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Belowisa sampleagendathatcan beusedfor aninitialmeeting with a teamof IQP students.In additionto articulating expectations and describing the educational objectives of the IQP, this also serves toprovide the students with a model of how theywill be expected to rim subsequent meetings. Notethat oneadvisor is Chair for this meeting; the students should take it in turn to chair all subsequent meetings, sothis should be the last meeting that the advisors need to “prepare” for (apart from the usual work ofresponding to their written work),Team Meeting #1 with AdvisorsParticipantsAGENDA1. Introductions (Prof. X)2. Overview of advisors roles (Prof. Y)More coaching and managing than teaching and evaluatinga.We guide the research project, but its your projectDivision of work between advisors3. Overview of advisors expectations (Prof. X)17 hours/week/student for each 1/3 unit of registrationa.Professional behavior: timeliness, respect, communication,.b. General areas for student development:i.Critical thinking and problem solvingTeamwork, cooperation, professionalismii.Research skillsWritten and verbal communicationiii.Participation in meetings (see attachment for guidelines on agendas)Good attitudesand hard work arc the bottom line!4. Specific educational goals and grading criteria (see attachment) (Prof. Y)5. Summary of advisors,conversations with the sponsor (Prof. Y)Their interests and expectationsa.They may participate in phone meetingsPlans for a student visit to their facility6. Discussion of the project (Prof. X)Team members initial thoughts, ideas, and questionsa.Advisors initial thoughts, ideas, and questionsGroup brainstorming session on topics forbackground researchGuidelines on Agendas for Weekly MeetingsThe project team has the responsibility torun weekly meetings. The progress report /agenda for each meeting should alwaysinclude the following items: A ccomplishments in the previous week. Instead of just providing a laundry list of topics or tasks, really try tomake your report informational, so that it has some (ake-away value. What specifically did you learn? Whatmajor issues emerged? What key resources did you find? Where appropriate, include attachments as part of anagenda packet in order to provide more information. Do not list(,triviar accomplishments such as sending ane-mail, making a telephone call, etc., nor should you list obvious, routine things such as going to meetings.Focus on substantive accomplishments of interest to the attendees, and especially on the outcome of yourefforts. Plans for the next week. Again, focus on substantive plans and what you intend to accomplish by (he next meeting.Be specific, and include who will be doing what.Another way to gauge the appropriateness of these agenda items is to ask yourselves if the content reflects the levelof expected effort for a one week period, which for a 4-person team doing 1/3 unit of work is about 70 person-hours!Are the outcomes of those hours worth of work evident?Remember that each team member should participate in every meeting, with responsibility for some subset of theagenda items. The chairs role is to keep the meeting on track, not to report everything himself or herself.Evaluation of IQPs1( is important (hat we communicate how we evaluate projects andassign grades. Project grading is difficult, particularly since students and advisorsdevelop a working relationship during the project. Project grading is also very differentfrom course grading. In a class, coiTectly completing all assignments and evaluationstypically earns a student an A grade. However, an A project requires that students gobeyond this level and demonstrate originality, initiative, and critical thinking. Studentsgenerally feel that lots of hard work and a nicely presented report deserves an A. Mostprofessors (including us) do not, unless there is real analysis, creativity, and depth in thetotal project effort.The following list describes overall project expectations. IQP students are expected to: Communicate a good understanding of the problems and issues underlying the projectDevelop clearly stated,achievable goals for the project Strive to achieve as much balance possible between the technical and social/hurnanistic aspects of the projecttopicDevelop knowledge of (he relevant literature and other background sources; evaluate and synthesize thismaterial critically and apply it appropriately to the project work Design and apply appropriate methodologies to achieve the goal, understanding their limitationsAnalyze the dataor information collected in an appropriate fashion Develop conclusions and recommendations that are based on valid interpretation of the findingsEffectivelydocument and report information about the project, in written and oral form. Your written progress reports and draftsare the primary means by which you convey your work to your advisors; we expect that these materials willrepresent your best efforts In the end, achieve the goals of the project!Note (hat all of the above expectations focus on the product or content of the projectwhat you do. Equallyimportant is the process of the projecthow you do it. Put in steady, consistent effortTake initiative and be sclf-dircctcd as much as possible. Students should make theproject their own. Advisors provide suggestions and feedback; they should no( have to dictate. Work on improving your teams effectiveness. This doesnt just happen; it takes effort. Fulfill responsibilities, meet deadlines, and conduct work in a timely fashion. Run meetings effectively. It is your responsibility to make sure lhey are productive. Have a good attitude: be flexible, and take adversity in stride. Remember that (his is a rich opportunity foreducational and personal development. When you get frustrated or make a mistake, learn f rom il. Have some fun doing the project!It is important to note that project grades reflect both product (i.c., the content of the final report) and the process bywhich it was achieved. No amount of last-minute scrambling can turn a mediocre project effort into an A. Describedbelow arc some specific guidelines on how wc determine project grades. Many of them arc necessarily subjectiveand open to some degree of interpretation, so open communication is importantplease ask if you feel youre notgetting sufficient feedback about your progress.A: This grade represents a consistently excellent effort that attains, and perhaps exceeds, project goals.Characteristics of A work include meeting all requirements of (he B grade, (hen exceeding them in several areassuch as development of particularly effective or creative goals and/or methodologies, initiative, originality, depthand critical thought in analysis. Students take the lead in discussions and analysis rather than simply responding tofaculty questions (particularly as the project matures), and the team functions well (which means open discussion ofdissent and group dynamics).B: This grade represents a consistently good effort山at attains project goals. Characteristics of B work includefollowing up on suggestions from advisors, setting clear project goals, writing a clear, professionally presentedreport that has not required many drafts, completing all work in a timely and satisfactory manner, demonstratingsound analysis that includes logical interpretation of results, coming to meetings well prepared, and working hard,consistently, and diligently. A B grade means the group worked well and did a good, strong job, but probably did notshow lots of originality or depth in analyzing results independently.C: This grade represents an acceptable effort that partially obtains project goals. Characteristics of C work includemeeting some but not all of (he requirements for a B grade; writing a readable but average report (hat requires manydrafts and lots of faculty input; and demonstrating little or no originality and initiative. Missing deadlines, missingmeetings without prior notification, and ignoring faculty comments on report drafts are trails common to some Cprojects. A C project cannot be made into a B project by lots of last minute work.NR: This grade denotes effort insufficient for registered credit. Characteristics of NR work include doing very littlethroughout the project, missing several meetings without prior notification, coming unprepared to meetings,repeatedly missing deadlines, turning in substandard work, not completing assigned tasks and showing little or noinitiative.NAC: This grade is reserved for performance that is unacceptable for credit. It means that a students performance(or lack of it) has seriously impeded group progress, or it has embarrassed the advisor, the project sponsor, or WPI.Note that (his grade remains on the transcript.One final note: You will receive an individual grade each term and overall, but you will be evaluated on how wellyou have worked within the context of the team, not as an individual achiever. The basis of good teamwork is ashared desire for the team to excelnot just individuals. Each team member should be assuming the primaryresponsibility for certain aspects of the project. At the same time, however, each team member should be familiarwith all aspects of the project and be able to discuss the project in an in-depth, articulate manner.
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