Rubric

Assessment Criteria

Assessing the completed projects

The following weighting will be given to each category, for marking the projects:

Scientific Thought and Understanding 60 points

Technical Effort and Presentation 10 points

Oral presentation 15 points

Journal details, accuracy, reflections 15 points

Scientific Thought and Understanding

Well-designed experiments, good observations, lots of carefully measured data gathered and sound conclusions based on a well-planned investigation, and understanding of the topic.

Technical Effort and Presentation

The way in which the project has been put together, including: the Display Board, models, equipment, simple, uniform lettering, photographs, diagrams, graphs, tables and any other parts of the investigation. The best projects will have a simple, effective display of all aspects of the investigation.

Oral Presentation

This indicator is about the way, in which the student presents his/her Project and responds to questioning about the investigation. The focus is on the student’s understanding of their topic and test, it’s importance, and how scientifically sound their work is. Reflection and insight at the appropriate level are being sought

Journal or Logbook

This is expected to be a full and accurate record of all the ins and outs of developing ideas on the topic in general and the project in particular. Many dated entries are expected, recording what is being done, why that is being done, where information or solutions were found, what this next step or discovery means, how the results are being controlled so that they can be trusted, etc. This should be a journal of discoveries and disappointments as the student grapples with the messy realities of "doing Science", right from first engaging with possible investigative ideas.

Fair Testing Method - Science Based study

http://www.watersciencelab.com.au/assets/fairtest.pdf

To ensure that results are trustworthy, that the effect seen has come about because of the changes made in the experiment, it is important to follow a sound method that can be carried out again and again to gather a lot of data:

Step 1 PURPOSE (aim)—gather information and state what you are trying to find out. Your investigative Question will come from your aim.

Step 2 PREDICTION —form a prediction, a justified guess about the expected outcome of a specific test, demonstrating possible cause and effect, and giving reasons why you chose your prediction. Your prediction must state the relationship between the dependent and independent variables.

Step 3 VARIABLES—choose the variable you would like to test (this is the dependent variable). There are three different types of variables: Dependent variable, Independent variable and Control variables. Note: You MUST only change one INDEPENDENT variable at a time, this will help you see how your dependent variable is directly affected. Mrs Auths can help you with this. Please ask!

Step 4 METHOD—design and set up experiments to test the prediction; usually written as detailed step by step instructions, so that it can be repeated.

Step 5 LIST MATERIALS you will be using and draw a diagram or include photos of any apparatus.

Step 6 TESTING--Carry out a series of experiments (between 10-15 at least). The more data you have the better. Multiple trials are necessary. Record any observations during this time.

Step 7 OBSERVATIONS—observe the results, and measure the variable being tested. Record the data in tables as you collect it. Look for patterns in the data you have collected.

Step 8 RESULTS Display the information on a suitable graph, with proper statistics if applicable. Or discuss these results by identifying any patterns you stumbled upon.

Step 9 CONCLUSION (analysis)—state what happened in the experiment, accept or reject your prediction, and comment on the outcomes.

Step 10 ANALYSE - Comment on your investigation - what you saw happen and how it relates to other research on similar topics. Why did it turn out like that? How sound was your investigation? What might you do next, or do differently? State any improvements for future research.

Step 11 ABSTRACT - This part is to be completed after your investigation. Here you will be giving the reader/viewer a brief overview of your entire investigation. Use your summarising skills here.

design thinking - technology Based innovation

Step 1 EMPATHIZE . Empathy is the foundation of human-centered design. The problems you’re trying to solve are rarely your own, they’re those of particular users. Build empathy for your users by learning their values. To empathize, you:

Observe. View users and their behavior in the context of their lives.

Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters.

Immerse. Wear your users’ shoes. Experience what they experience for a mile or two.

Step 2 DEFINE

The define mode is when you unpack your empathy findings into needs and insights and scope a meaningful challenge. Based on your understanding of users and their environments, come up with an actionable problem statement: your Point Of View. More than simply defining the problem, your Point of View is a unique design vision that is framed by your specific users. Understanding the meaningful challenge at hand, and the user insights you can leverage, is fundamental to creating a successful solution.

Step 3 IDEATE

Ideate is the mode in which you generate radical design alternatives. Ideation is a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes—a mode of “flaring” instead of “focus”. The goal of ideation is to explore a wide solution space—both a large quantity and broad diversity of ideas. From this vast repository of ideas, you can build prototypes to test with users.

Step 4 PROTOTYPE

Prototyping gets ideas out of your head and into the world. A prototype can be anything that takes a physical form—a wall of post-its, a role-playing activity, an object. In early stages, keep prototypes inexpensive and low resolution to learn quickly and explore possibilities. Prototypes are most successful when people (the design team, users, and others) can experience and interact with them. They’re a great way to start a conversation. What you learn from interactions with prototypes drives deeper empathy and shapes successful solutions.

Step 5 TEST

Testing is your chance to gather feedback, refine solutions, and continue to learn about your users. The test mode is an iterative mode in which you place low-resolution prototypes in the appropriate context of your user’s life. Prototype as if you know you’re right, but test as if you know you’re wrong.

It is important to note that an innovative idea requires fluid action. This means that you will need to move back and forth through the design process. This process is what we call non-linear.