Posted: December 15th, 2015

FINAL PROJECT FOR MDM 4U0

FINAL PROJECT FOR MDM 4U0

This project is designed to incorporate many of the topics and skills you have used throughout the semester. Your project grade will be based on a project proposal, a written report, an oral presentation and a critique of your peers.

 

PART A:       You will begin by posing a significant problem of interest, written in the form of a question, which requires the organization and analysis of a suitable set of data.

Some possible ideas that may help you narrow down your problem of interest are:

• a social issue of interest to you
• a sport or hobby that you enjoy
• an issue from another course that you would like to investigate
• an interesting article from a newspaper
• an issue generated through brainstorming with others
• a problem that could be simulated through various electronic probability simulations

 

 

Once you have narrowed down your topic, you will need to pose a problem of interest.

 

 

The problem should satisfy ALL of the following:

• be a significant problem of interest to you
• involve the collection of a large amount of data (either from primary or secondary sources or both)
• involve the organization of a large amount of data
• involve the analysis of a large amount of data
• involve the use of technology
• involve the use of diagrams, charts, tables, etc.

Your problem of interest should use SOME of the following, as appropriate:

• one-variable statistics tools
• two-variable statistics tools
• permutations and combinations
• probability
• probability distributions
• simulations
• confidence intervals

 

 

You will likely want to conduct some research on your topic and problem of interest.

 

PART B:        Once you have posed a problem to investigate, you will need to clearly define what your task will be. This task definition will involve developing a hypothesis or thesis statement. A few examples of hypotheses are given on pg. 486 in your textbook.

 

PART C:        Next, you will need to develop an action plan. Your action plan is a logical sequence of specific steps that must be carried out to test your hypothesis. Typical steps in an action plan include:

1. Determine what data needs to be collected.
   1. you will be required to collect some form of PRIMARY DATA at the Data Fair.
   2. this primary data could be the main data you analyze, or it could be an opinion based survey related to your topic.
2. Decide how these data should be organized.
3. Decide how these data should be illustrated or displayed.
4. Determine what analysis needs to be done on these data.
5. Draw a conclusion based on your analysis.
6. Evaluate the quality of your investigation and suggest improvements.
7. Write a report of your investigation and its results.
8. Develop a presentation outlining your action plan and the results.
9. Establish time lines for each step of your plan.

 

PROPOSAL:             You are required to submit your typed proposal to your teacher by

Monday, December 14, 2015.

 

Your proposal will include the following:

• a summary of your problem of interest including appropriate research associated with your problem
• your problem of interest written in question form
• your hypothesis/thesis statement(s)
• a specific action plan that includes #1-4, 9 from the list above
• an outline of what primary data you will collect at the Data Fair on INSERT DATE HERE. (this includes any surveys that may be used)
• a proposed time line for completion of each step in your action plan

 

PART D:       Follow through with your action plan. Keep track of all results and analysis.

 

PART E:        You will want to carefully analyze the quality of your investigation and results. Otherwise, you may draw incorrect conclusions. It is possible that insufficient data may result in biased results. It is also possible that flawed data collection techniques may lead to incorrect conclusions.

 

You should reflect on your conclusion, reflect on your investigation methodology, and reflect on what you learned from this project. Some questions to help guide your reflection can be found on pg. 491.

 

 

REPORT:       You are expected to compile a clear, well-organized, and fully justified report of your investigation and its results. Your report is due on Wednesday, January 20, 2015.

 

Your report should include:

• title page
  • title that indicates the purpose of your project
  • your name, teacher name, course code, due date
• table of contents
• abstract (maximum 1 page)
  • should explain main aspects of your project without all the details
  • summarize the ideas for someone who does not want to read your whole report but wants to know what your conclusions were
  • includes your introduction, a brief analysis, and your conclusions
  • should be completed last
• statement of your hypothesis
• background information on your topic
• procedure and use of technology
• raw data such as graphs, charts, or tables (indicating sources where appropriate)
• summary of data in tables, graphs, and summary statistics
• analysis of your data, including calculations and graphs
  • only RELEVANT graphs or calculations should be included in the report
  • any other graphs or calculations can be included in an ‘Appendix’ section
• results
• conclusions
• evaluation of your conclusions and of your investigation
• footnotes or endnotes, where appropriate
• works cited
  • using proper MLA format

 

PRESENTATION:             You are expected to present your culminating project in a clear and coherent manner. The presentation must be done within a restricted length of time and it must use communications technology effectively. The presentation should outline your investigation and its results, and should include a critical evaluation of your methodology and conclusions.

