STUDY HELP

English 311 - Contractual Project Plan Template and Directions

As a team, you must fill out the following pages of the Contractual Project Plan (CPP) template. Each team member will be responsible for a minimum of three pages of research-based writing for the Team Analytical Report (TAR). These three pages minimum will include the results of the assigned research question(s) and any other research-based writing assigned.

Each team member must research at least one research question, and write about it under Results. Each team member will also be responsible for additional writing tasks and other responsibilities as determined by team roles. Please see the Writing Responsibilities page of this document to divide the work fairly among team members.

Steps for completing the CPP successfully:

1. Read Chapter 13 in your textbook

2. Read all team IRPs. Decide, as a team, on a topic.

3. Read directions for the TAR and look over the TAR template VERY carefully.

4. Decide, as a team, what your research questions will be for this report

5. Determine team roles: you MUST have a team leader. Assign/choose other roles according to your strengths (co-leader, APA citation expert, grammar expert, time management expert, etc.)

6. Determine who will research and write about each Research Question

7. Divide up the other Writing Responsibilities for the project (see below)*

8. Together, create a timeline for your team.

9. Determine team communication methods.

10. Every team member reads and electronically signs the contract.

· If a team member does not contribute and does not fill out his or her individual page, do NOT fill it out for him or her. As long as you fill out your page and contribute fully to the completion of the entire document, you will not be penalized for missing information due to missing team members.

· Please be advised that failure to contribute to the CPP or communicate with your team during the first week of teamwork is grounds for being fired from the team (see contract at end of document).

· Sections of the CPP in brackets [] are for explanatory purposes. Words enclosed in brackets should be removed from your final CPP.

Contractual Project Plan

Team Members: [List names, contact info for teammates, and team roles]

Topic for TAR (chosen from team IRPs): [Include topic and your list of research questions]

Team Communication:

[What is the primary method(s) of communication (e.g., individual emails, Team DB, telephone calls, texts, etc.) in order to inform each other of team meetings, announcements, updates, reminders, problems? How often will you each check in? Will you have regular meetings? When and where (BB IM, google hangout, telephone, Collaborate (ask your instructor to create a room for you), etc.? Please be aware that if your instructor cannot view your communication, then you have less recourse should any disputes between team members arise.]

Team Timeline (this should be on a separate page): [Include here your team’s specific timeline for completion of tasks. Refer to the course calendar to see when drafts and final versions of the assignment are due and then create your own, more detailed, team calendar though completion of the project. A strong team CPP will have set dates for sharing of drafts, proofreading, etc. You may also want to set dates for meetings, checkpoints, etc. The timeline can be written in bullet form, you can create a table or chart, or use any method that your team feels is the clearest way of sharing your team timeline. Insert additional pages as needed if your timeline does not fit on one page.]

Writing Responsibilities: [Divide up the following sections of the project among team members fairly. Every team member must complete at least one item from the Research-based sections list. All tasks from both lists must be assigned; write the name of the responsible team member beside each item]:

1. Research-based sections (will require source use):

· Statement of Problem - [Team member]

· Background -

· Research Methods -

· Conclusions (requires strong critical thinking skills) -

· Recommendations (could be divided between two team members) -

· 2 original, student-created visuals  (can be split) -

2. Additional tasks:

· Title Page -

· Table of Contents -

· Abstract -

· Results intro paragraph -

· References page editing -

Team Member Individual Page [ copy this page as needed per team member ]

Name:

Contact info:

Team role: [Describe what this role entails]

Research Question(s): [Here is where you will state the research question(s) that YOU are responsible for tackling. It counts toward your 3 pages minimum of research-based writing.]

Research-based Section(s): [Your team divided up the list above; which parts did YOU get? These count toward your 3 pages minimum of research-based writing as well.]

Additional Writing Tasks: [Your team divided up the list above; which parts did YOU get? These do not count toward your 3 pages of research-based writing.]

CONTRACT

Please read and sign below to ensure timely, equitable, and successful teamwork. The contract identifies your responsibilities as a team member. By signing this contract, you agree to fulfill these responsibilities and to be evaluated according to your success in fulfilling them. You must sign this contract to participate in and receive credit for the Team Analytical Report (TAR).

Participation: Teams have the ability to fire team members who are not contributing to the project. Team members may NOT be fired due to differences in opinion; the goal is to learn to work together. Team members who are not communicating or submitting any work for the project may be fired, but only after the team follows the termination process, every step of which must be approved by the instructor. First, documentation of efforts made to contact the team member and a request for assistance must be submitted to the instructor by the rest of the team. The instructor will then reach out to the missing team member and inform him/her of the intent to terminate. At this time the missing team member will be given a warning, and an appropriate deadline for submission of the missing work. This deadline will be determined by the instructor. If the team member still does not respond to the team, submit the work, or submit an explanation and plan for submitting the work, the team member can be fired. Please be advised that it is REQUIRED that you participate successfully in a team project in order to pass English 311. If you are fired from your team, you will not be allowed to complete a report on your own; failing to work with your team is a failure of the class.

Responsibilities: The following list of overall team responsibilities as well as your individual pages detailing your specific team responsibilities will be used to evaluate your teamwork with the TAR:

·         Read all related chapters and assignments thoroughly to help keep the team on task

·         Treat all team members with courtesy and respect

·         Make decisions through consensus. Keep a record of all decisions made by the team

·         Respect team decisions even if you personally disagree

·         Show leadership by contributing quality ideas and volunteering your help

·         Cooperate with the team leader and other team members in selecting a topic, identifying research question, assigning tasks, and setting deadlines

·         Participate in the planning, research, writing, revising, and proofreading of the team written report

·         Attend scheduled team meetings and communicate regularly with your team.  If your schedule does not allow you to participate for several days, notify the team leader beforehand and contact the team leader afterwards to find out what you missed.  Be aware that lack of participation will impact your grade

·         Provide written feedback to drafts of the report submitted by other team members

·         Meet all deadlines for submitting work and providing feedback

·         If you are going to miss a deadline, contact the team leader immediately and estimate a time when your work will be completed

·         Contact the team leader daily during the final week to offer help completing the report on time

·         Sign-off the final report to indicate your approval

I understand my responsibilities to the team, and I understand that they will be used by the instructor and by my peers to evaluate my teamwork. I agree to meet these responsibilities to help the team complete the TAR in a timely, equitable, and successful manner. Furthermore, I understand that if I do NOT fulfill my responsibilities to the team, my team has the right to fire me as a team member. I understand that I am not able to pass the class without participating and contributing to the team project.

Team Members:    

1) _______________________________  

2) _______________________________  

3) _______________________________  

4) _______________________________

5)________________________________