ENGR 100W - Group Environmental Proposal Length: 4,000 words ± 10% (i.e. 1,000 words ± 10% per student), excluding front and back matter; 3 peer-reviewed articles per student Format: 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, no extra space between paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 inch (tab space) from the left margin, page numbers in header aligned top right. Use headings and subheadings to help the reader navigate your report Canvas submission: one Word file and PPT slides, the latter presented in class; only one group submission by the Scribe is required Grade: 20%, or 200 points; 15% (150 points) of the course grade for the proposal; the oral presentation is graded individually and is 5% (50 points) of the course grade OVERVIEW Your team will do research on technologies and/or ideas that will help make the operations of facilities or products in a particular organization/region more environmentally friendly and more resilient. The group will then write a formal proposal to the leadership of the target organization to propose improvement ideas, seek approval for the project, and offer to work with the organization to implement the solutions. Projects must be context-specific. In other words, these are not just theoretical proposals, but rather are grounded in the constraints and limitations of the actual organization and/or region. Primary research is required. For example, if your team is proposing a College of Engineering bathrooms upgrade to decrease water waste, then your team will need to first examine: How many bathrooms are there? What are the current water-wise fixtures? Will the project be a retrofit (upgrade) or a complete renovation? What engineering design can be applied to improve water usage? What are the specifications of existing and/or new equipment? STEPS TO COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT By completing the planning memo and presentation, you have already formed groups and decided on the proposal topic and responsibilities of each group member Finish research on assigned individual research tasks (need for the project, project design and related cost-benefit analysis), and find at least three relevant research articles. Finish annotated bibliography on the research articles. Finish individual draft on assigned research task (4 double-spaced pages of text per student (1,000 words, = 10%) on the need for the project or project design and related cost-benefit analysis). Revise the individual drafts and put the individual drafts together to assemble the proposal according to instructions. Finish group PPT on the proposal and present the proposal to the class. Revise the proposal based on feedback during the oral presentation, and submit the final draft of the proposal. ASSIGNMENT The group Environmental Proposal should be a research-based, formal proposal supported by visual images. The group should research particular environmental problems and propose technologies or innovations to solve the problems. Each group member should be assigned research on one of the areas: (i) the need for the project explaining the specific environmental problems to be addressed and (ii) the solutions explaining the technologies that can be employed to solve the problems. Describe the technologies and how they can be implemented for your specific audience. In addition, each group member should also discuss the costs and benefits related to their assigned task by using quantitative analysis. If you focus on the need for the project, for example, you should discuss the damage to the environment and social consequences caused by the current problems, and try to use quantitative analysis (such as data and percentages) in your discussion. Cost-benefit analysis for a project design aspect could consider the triple-bottom line of the economic, social, and ecological costs and benefits of your project design. Using SJSU Library databases, look for relevant research articles from peer-reviewed journals (minimum 3 articles per student are required), and write your individual draft (1000 words) based on these research materials. The group will then put together the individual drafts and assemble the group proposal. You must add a title page, executive summary, table of contents, list of figures and tables, a group introduction, a project timeline to indicate the milestones of the project and their completion dates, a group conclusion, and short descriptions of group member background and qualifications. The group introduction introduces the subject, purpose, plan, significance and scope of the project. In describing the scope of the project, the group must clarify the focus of the project, and identify other important areas (such as educational, cultural, social and policy approaches) that are important to solving the problems but are not included in the project. All sources used in the proposal must be acknowledged. Use APA format for in-text citations, and include a reference list at the end of all sources cited in the proposal. If you have an in-text citation, you must have the full reference in the list at the end. Similarly, if you have a reference in the reference list, you must have an in-text citation. The final proposal also includes visual aids including illustrations, figures, tables, diagrams, and charts. All visual aids from external sources must include APA format for the title, caption, and source. How to Assemble the Group Proposal When you assign sections of the Proposal, you may want to print this checklist and add individual names next to assigned work in your team meeting to ensure there is clear communication and accountability. Throughout the paper, keep all fonts, headings, illustrations, and margins consistent. 1. Title Page (clearly states proposal name, audience, authors, and date) 2. Executive Summary (persuasive; about 200 words; single spaced on a separate page summarizing the entire document, including group thesis and findings.) 3. Table of Contents (annotate with initials of those responsible for each section) 4. Illustration Page. Running list of all illustrations with titles 5. Group Introduction (subject, purpose, plan, and scope) (1-2 pages) 6. Collate Member Sections. Each proposal must include the following sections: need for the project, design (multiple sections), and cost-benefit analysis. Each member's section is a continuous flow from one section to the next by use of transitional statements, with consistent pagination within the document. Different member sections should be separated by topic headings, not student names. Each section should have consistent numbering of headings and subheadings. Include a section introduction (where you outline the ideas in the section) and a section conclusion. 