Leadership Projects

Leadership class project assignments

Final Project College Cost Comparison May 13 – May 27, 2016

Rob

Total of 100 Points

This assignment is due May 26 and 27, 2016.  This project is worth 100 points.

(Seniors your project is due on May 23 or 24, 2016.  You do not have to do part 3.)

Area of Interaction: Environment – (our relationship with and responsibility to the world around us)

  • Where do we live?
  • What resources do we have or need?
  • What are my responsibilities?

Guiding Question: What is the financial and social value of education?  Where can I obtain a college degree?  What will it cost?

This project consists of three parts

  1. A Google Sheets spreadsheet and graph that compares the cost of 4 different kinds of colleges. (34 points)
  2. A 3 to 5 paragraph paper using Google Docs documenting the research you do to describe the value of a college education. (33 points)
  3. A Google Slides presentation to the class summarizing your findings and what you learned by completing this project (33 points).  These will be presented in class on May 26 and 27, 2016

 Step 1: Use the design described below to create an Google Sheet spreadsheet and graph.  Document the source of the costs for each college. Copy the URL from the cost page and paste it into your paper.  This part is worth 34 points. (Draft due May 17 & 18, 2016)

This lesson is a reality check. Even though some of you may never want to continue your education in a post-secondary institution we are going to check out the cost of doing just that. How much does it cost to go to college? Did you know that usually a person with a college education makes more money than a person who doesn’t have one?

You will collect and then record information for 4 different colleges into an Google Sheets Spreadsheet. Here are the parameters of your spreadsheet:

  1. Open an Google Sheet document and change the name to College Cost Comparison.
  2. Set up a spreadsheet that looks like the example below.

You are to include a variety of colleges.

  • A private 4 year college,
  • A Colorado 4 Year Colleges
  • A 4 Year out-of-state public college
  • A 2 year Colorado community college.

Using www.CollegeBoard.com to find our information for schools in the United States.  Enter the cost information you find for each school into you Google Sheets spreadsheet

  • Enter the name of each school and click on the Paying button in the left menu of the page.  Copy the URL for the Paying page for each school and post it into your research paper.
  • Enter the costs for each of the four schools on separate lines.
  • Format the information using the following parameters:
    • The title in row 1 is Centered in Merged Cells A-K. It is SIZE 20 font.
    • Row 2 is Formatted to WRAP TEXT using SIZE 12 Font.
    • The cells where you will collect your information is SIZE 12 Font and Formatted to CURRENCY NO $ except for the last column.
    • You will need a formula in cells G, H, I, J to calculate the answers needed for these cells.
        • Column G is an autosum of all the information in cells B-F.
        • Column H needs a formula which multiplies cell G*108%  Column H=G*108%, Colum I =H *108%, Column J=I*108%

      The inflation rate for college costs is twice the inflation rate for everything else. The average overall inflation rate is 4% per year.
      Each year you must adjust the cost of college to 8% more than the previous year

        • (Your Community College will only need amounts in G and H)
        • (Your Community College will include $1200 transportation since you will not be living at school but you will using a car to get to and from school)
        • Column K is the Grand Total. It requires that you add Columns G:J. Remember to put in your Dollar sign and format the number to be Red and BOLD.
        • Save this spreadsheet in the Google Classroom assignment.
      • Create a stacked column graph to show all of the costs for each school.
College Cost Comparison..xls

Step 2:  Research the financial and social value of a college degree.

Here is one source of information  about the Value of Education

Use the internet to find at least two additional sources that you can cite in your paper. 

Document your learning and cite your sources by writing a  5 paragraph paper describing what you learned using Google Docs.  This part of the project is worth 33 points

  1. Be sure to use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and spelling.
  2. Cite at least three sources you used in your research.
  3. Your paper should have 1 inch margins all around and use 12 pt. Ariel font.
  4. Research and write paragraphs 2-3 before writing paragraphs 1 & 5

Outline for your paper

  1. Paragraph 1 – Introduction what will you discuss in the following paragraphs? (Draft due May 23 & 24, 2016)
  2. Paragraph 2 – What financial and social value  you can place on a college degree? (Draft due May 19 & 20, 2016)
  3. Paragraph 3 – What will it cost to attend college?  What is the cost of not going to college? (Draft due May 19 & 20, 2016)
  4. Paragraph 4 – How does this impact your plans for the future? (Draft due May 19 & 20, 2016)
  5. Paragraph 5 – Conclusion what did you learn? (Draft due May 23 & 24, 2016)
  6. Citations of at least three sources that you used to write your paper. 

Step 3:  Using Google Slides create a presentation that you will present on May 26 or 27,  2016 to the class describing the 4 colleges you chose and comparing the costs of each one.  This part is worth 33 points. (Draft due May 25 & 26, 2016)

  1. Use your Google Sheet chart to describe the costs of each school
  2. Reflect on the process you used to create your College Cost Comparison  project.
    1. What did you learn?
    2. What will you do with the information you learned?
    3. How will this information influence your plans for the future?