 

Presentations will be done during class from Wednesday, January 20^thtoTuesday, January 26^th.

 

You will have 10 minutes for your presentation (including set-up time and Q&A time). The actual presentation portion should be about 6-8 minutes.

 

PEER CRITIQUE:                You are expected to be present in class during all presentations. You will be responsible for completing peer critique forms on a daily basis and will be evaluated based on the quality of thought and feedback that you provide.

 

 

*  There are some sample student final projects posted at http://www.brocku.ca/cmt/mdm4u/asprojects/index.html (although the data used here would be quite dated, you can take a look at these reports to get an idea of what kind of analysis you could use).

 

Some suggestions for possible topics:

 

• Exploring the validity of Maclean’s university rankings
• Exploring the validity of EQAO test score rankings being used to rank neighbourhoods
• Do women live longer than men?
• Do people live longer in warmer climates?
• Do factors such as education and income affect life expectancy?
• Does internet use cause a decrease in test scores?
• Does the number of hours spent studying affect test scores?
• Does smoking cause lung cancer?
• What are factors that contribute to global warming?
• Do distractions lead to decreased reading comprehension?
• Determining whether or not a species is considered endangered
• Are younger drivers involved in more car accidents?
• Investigating the effect of increased tuition fees on university accessibility
• How is performance on standardized tests related to intelligence?
• Should the colour of your car influence your car insurance rates?
• Does it rain more often on the weekend?
• Is income related to level of education?
• Is the retail price of gasoline related to the price of crude oil?
• Does it matter which side of a coin is facing up before you flip it?

 

 

 

PEER CRITIQUE FORM                              Your name: ____________________________

 

Name of Presenter	Title of Project	Date

 

Use the scale below to evaluate your classmate’s presentation. A rating of 5 represents “excellent” and a rating of 1 represents “poor”. Give evidence to support your evaluations in the comments section.

 

Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the topic		1	2	3	4	5
Clearly and concisely explains ideas		1	2	3	4	5
Applies course mathematics knowledge and tools		1	2	3	4	5
Justifies conclusions with sound mathematical thinking		1	2	3	4	5
Uses mathematical terms and symbols correctly		1	2	3	4	5
Effective transitions between ideas and information		1	2	3	4	5
Speaking voice is clear, relaxed, and audible		1	2	3	4	5
Pacing is appropriate and effective for allotted time		1	2	3	4	5
Uses technology effectively		1	2	3	4	5
Visuals and handouts are easily understood		1	2	3	4	5
Responds well to audience’s questions about project		1	2	3	4	5

Strengths of the Presentation:                                         Things to Improve:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROPOSAL RUBRIC

CATEGORY	LEVEL 4	LEVEL 3	LEVEL 2	LEVEL 1	LEVEL R
Knowledge / Understanding -show background knowledge of topic -identify problem of interest	Shows excellent knowledge of the chosen topic and thorough research has been conducted Problem of interest is clear, complete, and in question form	Shows considerable knowledge of the chosen topic and a good amount of research has been conducted Problem of interest is clear and complete, but is not in question form	Shows some knowledge of the chosen topic and some research has been conducted Problem of interest is complete, but is not clearly identified and is not in question form	Shows limited knowledge of the chosen topic and a little research has been conducted Problem of interest is partially complete, but may or may not be clear or in question form	Does not demonstrate knowledge of the chosen topic and very little or no research has been conducted Problem of interest is incomplete
Application -define hypothesis/thesis -identify primary data to be collected	Hypothesis or thesis statement is clearly defined and specific Clearly identifies primary data to be collected and thoroughly outlines data collection process using proper terminology from course	Hypothesis or thesis statement is clearly defined, but not specific or focused Clearly identifies primary data to be collected and outlines data collection process using mostly proper terminology from course	Hypothesis or thesis statement is defined, but may not be clear and specific Identifies primary data to be collected and outlines some of the data collection process using some proper terminology	Hypothesis or thesis statement is partially defined Identifies primary data to be collected, but does not outline data collection process using proper terminology	Hypothesis or thesis statement is not defined Does not identify primary data to be collected and does not outline data collection process
Thinking -formulate action plan -create a time line for action plan	Action plan is clear, thoughtful, and specific and includes all required elements A thoroughly justified time line is included with the action plan	Action plan is clear, thoughtful, and specific and includes most of the required elements A mostly justified time line is included with the action plan	Action plan is clear and somewhat specific and includes most of the required elements A timeline is included with the action plan, but it is only partially justified	An action plan is included, but may not be clear, be specific, or include all the required elements A timeline is included with the action plan, but it is not justified	An action plan is not included or it does not make sense A timeline is not included with the action plan or the timeline is unreasonable
Communication -sense of audience and purpose -organization	Demonstrates excellent understanding of writing purpose and audience Proposal organization is clear, logical, and precisely focused on hypothesis problem	Demonstrates considerable understanding of writing purpose and audience Proposal organization is clear and logical	Demonstrates some understanding of writing purpose and audience Proposal organization shows some clarity and logic	Demonstrates limited understanding of writing purpose and audience Proposal organization shows little clarity, logic, or focus	Does not demonstrate an understanding of writing purpose and audience Proposal organization shows very little clarity or logic

