Final Exam Project

Introduction

Throughout this school year we have studied many different types of diseases through varying lenses, such as microbiological, immunological, or genetic. In this final project, you will be able to choose a disease we have not yet studied in class to research and present on in greater detail.

Presentation Portion (50% of your Medical Seminar final exam grade):

The following components should be addressed:

  1. Etiology (causes or origin) – brief history of the disease (if documented), what causes the condition (genes, environment, combination, etc.)?
  2. Description - body system(s) and organs that are affected and specifics on how they are affected, life-expectancy with disease, what is it like to live with the disease, etc.
  3. Immunology – How the body reacts to this disease immunologically.

4. Treatments (at least three and explain each) – benefits, side-effects, etc.

  1. Prevention (explain two methods of preventative care – see me if your disease/condition does not fit this criterion)
  2. Length – At least 5 minutes long (points will be deducted for length)
  3. Sources – You must cite all sources in MLA format. You must include at least 5 sources (less than 10 years old), two of which must be Professional Journal Articles. All other sources must be considered valid. I would suggest getting them approved by me if you are unsure of their validity.
  4. Visual Aids – You are required to have at least 4 visuals within the presentation. Clip art type pictures do not count. You may have a visual that is handheld as well.

Written Portion (50% of your Honors English Final Exam grade):

In this portion of the final exam project, you are able to choose any topic related to the disease you presented about to analyze in greater detail. You will be responsible for writing a thesis statement and research based paper about the topic related to the disease you have chosen. I would suggest using the two journal articles from above as a good starting point. The research paper rubric will be used to grade this portion of the final exam. However, you will be allowed a lot of freedom of topic to explore your disease in any way that you would like to. I would suggest getting your topic approved before spending a lot of time researching.

Presentation Rubric

20
/
15
/
10
/
5
Content – Depth/Accuracy
/
All content throughout the presentation is accurate and well explained by the presenter. There are no factual errors. Shows a full understanding of the topic.
/
Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that is not explained or written accurately. Shows a good understanding of the topic.
/
Most of the content is accurate but there are two pieces of information that are not explained or written accurately. Shows an adequate understanding of the topic.
/
Content contains more than two factual errors. Does not seem to be able to explain the information adequately reflecting poor understanding of the topic
Content
Coverage / All required content is addressed / Missing one content area or insufficient information for one area / Missing two content areas or insufficient information for two areas / Missing more than two content areas
or insufficient information in more than two areas
Understanding of Material
/ The presenter understands the material in depth and can answer any question about the content / The presenter understands most of the material in depth and can answer the majority of questions. / The presenter understands some of the material and can answer a few questions superficially, / The presenter does not understand the material and cannot answer many questions.
10 / 6 / 4 / 2
Sequencing of Information
/
Information is organized in a clear, logical way. Each slide has a title and flows easily into the next topic
/
Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. One slide or item of information seems out of place or lacks a title (Or has title that is not descriptive)
/
Some information is logically sequenced. Two slides or items of information seem out of place or lack titles.
/
There is no clear plan for the organization of information. Slides are not well organized with titles
Graphics/font
/ All graphics (4 minimum) are attractive (size and colors) and support the theme/content of the presentation and have captions (clip art like pictures will not count although they can be used) / A few graphics are not attractive (poor resolution or quality) but all support the theme/content of the presentation.
(or 3 visuals) / All graphics are attractive but one does not support the theme/content of the presentation or more than one has very poor resolution. (or 1 or 2 visuals) / Several graphics are unattractive AND detract from the content of the presentation.
OR
No graphics are used
Volume / Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members throughout the presentation. / Volume is too soft to be heard by all audience members during parts of the presentation. / Volume is too soft to be heard by all audience members about half the time. / Volume too soft to be heard by all audience members for most/all of the presentation
Posture and Eye Contact / Good posture, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation. / Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room but does not stand straight up (leans on desk, projector, etc. OR does not look at one area of the room but posture is good (ex. Looking at me or only to your right while speaking / Minimal eye contact (reading from note cards or screen for about half of the presentation) and/or does not show good posture when presenting (i.e. leaning on desk or projector, etc.) / Slouches and/or reads off of the screen during the presentation with little or no eye contact with the audience.

Written Rubric

Exceeds Standard / Meets Standard / Almost to Standard / Below Standard / Score
15 / 10 / 7 / 1
Thesis Statement / Thesis/Claim is precise, knowledgeable, significant, and distinguished from alternate or opposing claims / Thesis/Claim is precise and knowledgeable / Thesis/Claim may be unclear or irrelevant / Thesis/Claim is missing
Introduction / All material clearly related to subtopics and main topic. Strong organization and integration of material within subtopics. Strong transitions linking subtopics and main topic. / All material clearly related to subtopic, main topic, and logically organized. Clear, varied transitions linking subtopics and main topic. / Conveys topic, but not key questions. Describes subtopics to be reviewed. / Does not adequately convey topic. Does not discuss subtopics to be reviewed.
Conclusion / Strong review of conclusions. Strong integration with thesis statement. Insightful discussion of impact of the researched material on topic. / Strong review of key conclusions. Strong integration with thesis statement. Discusses impact of researched material on topic. / Review of key conclusions. Some integration with thesis statement. Discusses impact of researched material on topic. / Does not summarize evidence with respect to the thesis statement. Does not discuss the impact of researched material on topic.
Use of Evidence to Analyze / Develops the topic thoroughly by selecting and integrating the most significant and relevant facts, details, quotations, and information. Skillfully maintains the flow of ideas and by using the evidence to advance the thesis. / Develops the topic by selecting and integrating significant facts, details, quotations, and information. Maintains the flow of ideas by using the evidence to advance the thesis. / Attempts to develop the topic by using facts, details, quotations, and information but evidence to maintain the flow and advance the thesis, but it is inaccurate, irrelevant, and/or insufficient. / Does not develop the topic and does not integrate information from the text.
10 / 7 / 4 / 1
Conventions (Grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage and sentence formation.) / The paper is free of grammatical errors and spelling and punctuation. / Grammatical errors or spelling & punctuation do not detract from the paper. / Very few grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors interfere with reading the paper. / Grammatical errors or spelling & punctuation substantially detract from the paper.
Support / Strong peer-reviewed research based support for thesis. / Sources well selected to support thesis with some research in support of thesis. / Sources generally are acceptable but not peer-reviewed research based. / Few sources support thesis. Sources are insignificant or unsubstantiated.
Style / Precise, illustrative use of a variety of words and sentence structures to create consistent writer’s voice and tone appropriate to audience. / Generic use of a variety of words and sentence structures that may or may not create writer's voice and tone appropriate to audience. / Limited word choice and control of sentence structures that inhibit voice and tone. / Minimal variety in word choice and minimal control of sentence structures.
Citations and References / All references and citations are correctly written and present. / One reference or citation missing or incorrectly written. / Two to five references or citations missing or incorrectly written. / More than five reference and citation errors missing or incorrectly written.