7. Visual aids (figures, tables, charts, as needed-minimum of one visual is required per person). Visual aids are given a Figure or Table number and are placed in the body of the proposal where they are discussed. They should not be grouped together at the end. 8. Project Timeline: Use a chart to show the important milestones of the project and schedule to complete the project. 9. Conclusions/Recommendations: A 1/2 page conclusion in which the group reiterates your research discoveries and proposals. 10. References (APA format) ( all team members). In a separate section at the END of the entire group proposal; combine individual references (APA style). At least three research articles from peer-reviewed journals are required per person. 11. Proposal Group Personnel: brief description of each group member's background and qualifications 12. Appendices (optional) An appendix must be referred to in the body of the report (see Appendix A for ... ), and is placed in the back of the report. If there is more than one appendix each one is lettered using a capital letter (Appendix A. Appendix B). Title each one. Consider using an appendix to document the primary research that was conducted, or for large illustrations. 13. Revising for sentence variety and parallelism between ideas and creating coherence between collaborative sections. 14. Proofreading for grammar, spelling, verb agreement, punctuation, etc. 15. Reviewing the formatting: Double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font (industry standard for technical writing), page numbers, citations and coherence of headings and sections. Submission Directions Scribe will review the formatting and section organization of the proposal and upload your group's proposal here by the due date after the editors proofread the document. You only need to upload one proposal per group. Presentation element Meet with your group, and, as a group, design a presentation of 20 minutes' length (±10%), to be presented in class, including visuals created on PowerPoint or Google Slides. (Other programs/apps may be used with the instructor's prior permission, though if other programs are used, it is the responsibility of the group to ensure that PDF versions of the slides are submitted on Canvas.) The slides should: • Be interesting and concise • Use bullet points, short phrases, and parallel structures to organize information • Combine visuals with words to make the slides appealing to the audience • Explain the group's proposal in an engaging way appropriate to the audience (in this case, other members of the class), covering (at minimum) the nature of the problem, the solution (or solutions) to it, and the group's recommendations As a guide, the group should have 1 slide for every 30-60 seconds of material. Grading rubric Assignments receiving an A grade will be clearly expressed, will contain all the specified elements, and will provide compelling, viable solutions to the group's chosen problem. The work will exhibit a fair division of labor, and will conform to APA style. Research will be thorough and will make good use of appropriate, relevant, and peer-reviewed journal articles. The presentation element will exhibit a good amount of engagement with relevant research, and the presentation will be delivered smoothly, with no lengthy pauses, silences, or problems with handovers between group members. The presentation will be the product of a fair division of labor, and will be within the set time limits. All work will be easy to follow and appropriately illustrated, and there will be no, or very few, mechanical errors such as spelling mistakes, incorrect punctuation, and incorrect capitalization. Assignments receiving an B grade will be clearly expressed for the most part, though perhaps at a lesser level than required for A grade work. It will contain all the specified elements, and will provide viable solutions to the group's chosen problem. The work will exhibit a fair division of labor on the whole, though there may be evidence here and there of imbalances, and it may mostly conform to APA style, though there may be inconsistencies at times. Research may be less thorough than in A grade work, and the items will largely make good use of appropriate, relevant, and peer-reviewed journal articles. The presentation element will exhibit some engagement with relevant research, and the presentation will be mostly smoothly, but may contain some lengthy pauses, silences, or unwieldy handovers. The presentation will be the product of a mostly fair division of labor, though it may be that one group member dominates, or that one or more members deliver slides of a substantially different length than the other members. All work will ordinarily be easy to follow and appropriately illustrated, but there may be a few mechanical errors, including (but not limited to) spelling mistakes, incorrect punctuation, and incorrect capitalization. Assignments receiving an C grade may include lapses in good expression, cursory or absent treatment of some specified elements, and, though they will present a solution or solutions to the group's chosen problem, may fail to consider serious objections to the implementation of that solution. The work may exhibit unfair divisions of labor at times, and may not conform rigorously to APA style. Research may not be thorough and the work will make only intermittent or deficient use of appropriate, relevant, and peer-reviewed journal articles. Some of the material presented in the presentation element will be relevant, but other parts of the presentation may offer outdated or superficial takes on the topic. The presentation will exhibit little engagement with relevant research, and the presentation may be somewhat deficient, such as containing some lengthy pauses or silences, or unwieldy handovers. The presentation may exhibit an unfair division of labor, including (for example) one or more members offering superficial comments on the topic. The presentation may be substantially under or over the set time limits. In all work, grammatical and mechanical errors may be somewhat frequent. Factors contributing to a D grade or below include: difficulties in adequately expressing the content, or an abundance of material that is unrelated or only indirectly related to the topic; outdated or misguided takes on the topic; no engagement with relevant research; an unfair division of labor; lack of adherence to the assignment instructions; substantially under- or over- length items; many mechanical and/or grammatical errors; for the presentation element, frequent technical issues; disjointed structure or frequently unwieldy handovers.