Bryant & Stratton College 1

Personal Education, Lifetime Success

Since 1854

COMM 150 - Introduction to Information Literacy and Research
Portfolio Project The Professional Plan

This plan is worth 20% of your overall grade.

Outcomes
Completing this Assessment will help you to meet the following Course, Program, and Institutional Outcomes:

Course Outcomes
Examine the history of information, and identify the evolution of technology channels used to communicate research
findings.
Develop effective search strategies to construct efficient search queries.
Compare and select resources from the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic databases, and print resources to meet
specific information needs.
Apply specific criteria for evaluating information from the WWW, electronic databases and print resources.
Demonstrate an understanding of plagiarism, copyright, and intellectual property issues, and use appropriate in-text and
reference page citations in APA style.
Conduct research on career development and lifelong learning opportunities, and incorporate the findings into a written
career-related research project.
Identify the types of software applications used in communication, and employ keyboarding and basic office applications
to complete specific tasks.
Institutional Outcomes
Information Literacy and Communication: Utilize appropriate current technology and resources to locate and evaluate
information needed to accomplish a goal, and then communicate findings in visual, written, and/or oral formats.
Relational Learning: Transfer knowledge, skills, and behaviors acquired through formal and informal learning and life
experiences to new situations.
Thinking Abilities: Employ strategies for reflection on learning and practice in order to adjust learning processes for
continual improvement.
Community and Career: Participate in social, learning, and professional communities for personal and career growth.


Purpose of Assessment
Mastery of information literacy skills is essential to success in many careers that offer
the promise and potential for personal and professional growth. That is why Bryant &
Stratton College created this introductory course. COMM150- Introduction to
Information Literacy and Research is designed to develop your understanding and
development of information literacy skills and the many applications of information
literacy within the career path of your choice.

As you progress through your program of study you will produce more advanced
evidence of your information literacy skills. During job interviews you will want to
highlight how you used research throughout your program of study to support your
ideas and thoughts.

The Portfolio Project - The Professional Plan, is described below. After reviewing the
requirements for this assignment, think about the question or questions you will have to
answer to complete the assignment successfully. As you approach working through the
assignment, formulating questions will allow you to clarify the assignment and move
forward with greater confidence.

Consider your audience for this assignment will be your fellow students. You will share
your findings as part of class discussion.



COMM150 Portfolio Project 2

Revised 1-2014
2
Deadlines
The chart below illustrates the due dates and feedback schedule for this assignment.
Though this is a more formal approach for instructor feedback, speak to me regarding
any assignment any time before it is due.
Deadline Activity
Due Weeks 3 and 4 by Saturday at 11:59 pm, ET. Annotated Bibliographies
Upload graphics by Wednesday of Week 5 at
11:59 pm, ET.

Provide feedback to classmates on their graphics
by Saturday at 11:59 pm, ET.
Peer and Instructor Feedback
on Graphic Representations
Due Week 6 by Saturday at 11:59 pm, ET. Rough Draft
Due Week 7 by Saturday at 11:59 pm, ET.
Upload the final draft of your
completed Portfolio Project to
your electronic portfolio account
and submit the shared link.

Assignment Requirements

1) Use the Virtual Library to find four sources that will support your answers to the
questions below. Remember to use the information literacy skills you gained thus
far during your course of study to help you make judgments on the most
appropriate sources to use.
2) In addition, you may choose to interview a faculty member or a manager as a
source of information that you can use and cite in your assignment.
3) Use the information from the sources chosen from the Virtual Library, interview,
class discussions and research, and other coursework in your program of study
to help support your answers to the questions below. Be sure to use correct APA
style when citing in-text citations and references.
4) Create and use at least two graphic representations in your plan to depict one or
more relevant aspects of careers in your field of study listed below in 5a. One
graphic representation must be created in MS Excel 2010. Be sure to choose the
most appropriate representation for the data you are representing.
5) Compose a descriptive writing that answers the following essential questions:
a. What are the responsibilities, tasks, growth trends, salaries, lifelong
learning opportunities, and other relevant aspects of three (3) careers in
your field of interest?
b. What areas from the listing above draw you to this career field and are
most important to you? Why?
c. What is the content knowledge expertise required for success in your field
of interest; for example, through an interview of faculty, or a manager who
supervises similar positions, briefly describe the courses and lifelong
certifications that will help you realize future personal and career success.
d. As a final note following your Professional Plan, reflective upon, and write
a paragraph in which you address the following question: If you were
asked by a student next semester how he/she should approach this
assignment (professional plan) to ensure good results, what advice would
you give the student?