 

FINAL REPORT RUBRIC

CATEGORY	LEVEL 4	LEVEL 3	LEVEL 2	LEVEL 1	LEVEL R
Knowledge / Understanding -show knowledge of data analysis tools	Shows excellent ability to identify course data analysis tools relevant to project problem	Shows considerable ability to identify course data analysis tools relevant to project problem	Shows some ability to identify course data analysis tools relevant to project problem	Shows limited ability to identify course data analysis tools relevant to project problem	Does not demonstrate sufficient ability to identify course data analysis tools relevant to project problem
Application -use data analysis tools to solve problems -use technology appropriately	Shows outstanding use of data analysis tools to solve topic problems Makes excellent use of technology as an analysis and communications tool	Shows considerable effective use of data analysis tools to solve topic problems Makes considerable effective use of technology as an analysis and communications tool	Shows some effective use of data analysis tools to solve topic problems Makes some effective use of technology as an analysis and communications tool	Shows limited effective use of data analysis tools to solve topic problems Makes little effective use of technology as an analysis and communications tool	Does not demonstrate sufficient effective use of data analysis tools to solve topic problems Does not demonstrate sufficient effective use of technology as an analysis and communications tool
Thinking -formulate research problems -draw conclusions -justify conclusions	Demonstrates superior ability to formulate a clearly stated, measurable, and manageable research report problem Shows excellent ability to draw reasonable, valid, logical, and insightful conclusions based on analysis of research findings Provides extensive relevant and specific evidence to support conclusions	Demonstrates considerable ability to formulate a clearly stated, measurable, and manageable research report problem Shows considerable ability to draw reasonable, valid, logical, and insightful conclusions based on analysis of research findings Provides considerable relevant and specific evidence to support conclusions	Demonstrates some ability to formulate a clearly stated, measurable, and manageable research report problem Shows some ability to draw reasonable, valid, logical, and insightful conclusions based on analysis of research findings Provides some relevant and specific evidence to support conclusions	Demonstrates limited ability to formulate a clearly stated, measurable, and manageable research report problem Shows limited ability to draw reasonable, valid, logical, and insightful conclusions based on analysis of research findings Provides little relevant and specific evidence to support conclusions	Does not demonstratesufficient ability to formulate a clearly stated, measurable, and manageable research report problem Does not demonstrate sufficient ability to draw reasonable, valid, logical, and insightful conclusions based on analysis of research findings Does not provide relevant and specific evidence to support conclusions
Communication -sense of audience and purpose -organization -clarity and completeness of explanations	Demonstrates excellent understanding of writing purpose and audience Report organization is clear, logical, and precisely focused on hypothesis problem Mathematical explanations are clear, accurate, and thorough	Demonstrates considerable understanding of writing purpose and audience Report organization is clear and logical Mathematical explanations are clear and accurate	Demonstrates some understanding of writing purpose and audience Report organization shows some clarity and logic Mathematical explanations are understandable but lack clarity	Demonstrates limited understanding of writing purpose and audience Report organization shows little clarity, logic, or focus Mathematical explanations are complete, but are inaccurate and/or lack clarity	Does not demonstrate an understanding of writing purpose and audience Report organization shows very little clarity or logic Mathematical explanations are incomplete