COMS 205 Final Group Project
Problem Solving Assignment
Project Options
Now that you have had opportunity to become acquainted with your fellow group members, it’s
time to take on your final group project. This project is designed for you to experience group
decision making and teamwork through practical application. As a group, you will need to select
a social problem for which to design a plan of action. Such problems may be specific to the OU
campus, but this is not a requirement. However, it is expected that the problem is within reason
of your group’s ability to develop an action-based plan that demonstrates effective problemsolving skills.
Relevant Tasks and Details
Once you have chosen a social problem to address, you will need to develop a tentative plan for
action. Hence, the steps and procedures for problem solving (explained throughout chapter 7) are
imperative to the processes of executing this project. Below is a list that outlines steps that
should be taken into consideration as the group assesses necessary approaches to developing the
project. The group should produce materials, such as meeting notes, agendas, etc., that
demonstrate each of these steps. (These materials will be part of the portfolio described below.)
 Brainstorming topic ideas
 Defining the problem
 Specifying goals for addressing the problem
 Developing potential strategies for reaching goals
 Assessing the advantages and disadvantages to different strategies (may need to conduct
some research to get a better sense of the comparative differences between strategies)
 Selecting the best suited strategy/action plan
 Creating and facilitating the action plan
Agendas
The group should assemble agendas for discussing issues relevant to the sequence of tasks. It
may be helpful to refer to chapter 11 in the text to explore ways for developing an effective
agenda plan. The group will be responsible for developing an agenda for each group meeting.
Each agenda should be accompanied with meeting minutes that reflect what the group
accomplished during the meeting time.
Portfolios
The portfolio provides an opportunity for the group to display the different documents involved
in the project development. The group will need to consider how to display and organize items
throughout the portfolio. This is a creative process, but at the same time, one that involves a
professional approach. The portfolio should comprehensively represent the steps taken by the
group to reach the completion of the project. Therefore, it should include items that demonstrate
the groups’ planning processes, communication therein, and any other documents created for the
final project. The list below provides some suggestions for what should be included in the
portfolio, but each group may vary in contents due to the different issues addressed.
The portfolio will be assessed based upon completeness and thoroughness (see evaluation criteria
below). You can have these documents in whatever order you think is best, but your portfolio
must include:
 Table of contents
 Executive summary explaining the logic behind what the group decided to include in the
portfolio
 1 page description of problem you are addressing
 Problem Solving Worksheet (handed out in class)
 PERT Diagram for your group
 Agendas for your group meetings
 Meeting notes and research
 Paper documents
 Group correspondence (i.e. emails, audio recordings)
 Materials for the action plan (i.e. posters, campaign documents, PowerPoint slides)
Portfolio evaluations will be based on the following criteria:
 To what extent are all necessary documents included in the portfolio?
 How thorough are the documents provided in the portfolio?
 Does the portfolio demonstrate that the group developed a clear definition and rationale
for addressing the social issue?
 How effectively does the group demonstrate the problem-solving and decision-making
processes throughout the organization of the portfolio?
 Does the portfolio, overall, reflect a professional appearance?
Presentations
The group will be given 15-20 minutes to present the project to the class. This presentation must
involve equal participation of all group members. In addition, the group should consider
engaging techniques for presenting the project/material.
Presentations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
 How effectively the group cooperates and displays equal involvement in the presentation
of material.
 How well the group maintains a dynamic, interactive delivery style (not a series of
isolated speeches).
 How clearly the definition and rationale for the group’s social issue is conveyed.
 How organized the group presents the execution of the project by focusing not simply on
the end product, but also on the decision-making processes the group experienced
throughout the project.
 How creative and engaging the group makes the presentation for a particular audience.
Grading
The Problem Solving assignment is worth 100 points total. The portfolio is work 40 points, the
presentation is worth 40 points, and each member can earn up to 20 points for participation.
Grading rubrics that will be used to assess your work are attached here for your information.