COMM150 Portfolio Project 3

Revised 1-2014
3
Project Deliverables:

Weeks 3 & 4: Annotated Bibliographies
In Weeks 3 and 4 you will be required to submit two (2) Annotated Bibliographies for a
total of 4 Annotated Bibliographies. An annotated bibliography is fairly simple to
compose. As you work through the research process, you will read several articles.
Some of those articles will work very well as support for your hypothesis, while others
will not. The annotated bibliography is a summary and your evaluation of the sources.
Please refer to the specific instructions provided in Weeks 3 and 4 for more information
on writing your Annotated Bibliographies.

Week 5: Peer Review of Required Graphics
In Week 5 you will upload a rough draft of your project graphics to a discussion forum
located in the Activities Folder (this will be in addition to your regular weekly discussion).
This activity is due by Wednesday of Week 5 at 11:59 pm, ET. Once you have uploaded
your graphics, you should provide feedback to your classmates on their graphics.
Provide them with suggestions for improvement; identify errors or points you find
confusing; provide encouragement. Remembereveryone is in the same position and
any constructive criticism you can provide will help your classmates create better
graphics. They should do the same for you.

Week 6: Rough Draft Due
Please submit a rough draft of your Professional Plan to in the Week 6 Activities folder.
Once submitted, you will receive feedback from your instructor so you can revise your
plan for your final submission in Week 7.

Week 7: Final Draft Due
The final draft of your Professional Plan is due on Saturday of Week 7. In order to
receive credit for your submission, you must upload your document to your electronic
portfolio account and post the shared link in Week 7. If you submit your final project as a
Word document there will be a deduction of 15 points from your final score. If you
upload your project to your electronic portfolio account and send your instructor the
shared link before the end of class, you can get those points back.

Note: Your paper should be, at minimum, a three to four page document (spend
approximately one page describing each option), typed and double-spaced. There must
be four sources from the Virtual Library used and correctly cited using APA format in
your final plan to support your answers and at minimum two graphic representations.











COMM150 Portfolio Project 4

Revised 1-2014
4




C
o
n
t
e
n
t

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
4 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 1.4 0
The writing fully
identifies and details
the significant
features and details
of career positions
and paths. The
student evaluates
four (4) sources, has
ensured relevance
and reliability, and
correctly cites the
sources within the
assignment and in
the Reference
Page. Text
references are
appropriately
integrated into the
assignment.

Two graphic
representations are
included and
represent the most
appropriate
depiction of data.
The writing, for the
most part, identifies the
significant features and
details of the career
positions and path.
Student evaluates four
(4) sources; one is not
relevant and/or reliable.
Minor errors.

(< 2) are evident in the
citation of sources
within the assignment
and in the Reference
Page. Text references
are appropriately
integrated into the
assignment and cited in
the Reference Page.

One or two graphic
representations are
included and represent
an appropriate
depiction of data.
The writing lacks
specificity in describing
significant features and
details of the career
positions and path,
and the steps for
advancement. The
student evaluates fewer
than three (<3) sources,
and demonstrates
uncertainty in the
evaluation of sources.
Consistent errors (>3)
occur in the citation of
sources within the
assignment and in the
Reference Page. Text
references are not
consistently integrated
into the assignment in
an appropriate way.

One or two graphic
representations are
included; however, data
is depicted
inappropriately
The writing is too
general in describing
the significant features
and details of the
career positions and
path, and does not
attempt to describe
the steps for
advancement. The
student evaluates
fewer than two (<2)
sources, and does not
attempt the evaluation
of sources. Frequent
and consistent errors
(>4) occur in the
citation of sources
within the assignment
and in the Reference
Page. Text references
are not appropriately
integrated into the
assignment.

