Marking Guidelines

Date Due: Monday 17th December 2007 (Week 10)

Content:
Students are to participate in a collaborative knowledge construction environment by: designing, creating, maintaining, and consistently updating a blog on the topic of software development and programming. As well as maintaining their own group’s blog, students are to participate in the construction and evaluation of their peers’ team blogs.

 There are three complementary goals for this project:

• To develop students’ understanding of the Software Development & Programming module in the Information & Software Technology syllabus
• To develop students’ ability to function in a collaborative development environment
• To familiarise and extend student’s knowledge of internet authoring protocols and online self-publishing services

The marking criteria are based on these goals. 

Task Outcomes:  
5.1.1 selects and justifies the application of appropriate software programs to a range of tasks
5.2.1 describes and applies problem solving processes when creating solutions
5.2.3 critically analyses decision making processes in a range of information and software solutions
5.3.1 justifies responsible practices and ethical use of information and software technology
5.3.2 acquires and manipulates data and information in an ethical manner
5.4.1  analyses the effects of past, current & emerging information and software technologies on the individual & society
5.5.1  applies collaborative work practices to complete tasks
5.5.2 communicates ideas, processes and solutions to a targeted audience

Brief Description of Task Components:
There are three primary activities in the task.

1. Students are to create posts on their own team’s blog in response to topical questions (related to software development and programming), distributed by the teacher each lesson.
2. Students (in their teams) are to alter their blog’s appearance and features in order to build their knowledge of authoring protocols and self-publishing services.
3. Students are to post comments on their peers’ team blogs – to respond to the material posted, and to provide constructive comments for the authors and administrators of those blogs.

Students’ submissions will be marked based on the depth and clarity with which they answer the topical questions, as well as based on being completed within the time period provided. This will typically be the lesson, though occasionally there will be homework assigned related to developing or adjusting the team blog.

Project Marking Criteria

• 20%: Students demonstrate the ability to function cooperatively in a team by creating, maintaining, updating and expanding the feature set of their team’s blog, as well as by contributing to the knowledge base of the entire class
• 20%: Students develop competence and confidence in using and manipulating online self-publishing services to suit the purposes of a development project, satisfying internet authoring protocols in the process
• 60%: Students develop knowledge and understanding of Software Development and Programming, which they demonstrate in their team’s blog posts and in their comments on their peers’ blogs