Senior Project
Senior Project is an "educational" program designed to challenge high school and/or college seniors in Canada and the United States.
Although largely successful, the program has drawn criticism from those who believe it is unnecessary. Students choose a topic of interest to them and create a senior project that consists of the four P's[1]:
- Paper
- Product
- Portfolio
- Presentation
How it works
The Senior Project program is normally implemented at the district level. However, the North Carolina State Board of Education is requiring all students, starting with the class of 2010, to complete a Senior Project. The Zachary High has had a mandatory project for about five years now. Also Connecticut is looking to mandate this process across the state in the next few years. Already some schools, like the small Wheeler High School in North Stonington and Highland School of Technology in Gastonia along with Mashpee High School in Mashpee, Massachusetts have made the Senior Project a requirement for graduation. Many districts such as the AVUHSD (Antelope Valley Union High School Distrcit) as well as CHS (Camas High School) have already adapted the program. The Michigan Merit Curriculum also incorporates the senior project(see http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ELA_Grade_12_189418_7.pdf). The Senior Project is often a graduate requirement.
The process is relatively simple. The student first picks a broad subject area that interests them (Forestry). The subject area is narrowed down for a paper into a thesis (How clear-cut logging affects salmon spawning in the Fraser River). The same broad subject is also used for the project on a related theme (logging a family forest in a responsible manner and milling the lumber for a local carpenter). The entire process of the paper and project are kept track of and put into a portfolio. This porfolio can include a wide variety of letters, pictures, and other documentation of what the student has done (a Chainsaw safety class, level one certificate, for example). The student, at the end of the school year, then has to present what they have learned and done to a panel of judges, who evaluate the student on the presentation.
Topic selection
The senior project is student driven in that students choose their own topic and implement the project on their own. Many topics have been banned within school systems that have had Senior Project implemented for several years, leading to some students being unable to do their choice project. Most topics are generally acceptable as long as they are relevant and demonstrate a learning stretch; criteria for senior projects generally include:
- Academic: Project involves formal instructions from a professional in the field outside of the high school.
- Community Service: Project provides viable service to the community.
- Career: Project involves potential future development.
- Personal Growth: Project represents a unique personal challenge.
Essay
Some schools require students to write a research paper directly related to their chosen topic. Others want, instead, a persuasive paper that argues a debatable issue generally related to their topic.
Physical product
One must create a physical product. This demonstrates mastery of a skill as outlined in the early stages of the Senior Project, and 'proves' that the student successfully worked on the project. Often, a minimum amount of tracked contact time with a guiding mentor is required for this portion.
Senior Project is meant to be adaptable to what a student is capable of doing. This means that the requirements will be flexible as well. It is up to the student and the teacher to decide whether a project meets the requirements of the class. For example, one student might be required to simply take and complete a class on how to use a digital camera while another might be asked to make a working digital camera. Both projects are completely fair as they are reflective of a student's capabilities and previous knowledge about how digital cameras work.
Portfolio
The student creates a portfolio. This portfolio details the experiences of the student throughout their senior project. It includes photographs, journal entries, a description of their experiences, and all the paperwork, also known as "busywork" to students, associated with the senior project. Many of the students are unable to express their true feelings throughout the journal entries because, according to schools, "It would look bad during your final presentation in front of the panel of judges."[citation needed]
Judging
Once the research paper and the portfolio have been turned in, the student is given a week, give or take a few days, to prepare a presentation speech. The presentation usually accounts for a large proportion of the overall project grade. In order to be successful in such a presentation, one must meet the time requirements that have been set, have a clear visual aid, and the speech must have some organization. Students present their projects before the aforesaid judges, which usually five or more are present. Each gives their own opinion and grade. judging is purely based on student likeability and how much the judges like you so be sure to suck up to them alot.Also present are the other students who will be presenting and are grouped in a similar category. Also present may be junior observers, who wish to catch a glimpse of presentation procedure. Once graded, faculty members in charge of senior projects will review the scores and remove the highest and lowest scores to remove any possible bias. This average is then averaged out with the portfolio and research paper grades.
Criticism of the senior project
The open-ended nature of the Senior Project has also been said to cause unintended difficulties to arise. Disorganization and differing sources of information have made it difficult for many students to understand just what must be done at different times. Many of the "immutable" due dates for the project have proven to be bluffs considering the confusion and necessity of completion.