Brochure Project

Brochure Project

Goals:

	Learn techniques that will enhance your "lifelong" learning abilities
	Learn how to promote public health and communicate your knowledge to the general public
	Learn effective means of communication
	Learn to work effectively with a team

Learning Objectives:

After completing this project students will be able to

	Recall details about a specific scientific topic
	Effectively explain a scientific topic to the general public
	Cooperate with other team members on a group project
	Identify pertinent information to communicate to the public
	Design a brochure for the purpose of communicating to the public

Explaining scientific and medical issues or information to individuals who lack a background in science and medicine is not an easy task. This skill is essential for individuals in the healthcare, pharmaceutical industries and any corporation that deals with the general public. For instance, healthcare providers struggle to find effective ways of disseminating the information concerning diseases, treatment options and disease prevention to their patients without confusing or misleading them. Agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have created numerous brochures to assist in this process. Click here for some examples. Likewise, corporations who sell products/services or stock in products strive to develop successful communication strategies to explain how their product can benefit the public and/or sell in the market place. Drug companies and environmental engineers have created a variety of ways to communicate their products to the public, including brochures, web sites and flyers. Communication devices, such as brochures and web sites are designed and created by a team of individuals who all have different talents (graphic artists, layout editors, copy editors and content experts). This team must cooperate to create the effective communication devices.

Your purpose in this project is to work with a team to create a brochure that is meant to communicate to the general public about a scientific topic. Your instructor will assign you to a team of approximately four to six individuals. Your team will select a topic from a group of topics approved by your instructor. Since this is a science course, every member of your team will be expected to fulfill the duties of the "content expert". Each member of your team will select an additional role for him/herself for this project. There are three roles to choose from (see below for details).

Roles:

	Layout editor: These experts will arrange the text and art within the initial draft of the brochure. This role is great for an individual who has an eye for detail, organization and neatness. This individual will need to have some knowledge on how to use templates in basic word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word.
	Copy editor: These experts will write and edit the actual text boxes that are included in the brochure. This role is great for an individual who has exceptional grammar and spelling skills.
	Artist: These experts will either create graphics or simply find graphics on the web that can be incorporated into the brochure. This role is great for an individual who has graphic art skills. If your group lacks a "real" artist then this role can be fulfilled by somebody who knows how to identify effective graphics on the web and how to scale the graphics to the correct size for use on the brochure.

Some Guidelines:

	Your brochure should be visually appealing and not confusing.
	Your brochure should contain some graphics that help to represent what you are trying to get across (a drawing, a photo, colored text, etc.).
	It should use correct grammar and spelling.
	The information about the topic should be accurate and from effective sources.
	The information should be written at a 6th grade level and should not use any technical terms that a person with little education couldn't understand.
	You can use MS word and choose a brochure template to get you started or you can use this template (from MS Word). Click here.
	It might be tempting to just use a brochure that has already been made on the web, but that is considered plagiarism. Do not copy another brochure in whole or in part.

Grading Rubric

Schedule and Instructions:

Step One: In-class meeting #1 (10 minutes)

	Meet with your group members and make sure everyone knows their role in the project.
	Brainstorm to determine what content needs to be gathered for the brochure. For instance, what do you need to find out about your topic? What resources are available for your topic? What does your group want to tell the public about your topic?

Step Two: Homework assignment (all)

Content experts (all group members) are assigned to individually gather information for the brochure. Instructors may or may not designate specific resources to use. Each content expert should bring typed copies of his/her notes for every group member for the in-class meeting #2.

Step Three: In-class meeting #2 (15-20 minutes)

	The group will merge the information gathered by the content experts and discuss the accuracy. The group will decide which information to actually use on the brochure.
	The group will also discuss graphics that can be included to make the brochure look appealing, more understandable and interesting.

Step Four: Homework assignment (copy editors and artists)

The copy editor(s) will create a draft of the text to be included in the brochure. These folks will take the facts that were merged during the last meeting and will determine how the text should appear in the brochure so that the general public can understand the content. (Note: If there is more than one copy editor in a group then copy editors should decide if they want to work together on this outside of class or if they want to each tackle it separately and merge them together at the next class meeting.) A draft copy of the text should be provided during the in-class meeting #3.

The artist(s) will decide (based on the facts gathered and the discussion during meeting #2), what photo(s), picture(s) or graphics to use in the brochure and bring samples to the group during the in-class meeting #3.

Step Five: In-class meeting #3 (10 minutes)

	The group will look at and discuss the text and the art. The group should decide what art to use in the brochure. If there is more than one set of text then they need to be merged into one set of text at this meeting. The group will make suggestions/comments to the artists and copy editors.
	The group should decide on a deadline (deadline #1) to have the final text and art sent to the layout editor.

Step Six: Homework assignment (copy editors and artists)

	Copy editors should work together to make needed adjustments to the text and send this to the layout editor by the deadline #1.
	Artists should make adjustments to the art and send the art to the layout editor by the deadline #1.

Step Seven: Homework assignment (layout editor)

The layout editor(s) should put together a draft of the brochure by integrating the text and art from the copy editors and artists. The layout editors should bring copies of a draft brochure for each group member to the in-class meeting #4. (Note: If there is more than one layout editor in a group then they should decide if they want to work together on this outside of class or if they want to each tackle it separately and merge them together at the next class meeting.)

Step Eight: In-class meeting #4 (10-15 minutes)

	The group will look at and discuss the first draft of the brochure. If there is more than one draft then the two should be merged into a single draft that is approved by the entire group.
	The group needs to decide on a deadline (deadline #2) for the second draft of the brochure.

Step Nine: Homework assignment (layout editor)

The layout editors need to work together to create a single second draft. This draft will be created using the comments from the group at the last meeting. The draft needs to be completed and sent to all group members by deadline #2.

Step Ten: In-class meeting #5 (5-10 minutes)

	The group will discuss the second draft and make final comments/suggestions to the layout editor.
	The instructor will give the final deadline (deadline #3).

Step Eleven: Homework assignment (all)

	The layout editor will use the comments to make the final draft. The final draft of the brochure should be emailed to the group and the instructor and the group should decide who will print it and turn it in. It should be printed in color and folded properly.
	The final printed copy will be given to the instructor by deadline #3.

Step Twelve: Homework assignment (all)

The instructor should also receive copies of the group evaluation (linked here). Each individual should complete one rubric for EACH individual in the group and give all rubrics to the instructor.