W5 Assignment 2 – Outline – Solar Panels
Objective: Organize your thoughts and the main points of your “Solar Panels” research for your final Assignment 3 PowerPoint (11-12 slide) presentation.
Assignment Instructions: To help you complete Assignment 3: The Presentation, you will first submit an outline to organize your thoughts and main points. Your outline should be formatted a specific way and must contain the following elements as described below.
To prepare for this assignment, do the following:
-Read these directions carefully.
-Review the sample outline provided to you below.
-Read the grading criteria attached. The grading criteria is a detailed evaluation that I will use to assess your performance. It also will help you understand what is expected of you as you prepare your assignment.
Be sure to add your name and course number to your outline.
The outline format: Your outline must be formatted as described and exemplified in the example attached. Note that this format will be assessed in your grade:
-Use an alphanumeric sequence
-Sections should be indented and aligned
-Follow the suggested order of the required elements
-Use brief but detailed and descriptive phrases
The required elements: Your outline should contain the following elements in this order:
I. The Introduction: this section must contain
A. The scientific name of your technology.
B. The common name of your technology. What do most people know it as? Are there other names?
C. What interested you about this particular technology
II. The Body (Content Sections): this section should contain
A. Background: include a general physical description of technology. What is it?
B. A brief history of how the technology was developed (when/where was the research and development done, what was the need that drove people to develop it, timelines and significant people involved in it’s development)
C. The application (commercial/military, what industry/industries use it? how is it used?, etc.) of your technology
D. A detailed investigation into how the technology works at the most fundamental level. This should include:
a. Does the device transform one type of energy to another (i.e. an automobile engine transforms the chemical energy of fuel into mechanical energy that results in the motion of the car)
b. What sub assemblies and components does the technology contain and how do they work? One approach you can consider taking here is to choose some elemental particle that the technology works with and describe how it is processed by the technology. Using the engine as an example, you could consider describing how a drop of fuel enters the engine, gets mixed with air, results in combustion, whose gases then expand, etc. This should be the most substantial portion of your final presentation.
c. What enabling technologies were/are required to make this new technology possible? One thing you’re bound to find is that modern scientists “stand on the shoulders of giants”- their work is based on the work of the scientists that came before them. What relevant discoveries were needed to make this new technology possible?
d. What is the future of this technology? What advancements are scientists trying to come up with and what will we want them to do?
III. The Conclusion Section: this section should contain four to six points that sum up the main points from the body of the outline.
1. Start your conclusive section with one sentence summarizing some basic information about your chosen technology.
2. Summarize the way that it works, the history and future of it’s development.
3. Wrap up the conclusive section with a closing note that provides brief information about a unique fact your chosen technology.
IV. Reference section: This is not just the reference page; rather, referencing should occur throughout the outline as it will in your presentation. Therefore, your outline should include both a separate reference page containing a minimum of five (5) scholarly references or sources (do NOT use encyclopedias, Wikipedia, Investopedia, unknown, undated, or anonymous sources, such as brief articles from websites) listed in proper APA reference list format AND internal citations throughout the outline where appropriate. Please be sure to see the resources below for assistance regarding in-text citations and reference list formatting.
