Every Newlane course project is detailed on the relevant course project page, which includes a project description and the project goals. This is essential information and should be thoroughly understood before embarking on your project.
The Critical Reading and Writing project, for example, includes the following text:
- When you submit your project, be sure to include your name, the name of the course, and the following text of the project: In around 2500 words, interpret and respond to one or more ideas or passages from one of the texts presented in this course, including Donne’s “Death, Be Not Proud”, deGrasse Tyson’s “Goldilocks and the Three Planets”, Dweck’s Mindset lecture, Descartes’ Meditations I and/or II, or Plato’s Phaedo. This can be a new argument, or a revision of an argument you have written earlier. Your project should demonstrate a close reading of the selected text, and your argument should include critical analysis of the text, and a valid logical structure.
- When you submit your project, be sure to include your name, a descriptive title (e.g., it shouldn’t be “Critical Reading and Writing Project”), and please also include the following checklist and indicate which description best conveys if and how AI was used:
This description provides important information and also some basic instructions. The information is:
- The length of the project: around 2500 words
- The length indicates the scope of the paper; it is important not to be too ambitious nor too narrow
- The kind of writing that is required: a close reading that presents an argument and includes a critical analysis and has a valid logical structure
- This is to be expected from a critical reading and writing course, but will differ from course to course
- The focus of the project: one or more ideas or passages from one of the texts presented in this course
- This project description also includes examples of texts to select from, but you are free to select your own; the examples serve as a guide regarding the kinds of texts from the course that would be suitable: a poem, a piece of popular science, a psychology lecture, or an academic philosophical text
The description also includes the instructions to include the following:
- Your name
- The name of the course
- A descriptive title
- The completed AI checklist
- The project description text
The project goals provide a set of criteria according to which your project will be evaluated. From these we can highlight the following:
- Articulate a thesis that is clear, interesting, and reasonable.
- Make arguments that are clear, reasonable, and sound with sufficient reasons in support of key claims in writing.
- Anticipate and successfully grapple with counter-arguments in writing.
- Write a focused and unified essay with effective word-choice and transitions between points.
- Anticipate reader’s need for information, explanation, and context in writing.
- Correctly cite sources in written work.
- Write with correct sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Effectively interpret and integrate quoted material (when applicable) into paragraphs in useful and illuminating ways to support key points.
The Foundations of Arts and Humanities project, for example, includes the following text:
- For this project, students select one of the three issues listed below and investigate it through the lens of arts and humanities. Here are the issues to select from:
- Issue 1: The Role of Arts and Humanities in Addressing Climate Change
- Issue 2: The Impact of Digitalization on Artistic Expression
- Issue 3: Intersectionality in the Arts and Humanities
- For the selected issue, include the following:
- A discussion of the foundational principles and concepts underlying the topic.
- Investigate how different fields within the arts and humanities (e.g., literature, visual arts, philosophy) contribute to understanding and addressing the selected issue.
- Analyze specific works, theories, or movements in the arts and humanities that have made a significant impact on the issue, or our understanding of the issue.
- Provide a critical analysis supported by relevant examples and theoretical frameworks.
- The project should be equivalent to 1500 words and can be presented in a written format or as a 5-10 minute video or slide presentation.
This description provides important information and also some basic instructions. The information is:
- The length of the project: around 1500 words or a 5–10 min presentation
- The length indicates the scope of the paper; it is important not to be too ambitious nor too narrow
- The kind of writing that is required: an investigation into the topic you have selected
- Based on the topic titles, the paper will answer a question, eg, what is the impact of digitalisation on artistic expression?
- The focus of the project: one of the three listed topics
- Three topics are offered, and you must select one of these three.
The project description also presents in further detail what should be addressed in terms of the selected topic:
- A discussion of the foundational principles and concepts
- An investigation into how different fields contribute to the topic
- An analysis of specific works or theories or movement that have been important
- A critical analysis using examples and theoretical frameworks
When the faculty member reviews your project, they will be attending to how your project meets the project description and goals. Review these carefully throughout your project, and prior to submitting, do a final review. When you submit your project, you should feel confident that you have addressed the description and goals of the project.