Tutors’ guide week by week

Collaborative Project level III (The Shark Tank Project)

1. Introduction of the project

The most important aim of this project is to improve the English communicative skills of our students and their teamwork abilities.
They will create a new technological and useful product for their professional area of interest, as if they were planning to pitch their
innovative idea to the investors on the TV show, Shark Tank. So, they are suggested by the tutors to start watching some episodes
of "Shark Tank" in English to identify expressions and tips to present the new product, and convince other people to invest on that
idea, which has to be a new gadget that could satisfy an urgent need in their profession.
For example:
 A gadget would to grade student's assignments faster and easily.
 A new invention to keep track of the enterprise's budget
 An application for smartphones to help your patients keep away from their addictions?

2. Procedure
Phase one: The students participate in a forum by answering some questions about how technology is used in their profession, so
that, in teams, they do brainstorm ideas of a new invention that could facilitate their professional activities and tasks. Then, as a
team, SS select the best idea and create a slide presentation to introduce the general features of the new technological product and
present it in an oral presentation.
Phase two: SS produce a text about the new technological product they invented, describing what it is, how it works, and why it is
useful in the profession and present a “Shark Tank video clip”, with the aim of convincing a group of investors to buy their product, or
a group of professionals to use it.

3. Guidelines
1. The project is developed in groups of 3-4 students.
2. The students are not allowed to develop the activities individually.
3. All the inventions and gadgets described in the project must be product of own creativity and ideas. Plagiarism could make fail the
project grade.
4. Students organize their personal and academic schedule to do the activities on time.
5. Students follow the instructions given in each phase appropriately.
6. Students have to participate in tutoring sessions (videoconferences), in order to get closer help, guidance and feedback.
Phase one
1st submission: Slide presentation
Activities
Week Activity Students’ role Tutors' role
Task: In the link “Creating my group”, SS At the beginning of the week, send a
select the group (A, B, C, etc.) they message to the SS explaining the
SS select a group. want to be part of. process to be part of a group. (Step
by step)

On Wednesday, send a second

message as a reminder for students
who have not enrolled in a group.

On Friday, assign a group for the

students who did not choose one.
Go to "Usuarios/Grupos" and assign
Week 2
a group to those SS who did not
choose one, and send them a
message informing and explain how
they can see the members of the
group to start working on the project.

Videoconference 1: In this videoconference, all the SS The purpose of this videoconference

SS must know that first phase will be must participate and ask possible is for you to describe the
evaluated only if all the members of the questions about the project collaborative project phases
group attend to the videoconference development. preparing a short Power Point
and answer the five questions in the
forum.
The members of the group must
Forum (first post) answer these questions individually:
1. What are the most difficult and
time-consuming activities at your
work?
2. How do you use technology in
your profession?
Presentation and explaining the
main points of the project
(evaluation, videoconferences,
forum, phases and products).
It is important to schedule several
videoconferences, taking into
account the number of NRCs. In
addition, you have to foster
attendance and participation.
At the beginning of the week, post
the two questions and send a
message to the students to
encourage them to participate in the
forum
Check students’ participation daily
and do the appropriate feedback.
(you can do your own template with
the messages) Focus your attention
on giving feedback to the ones who
are participating. You can use these
follow-up questions to moderate the
forum:
 How much time have you
spent doing that activity?
  How often do you use your
cellphone for academic
purposes?
 Do you use other kind of
technology? Or do the
professionals in your career
use other kinds of
technology?

You can also give general feedback

about students’ use of English, using
comments like these:
 Instead of translators, use
one of the online dictionaries
and try to create your own
sentences.
 Remember the writing
structure in Present Simple,
Present Perfect, etc. You can
use this link (add the
website) to correct this
grammar mistake.
 This idea is incomplete. Could
you add more info?
Videoconference 2: Students must correct or The purpose of this videoconference
complement the information in the is to explain the grammar topics to
Ss must know that the first phase will be forum during the second week and participate in the forum: Conditional
Week 3
evaluated only if all the members of the participate in the videoconference. 1. It is important to schedule several
group attend to the videoconference videoconferences, taking into
account the number of NRCs to
 and participate in the two posts follow the process of the groups. In
proposed in the forum. addition, you have to foster
attendance and participation.
The members of the group must At the beginning of the week, post
answer these questions individually: the three questions and send a
Forum (Second post) message to the students to
Brainstorming and sharing ideas for the 1. If you had $1.500 USD, what encourage them to participate in the
new product. innovation would you create for your forum.
profession?
2. How could that innovation make Check students’ participation daily
your work easier? and do the appropriate feedback.
3. Which one of your partners' (you can do your own template with
innovations did you like the most? the messages) Focus your attention
Why? on giving feedback to the ones who
are participating. You can use these
follow-up questions to moderate the
Week 4 forum:

