project with the “products" outlined on this paper. These “products” will be maintained on  the Internet, someplace like Google Docs and in a Project Portfolio Binder. The project team will work together throughout the year to make the portfolio complete and as professional as possible. The binder will remain in the lab at the end of the year as a reference for future classes, so if team members want a copy they will need to make one.

Individual Work

Each team member will create each part of the project documentation. That is to say, each member will write their own Project Summary, their own Project Plan, and so on. The team will then decide which is the best one to be put in the group binder and group web portfolio.

The Project Portfolio Binder

The Project Portfolio Binder is a three ring view binder with a clear plastic cover into which you can slip the title page. The title page must include the project name, logo, team members names, school year(s) the project is worked on, name of the EAST Lab. The first page of the binder should be a table of contents, and the second should be a copy of this of this Merlo EAST Project Guidelines Page. The binder should have labeled dividers for each of the twelve sections, in order, as described below. Each section of the binder should include the various drafts of the different products with the most current version at the front of the section.

The Digital Project Portfolio

The Digital Project Portfolio is stored on Google Docs and Spreadsheets and is a digital version of the Project Portfolio Binder. Keep the Digital Project Portfolio organized and up to date.

Description of Project Products

The Project Summary

The Project Summary is a well written, 250 word essay that describes the project and the project process. The purpose of the summary is to explain what the project is and what your team has done, to the public and to others who may want to continue the project.

The Project Plan

The Project Plan describes all of the aspects of the project planning and implementation process. The Project Plan is required at the beginning of the project and must be approved by the facilitator before the project can proceed. The plan creates a structure for the project that includes organization, planning, follow through, and documentation of the process. The plan is to be updated as necessary throughout the year. When writing the plan, use the titles in bold below for the headings of each section. Include the following in the Project Plan:

  • Heading with the Project Name, Project Logo, team members’ names, and date submitted.
    A Problem Statement that gives a succinct definition of the problem to be solved by the project.
  • Goals of the Project that are achievable and will lead to solving the problem.
  • Research completed on the project with bibliographic information.
  • Description of how the Project will be Implemented (write detailed steps!) including a timeline with dates, and the roles of the team members.
  • A list of the Technology and other Resources needed and a description of what they are needed for.
  • A list of Community Mentors with contact information and what help you will need from them.
  • A Budget and Funding plan that describes what money is needed and how it will be obtained.
  • A Public Relations plan including the Marketing Poster, PSA, PowerPoint Presentations, Flyers, and more.
  • Description of the Monitoring and Maintenance that will be needed to continue the project in the future.

Team Records

The Team Records section documents the team process. Keep the team documentation organized, and identify different kinds of files with titles. Keep the following in the Team Records:

  • Weekly Team Plans with specifics of who will complete what tasks (with deadlines) during each week.
  • Notes of Team Meetings including agendas and minutes, dates and times, attendance, who was assigned team roles, and what decisions were made, and who was assigned each task.
  • Notes from project Roundtable Discussions and other communications with Facilitator.
  • Documentation of team Communication with the Community (mentors and groups) including e-mail, correspondence records, and “thank-you” notes that you sent.

Project Marketing Poster

The Project Marketing Poster should “sell” the project to an audience. The Project Marketing Poster is required at the beginning of the project after the Project Plan is approved and it should be updated as necessary. The Poster should have the following characteristics:

  • The Project Marketing Poster should be bold, colorful, eye-catching, and easy to read.
  • One copy of the poster is to be printed on 42”wide paper and displayed in the lab and at community presentations. A second copy is to be printed on 8 ½” x 11” paper and put in the project binder.
  • Information to be displayed on the poster includes the project name, project logo, team members, project goals, and other important aspects of the project.
  • The Project Name should be catchy, descriptive, and easy to remember to help market the project.
  • The Project Logo should be bold, eye-catching, and meaningful to help market the project.

Project Research

The Project Research section will be different for each project, and will be ongoing throughout the year. Each person on the project will be expected to do research for the project. For example, if you are doing a project on Teen Drinking, you will do research to find out the scope of the problem, possible causes, and of course, solutions. The research may take the form of a traditional paper, but could also be a presentation or video, depending on the nature of the project.

PowerPoint Presentation

The PowerPoint Presentation should communicate the power of the project and how the project exemplifies the EAST philosophy. The presentation will be required at the end of each semester and at other times specified by the Facilitator. At lease one presentation must be made to a group in the community. The Presentation Guidelines Rubric should be followed when creating the presentation. A digital version should be kept in the team folder and a 8 ½ x 11 printed slide version should be included in the binder. Keep the Weber EAST Presentation Guidelines Rubric and assessments of each presentation using the rubric (completed by the facilitator and others) in this section. The following topics should be covered in the presentation:

  • Project name and team members names
  • Problem to be solved
  • Goals of the project
  • Project description
  • Resources used (materials, technology, and mentors)
  • What was learned and achieved
  • Plans for the future
  • Thank-you’s

Public Relations

The Public Relations section includes Public Service Announcements or Press Releases, and business cards or flyers created, other PR work done by the team, and any articles or photos published about the project. The PSA is a short, well written summary of the project that will be distributed to the press. Write what you would want printed in a newspaper or spoken on the radio or on TV. The first paragraph should state all of the basic information, answering the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how. The paragraphs that follow in the PSA should elaborate on the basic information and should include complete contact information.

Documentation section

The Documentation section includes the work done in the project (i.e. copies of programs written, copies of maps produces, prints on animations, etc.) screen shots of different stages of the project, photos of team members working on the project, agendas of meetings of groups where presentations were made, and other kinds of documentation. Include dates and captions on each item.
The California State Standards list what California students are supposed to learn by subject and grade level. Look through the high school standards (grades 9-12) for English-Language Arts, History-Social Studies, Mathematics, Science  and C.T.E. (Career and Technical Education) online at www.cde.ca.gov  Identify standards that your project work covers and cut and paste the applicable standards (along with their identifying headings) into a document with the project name and team members’ names.

Project, Team and Community Assessments

The Project, Team and Community Assessments section includes the project process assessments that the community, Facilitator, and team members make during the year. Keep the EAST Competencies and Habits of Mind assessment tools and the Weber EAST Project Process Rubric and Project Team Rubric in this section for reference.

CD ROM 

A CD ROM  (CD RW) of the Digital Project Portfolio (all project files and documentation) will be produced before the EAST Conference in the spring. The CD should include a “read me” file that has a title page and a table of contents for the files on the CD. The CD should be labeled, dated, and kept in a case or sleeve in the binder.

Web Site

A Web Site will be assembled by the members of each project, and will be published on the class web site for the world to see. At a minimum, the web site will include a title page containing the same information as the title page of the binder, a navigation system that allows access to all sections of the web page, a representation of the Project Summary, the Project Plan, the Project Marketing Poster, the Project PowerPoint presentation, Pictures that are relevant to the project, a representation of the Project Documentation that would be appropriate, and the California State Standards  that are appropriate to the project. Each of these items should be accompanied be an explanation of its importance to the project.

Forum

The Forum section of the portfolio will include a print out of any and all participation in the EAST Project.org web site forums by the team members. This will include all questions both asked and answered by the team member