No graphic
representations are
included.
Points Given

Weight X 10

Final
Score__________
Comments:















Bryant & Stratton College
Rubric for COMM 150 Portfolio Project: Professional Plan
COMM150 Portfolio Project 5

Revised 1-2014
5
R
e
s
e
a
r
c
h
/
A
P
A

D
o
c
u
m
e
n
t
a
t
i
o
n

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
4 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 1.4 0
The paper exhibits
an excellent ability
to choose, integrate,
and document
source material in
support of the
thesis. The writer
employs ample
appropriate source
material to fully
support the thesis;
integrates it
smoothly (as
quotes,
paraphrases,
borrowed ideas)
and effectively to
support his/her own
original writing; and
thoroughly and
correctly documents
the sources (in text
and in the
Reference Page
using the APA style.
The paper uses
sources in a way
that evidences
thorough
understanding of
legal and ethical
implications.
The paper exhibits an
adequate ability to
choose, integrate, and
document source
material in support of
the thesis. The source
material the writer
employs is appropriate,
though additional
support would
strengthen the paper;
integration could be
smoother or more
varied; and
documentation of
sources is thorough and
correct overall, with
minor errors in using
the APA style.

The paper uses sources
in a way that evidences
understanding of legal
and ethical implication.
The paper exhibits a
passable ability to
choose, integrate, and/or
document source
material in support of the
thesis. There are places
in the paper where
points are made but not
supported with source
material; when used,
sources are awkwardly
integrated and/or poorly
or incompletely
documented, though no
attempt to deliberately
plagiarize can be
detected.
The paper exhibits an
inability to choose,
integrate, and
document source
material in support of a
thesis. Source material
is never used or is
infrequently and/or
inappropriately used;
source documentation,
if used at all, is sketchy
and not in keeping with
APA guidelines.

OR, plagiarism is
evident.
Points Given:

Weight: X10

Final score:

Comments:
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
/
M
e
c
h
a
n
i
c
s
/
L
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
/
S
t
r
u
c
t
u
r
e

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
4 3.8
3.6
3.5 3.4
3.2
3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 1.4 0
COMM150 Portfolio Project 6

Revised 1-2014
6
The assignment is
well written
according to the
rules of Standard
English and
effectively
communicates the
writers purpose.
The assignment is
error free for
spelling and
punctuation.
Excellence is
demonstrated in
sentence
construction and
use of transitional
sentences. The
paper is fluent and
effortlessly
understandable.
The pattern of
organization is
appropriate to the
assignment.
The assignment is
generally well written
according to the rules of
Standard English and
communicates the
writers purpose. There
are a few errors (1 per
page) but the errors do
not significantly detract
from the readers
understanding of the
writers intention. There
are a few errors (1 per
page) in spelling and
punctuation. There are a
few errors (1 per page)
in grammar as
expressed through
subject/pronoun/verb
agreement. There is
evidence of appropriate
sentence construction
and transitional
sentences to connect
paragraphs and create
meaning within the
assignment. The paper
has a clearly
recognizable
introduction, body, and
conclusion and uses a
pattern of organization
appropriate to the
assignment.
The assignment
generally conforms to
the assignment
requirements and the
writers purpose is
evident, although more
development according
to the rules of Standard
English is required in
order to effectively
communicate the writers
purpose. There are
many errors (> 2 per
page) in spelling and
punctuation. There are
many (>2 per page)
errors in grammar as
expressed through
subject/pronoun/verb
agreement. There are
many errors (> 2 per
page) in sentence
construction.
Transitional sentences
to connect paragraphs
and create meaning
within the assignment
are generally absent.
Overall, many errors (>2
per page) in the writings
interfere with the
readers understanding
of the assignment. The
paper, though it has an
introduction, body, and
conclusion and so is
basically correct in its
structure, is in need of a
clear organizational
pattern.
The assignment barely
meets the minimum
acceptable standards
according to the rules of
Standard English in
order to effectively
communicate the
writers purpose.
Frequent errors more
than (>3 per page) in
spelling and
punctuation, frequent
errors more than (> 3
per page) in grammar as
expressed through
subject/pronoun/verb
agreement are evident.
Sentence construction is
minimally acceptable
due to frequent
appearance greater
than (> 3 per page) of
sentence fragments.
Transitional sentences
to connect paragraphs
and create meaning
within the assignment
are absent. Frequent
errors greater than (> 3
per page) interfere with
the readers
understanding.
Points Given:

Weight: X5
Final score:

Comments:



COMM150 Portfolio Project 7

Revised 1-2014
7

Final Comments:
















Points earned
90-100% A
85-89% B+
80-84% B
75-79% C+
70-74% C
65-69% D+
64% -0 F
Point allocation:
40 pts. to content
20 pts. to mechanics/organization
40 pts. to research