7 Final Project
Project Description – Summative Assessment
The Final Project will outline, summarize, and explain all the research you have done on the client’s scenario. It should focus on the research resources and process — it is not a substantive memo in which you apply law to facts and draw legal conclusions. The purpose of the project is to identify research sources, explain information found in those sources, and organize research process and results so they can be communicated to a supervisor or colleague thoroughly and effectively.
The project is an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the research process you have been working on during the semester. Throughout the semester you reflected on your research process on a weekly basis and received substantive feedback. Now it is time to organize and synthesize all of that research to present a comprehensive, structured work product.
Project Substance
The final project should (1) clearly identify each resource, (2) summarize the information found in that resource, (3) explain how/where to find the resource, and (4) have a clear, logical organizational structure.
- Identify the Resource – Provide a title, author, chapter, name of the website, organization, government agency, statute, regulation, case, etc. A hyperlink does not count as identification of the resource. You can provide a hyperlink in addition to clearly identifying the name of the resource.
- Summarize the Information – Describe the information you found that is relevant to the legal issue and why it is relevant.
- Explain How/Where to Find the Resource – For some resources like cases or statutes, you will not need to explain how to find them. However, for government reports, proposed regulations, law review articles, treatises, or legislative history, for example, you should explain how to find the information so that a colleague or supervisor can access it. A hyperlink is not an explanation of how to find a resource. Links break or change. You can use hyperlinks in addition to explaining how to find the resource.
- Provide a Clear Organizational Structure – This is a complex problem raising several legal issues. Whenever you present your research to a colleague or a supervisor, you organize the information logically. Imagine that the colleague or supervisor is going to use your research in preparation for a meeting with the client. How can you present all of that research in a user-friendly way?
Project Form
There are many ways to present research information effectively and thoroughly. Some possible presentation forms are described below:
- Detailed Log – You might choose to use the research log you created at the beginning of the semester as a basis for your final project. You will need to reorganize some information and add more detail to descriptions of the substance and how to find the resource.
- Video – Many students enjoy creating a video in which they use Power Point slides to identify and explain resources and a screen-casting video tool to demonstrate how to find the resources on websites or research platforms.
- Research Guide – A research guide is an organized collection of resources related to a topic. You probably have encountered a research guide during your work on this problem that you can consult as a sample. If you choose this method for your project, think carefully about how to organize the research, provide thorough and meaningful descriptions of the relevant information, and explain how to find the resources.
Sample Rubric
| Grade | Description of Student Work |
| Excellent | The project is presented at a mature level, organized logically and carefully edited, with correct grammar, good vocabulary, and high quality of careful and informed thinking. The project demonstrates thoroughness in research, solid analytical and reasoning skills, and good organization, and communicates information effectively for the intended audience. The work meets all course expectations timely and completely and shows thorough and active grasp of concepts and demonstrates exceptional ability to synthesize course activities and materials. |
| Good | The project is presented at a professional level, with good grammar, vocabulary, organization and thought, with good analysis and communication of the information to the intended audience, with only a few minor flaws such as imprecise language, confusing descriptions of how to find resources, or a few typographical/grammatical errors. The work meets course expectations timely and completely, shows good grasp of concepts and ability to synthesize course activities and materials, but does not rise to the level of being exceptional. |
| Satisfactory | The project is presented at a professional level with adequate grammar, vocabulary, and thought, but with incomplete coverage of available resources, minimal analysis, problems with organization, weak or minimal grasp of concepts, and limited ability to synthesize the course lectures and materials. |
| Below Professional Standards | The project is marred by serious problems of grammar, vocabulary, organization, or unclear expression. The project does not analyze or evaluate resources or identify relevant resources. Grasp of concepts is incomplete or uncertain, and student does not synthesize course activities and course materials. |