If there is another research project you wish to undertake in place of the ones listed below, you may do so once you have obtained your instructor's authorization.
Select a topic, formulate a search strategy, conduct your search, evaluate the information resources for credibility and reliability, and, finally, write the report. The instructor is available to assist you if you get "stuck."
You may select one of the following project options for purposes of this assignment. It is possible that more than one student will select the same topic.
You are the newly hired intern for Arkieville High School, a small rural school located deep in the wilds of Madison County, Arkansas. The school Principle has recently become concerned about the school's local area network and its connection to the Internet. He is concerned the school's computers and data will be harmed by a virus. He is not very computer literate (being an English major) and is relying on you to provide general information about computer viruses. Specifically, he has asked you to prepare an informal report which will include the following information:
Here are some web sites that may contain helpful information. If you are comfortable doing so, you may seek out additional web-based resources to complete this project. Remember, the web is a constantly changing environment. This links may change with no notice.
| Webopedia | About.com |
| Microsoft Site | Virus Info Center |
| Internet Public Library | FOLDOC |
| TechWeb (search on virus) | Virus FAQ |
| Another Virus Tutorial | |
Anti
virus Software Sites: |
|
| Symantec | McAfee |
Your brother-in-law, sister-in-law, best friend, high school sweetheart, (pick one) has heard that you are a hot shot college student and brighter than the rest of your family. S/he has a great idea for a new business in Bentonville and has offered you a 50-50 split in ownership if you will help provide the "brains". Specifically, you are looking for information on how to start a small business. Your new partner is the methodical type and wants you to prepare a report on what you have found out. What elements will you need to include in a business plan to get a loan from a bank? What other steps will you have to take to actually start this business.
Here are some web sites that may contain helpful information. If you are comfortable doing so, you may seek out additional web-based resources to complete this project. Remember, the web is a constantly changing environment. This links may change with no notice.
| US Small Business Association |
| American Small Business Assoc. |
| National Small Business Assoc. |
| Arkansas Small Business Development Center (U of A) |
| Ark. Small Business Development (ULAR) |
You work for a small printing company in Rogers, Arkansas as the computer guru. Your company employees several graphic artists. Your boss is concerned that the graphic artists "harvest" images from the web to use in their art creations for customers. Specifically, your boss is concerned that this may be a copyright violation. Since you are a bright college student who is an expert at searching the web, your boss has asked you to prepare a report that summaries the pertinent copyright regulations as they apply to your company.
What does a copyright protect? Must a work be registered in order to be protected? What are the exceptions to the copyright laws. Are your company's employees in violation of the law?
Here are some web sites that may contain helpful information. If you are comfortable doing so, you may seek out additional web-based resources to complete this project. Remember, the web is a constantly changing environment. This links may change with no notice.
| US Government Copyright Office |
| Copyright Crash Course |
| Scholarly Communication Center |
| Cal Tech Copyright Tutorial |
This report should be typed, with the usual font (12 point Times New Roman), 1 inch margins, double-spaced and include other conventions of good writing style. The main report should be a minimum of two pages in length and a maximum of ten pages and should be narrative in nature, as opposed to a "laundry list" of facts.
In addition to the primary report, include a page at the end of your report labeled "Resources" detailing the following information about each web site from which you obtained information for your report:
Students will be assessed based on the following criteria: