Investigate : Step One

1. Identify the Problem Complete the following tasks in your process journal: • List 5 topics that you are personally interested in. • List 3 problems associated with each of your 5 topics. • Choose a problem that you want to attempt to solve with your personal project. • Remember that the problem you choose must be something challenging but achievable and that you must be able to actually test your solution once it has been created. • Discuss in detail why this problem exists and why it’s worth spending ONE YEAR trying to solve. • This explanation is essential in convincing the IB Committee to approve your project and should take most of today’s class to accomplish. Take your time and establish why this problem is meaningful to you personally and how it impacts society in general. Eventually you will have to conduct some research to find evidence that will support your claims. • Discuss in detail which Area of Interaction your project will be addressing. Why is this AOI the most appropriate (as opposed to all of the others)? • Again, this explanation is essential and should take some time to accomplish. Be sure to demonstrate that you have considered all of the AOI and justify why your chosen AOI is the most appropriate (references to the 3 key questionsof each AOI would be helpful here). Investigate: Step One

2. Develop the Design Brief Complete the following tasks in your process journal: • Discuss in detail all of the things that you already know about your selected topic and problem. • This should include personal experiences as well as issues that you have been exposed to in the media. • Create a list of specific things that you will need to research in order to complete your project. • This list should include specific evidence that you will need in order to establish why the problem exists and why it is worth solving (think about statistics, facts, figures that relate to your topic and problem, etc.) • Create a list of possible sources that you could consult for your research. • Be specific about your sources. Think about actual websites that you know of (not just “the Internet”), magazines, books, movies, people you could interview, etc.) • Evaluate the pros & cons of each of these sources in detail (think about reliability, usefulness, accessibility, etc.) FOR HOMEWORK: Research the specific evidence you need to support your claims about why your problem exists and why it is worth solving. Record your findings in your process journal. Investigate: Step Two

3. Formulate Design Specifications: Complete the following tasks in your process journal: • State exactly how you will attempt to solve the problem through your personal project. • Begin your statement with the words: “For my personal project, I will create something to…” • For example: “For my personal project, I will create something to convince the Lake Champlain Fishing Club to adopt more environmentally responsible practices.” • Keep in mind that your goal must be something that will produce results that you can actually test once your product is completed. • Some helpful words when defining your goal: “I will create something to: CONVINCE / HELP / INFORM / CHANGE / SOLVE / IMPROVE / PERSUADE, etc. • List the specific requirements & objectives that your solution must accomplish in order to be considered successful. • Example requirement: “My solution must be something that I can present to the Lake Champlain Fishing Club”. • Example objective: “In order to be considered a success, my solution must convince at least 60% of the members of the Lake Champlain Fishing Club to release fish after capture.” • Explain and justify why your stated objectives are appropriate measures of success. Consider the scope of the problem and the achievable results that you could reasonably expect to accomplish. • Explain in detail how you will test the effectiveness of your solution once it has been created. Investigate: Step Three

4. Write & Submit Your Formal Proposal: FOR HOMEWORK: • Summarize and expand upon the material you have accumulated in your process journal to compose a formal, typed, and printed project proposal to be submitted to the IB Committee for approval. • Organize your proposal according to the three steps of the Investigate phase of the Design Cycle. • Your proposal should relate only to your chosen topic and problem and should not include references to the other topic and problems that you initially considered. • Be sure to justify your claims with specific evidence gathered from your research and cite your sources. • Write clearly and concisely. This is a formal proposal. • Language, spelling, grammar, and punctuation DO matter and are evaluated as part of Criteria G of your final Personal Project mark. • In addition to your detailed, full-length proposal, include a standard IB cover page followed by a concise one-page summary of your proposal that includes your topic, problem, project, and area of interaction (see example on next slide). • All proposals must be typed, printed, and submitted to Mme. Barnabe in person no latter that Friday, May 11. Investigate: Final Step

5. Topic: Fishing • Problem: The population of small-mouth bass in Lake Champlain is shrinking because of over-fishing • Project: I will create something to convince the Lake Champlain Fishing Club to adopt more environmentally responsible practices • AOI: Environments Example One-Page Summary: