Carefully, review the description of the Signature Assignment presented in the IDST 400 course syllabus. PaySample Page close attention to expectations regarding approximate length, format, number of sources, and citation practices. In addition, recall that the Signature Assignment is your opportunity to demonstrate skill in the areas of problem solving, integrative learning, and effective communication. Then, submit in MS Word format the semi-final draft of your Signature Assignment. Please do so no later than 11:59 p.m. (midnight) on Saturday. One additional thought: keep in mind that in the following week, the final draft of your Signature Assignment will be evaluated against the criteria identified in the problem solving, integrative learning, and effective writing rubrics. So, it is essential that you carefully assembled the semi-final draft due in Week 7.

The Signature Assignment

The problems of the 21st century compel interdisciplinary and integrative thinking. Successful problem solvers access knowledge from more than one academic field. The professionals most able to respond to society's problems are those who communicate clearly and effectively with audiences inside and outside their field of expertise. Thus, IDST 400 asks students to demonstrate their capacities to solve problems by inquiring across knowledge domains and, subsequently, communicating effectively about the problem-solving process. To this end, all students enrolled in IDST 400 complete a Signature Assignment – a term-length project showcasing their talents on each of the BVU Signature Skills.

The Signature Assignment requires students to identify and generate an original response to an unscripted problem. An unscripted problem is a circumstance of marked complexity and uncertainty; the problem is often not well defined, its causes may be in dispute, and the search for solutions is ongoing. In addition, students are asked to examine an unscripted problem from the perspectives of (a) their “home” discipline (i.e., a declared academic major) and (b) the viewpoint of at least one additional academic discipline (either a second major, a minor field of study, or an area of interest to the student). Superior performance on the Signature Assignment occurs when the student insightfully and effectively brings to bear on this problem the theoretical perspectives, analytical techniques, concepts, terminology, data, and information of more than one academic discipline. Students are reminded that the work they submit as their Signature Assignment will also be used to evaluate their student's abilities on the Three Signature Skills.

In addition to the importance of selecting an unscripted problem, the Signature Assignment requires students to respond to a problem impacting life in the 21st century. Worthy problems exist on community, regional, national, and global scales. Though some students will choose to address a problem impacting the entire planet, other students will respond to a problem of local dimensions. Regardless of the topic addressed in the Signature Assignment, students are strongly encouraged to select a problem that will stir and sustain their curiosity for many weeks. As is the case with all aspects of the Signature Assignment, the faculty are eager to assist students in selecting a meaningful topic for investigation.

Completing the Signature Assignment involves routine dialogue with classmates. In fact, each student will be an active member of a five or six-person peer-consultation group (PCG). The members of each PCG provide to one another critique, advice, and encouragement in each stage of the problem-solving process. For each student, the result is an ongoing, interdisciplinary conversation about problem solving itself and potential ways of improving their work on the Signature Assignment.

Finally, the Signature Assignment is completed in manageable phases; in weeks one through six, students submit one component of what will later become a complete, written presentation consisting of five parts. This approach allows adequate time for weekly editing and revision of work submitted in earlier stages of the course. A rough, semi-final draft of the full-scale project must be submitted, along with a set of brief self-evaluation forms, in week 7. The final draft of the Signature Assignment, which must be submitted in week 8 of the term, should reflect changes and improvements made in response to weekly input from faculty and PCG activity. The written presentation of the Signature Assignment will, in most cases, be approximately15 pages in length, not including a correctly formatted bibliography of sources. Completion of the Signature Assignment also requires preparation and submission of a one page poster-style summary demonstrating, in very concise form, the student's approach to entire problem-solving process. A template for preparation of the one-page poster is provided to students in CANVAS and must be submitted on the date indicated on the course calendar. Moreover, the following schedule of events leads to submission of the final draft of the Signature Assignment and the one-page poster.

part from the one-page poster presentation, the final draft of the Signature Assignment must be submitted using the IDST 400 CANVAS page and contain the following:

a title page;

a “body” of approximately 15 double-spaced, numbered pages (use 12-point font);

no fewer than fifteen (15) credible, professional-quality sources (students are urged to use the Ballou Library's electronic databases and consult the library staff for guidance in determining the quality of sources);

citations to all sources (footnotes are encouraged) presented in the format specified in a widely recognized style guide, such as those indicated in the paragraph below; and

a bibliography (works cited page) of sources with all items arranged by author in alphabetic order.

Note: students may use the citation format most familiar to them. It is essential, however, that students adopt and consistently use a citation form widely used in educational and professional settings. In addition to the citation instructions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. provided by the BVU Library, three examples are indicated below:

the Chicago Manual of Style (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Students may also benefit from the guides to various citation formats provide by the University of Wisconsin libraries (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

In addition to the guidance provided by the IDST 400 faculty, students are reminded of the support available to them by the BVU Library staff (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., on the BVU Library website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and the Center for Academic Excellence (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Evaluation and Grading of the Signature Assignment. Each students' work on the Signature Assignment will be evaluated against the criteria identified in the problem-solving, integrative learning, and written communication rubrics. The grade assigned to a student's Signature Assignment will, obviously, reflect the course instructor's appraisal of the work in view of the criteria identified in the evaluation rubrics. Though the instructors assigned to IDST 400 are principally responsible for the evaluation and grading of student work, course instructors may consult with their faculty colleagues to better evaluate final drafts of the Signature Assignment. Doing so is especially likely when the substance of a student's paper requires a depth of disciplinary expertise possessed only by a member of the BVU faculty not assigned a formal role in IDST 400. It follows that faculty assigned to IDST 400 may request that in the process of formulating and writing the Signature Assignment students consult with other members of BVU faculty whose disciplinary expertise may prove useful to the generating of a high quality final draft.