What the heck is an “applied project”?
Basically, you learned some stuff here at PSU. You learned interdisciplinary theory and methods, and you covered lots of content in many courses. What does all of that knowledge help you DO? In this project, you will DO something, something that you could not have done before you learned all that you learned in your undergraduate education. Design something that:
- relates to your major
- is not a written paper
- has a worthwhile impact on the world in some way– big or small– beyond yourself
- draws from the expertise you have developed in your major
- is engaging for you to execute
- can be recorded, shared, documented, or otherwise represented so that it can be published in some form or other on your ePort
- can be assessed (meaning, you can think of ways to evaluate whether or not you did a good job on the project)
Can I do–
Yes.
But you didn’t even let me–
Seriously, the answer is yes! As long as you are meeting the criteria above and as long as you are not already getting credit for the work in another course or getting paid money for the work as part of a job, you can design this however you wish. Make sure it adds up to SIGNIFICANT hours spent on the work. For a semester-long project like this, which will get started by the end of February, you should plan to work at least five hours a week putting this together, and more at the end when you are finalizing your documentation.
So what do I have to do?
Write a project prospectus explaining what you plan to do and why, covering the timeline of work you will do, explaining what your deliverable will be (what will you publish on your ePort?), and explaining how the project can be assessed. Then do it, with enthusiasm! Change the world!