 This idea is incomplete. Could

you add more info?
 Do you not think this idea
already exist?
 Is it new? I have heard about
it before.
 Try to be more creative and
I’m sure you would give better
ideas.
 Why do you like this idea?

Videoconference 3:
Ss must know that the first phase will be
evaluated only if all the members of the
group attend to the videoconference
and participate in the two posts
proposed in the forum.
 Do you think it is possible to
develop your partner’s idea in
a country like Colombia?
The purpose of this videoconference
is to explain how to make oral
presentations in English, give
general feedback about the
participation in the forums.
The purpose of this videoconference
is to explain how to make oral
presentations in English, give
general feedback about the
participation in the forums. Explain to
the SS to include the info in post 1
and 2 in the presentation.

Videoconference 4:
Oral presentation Rehearsal
SS choose one of the inventions
suggested in the forum and create a
slide presentation addressed to a
group of business angels. Follow
these guidelines:
SS download the "My 5senserelativ
(app)" presentation to use it as an
example.
The purpose of this videoconference
is to give general feedback about the
participation in the forum; check
students’ pronunciation and
grammar. In addition, you have to
foster attendance and participation.

SS can use images to illustrate their Pay close attention to the platform in
Week 5 ideas. case any SS have questions about
how to present this 1st submission.
The presentation must have four
slides. Slide 1. Name of the
invention, name of the group and its
members. Slide 2. What is it? In
addition, How does it work? Slide 3.
Why could it be useful for your
profession field? Slide 4. Why is it
innovative?

1st submission: During this week, you evaluate the

Videoconference 5: Evaluation Power Point Presentation and the
Presenting a new innovative Present the Power Point oral presentation, taking into account
Week 6
technological product presentation about the invention the parameters of the rubric.
chosen trough an oral presentation.
 During the week, one person of the
group uploads the presentation.

Evaluation
SS will be evaluated through a rubric with the following criteria. Each of its features is well-described in the rubric format:
 Language use: vocabulary
 Language use: grammar
 Language use: punctuation
 Content
Phase two
2nd submission: Descriptive article and oral presentation
Activities
Week Activity Students’ role Tutors' role
Week Videoconference 1 In this videoconference, all the The purpose of this videoconference
7 SS must participate and ask is for you to explain the main
SS must know that second phase will possible questions about the characteristics of the second phase of
be evaluated only if all the members of project development. the collaborative project. It is
the group attend to the important to schedule several
videoconference and participate in the videoconferences, taking into account
three challenges. the number of NRCs. In addition, you
have to foster attendance and
participation.
During the week, each Check students’ participation daily and
*Forum (first post) "Tell us more member of the group writes a do the appropriate feedback. (you can
about your invention" paragraph about the name, do your own template with the
type, materials, and physical messages) Focus your attention on
*Challenge 1 features (size, shape, color, giving feedback to the ones who are
etc.) of the invention chosen. participating.

Some models you could adapt to your

feedback messages are:

 Be careful with grammar and

the way you should write
appropriate paragraphs.
 Check these websites to review
grammar.
  This paragraph is poor. You still
have time to develop your ideas
and be the winner of this
challenge.
 The description of the physical
features is incomplete. Can you
add more info about the size?
 This name is already used.
Think about something new.
 What a great idea! It could be
very useful for teachers.

At the end of the week, you have to

choose the best paragraph of each
team, and make comments with a
message like these ones:

 Congratulations! You have

been the winner of the week.
 I love this idea! for that reason,
it is the winner of the week!
 This time nobody won the
challenge. You can do it better.
Week During the week, each Check students’ participation daily and
8 member of the group writes a do the appropriate feedback. (you can
*Forum "Tell us more about your paragraph about the do your own template with the
invention" invention’s functional features messages) Focus your attention on
(What it does and how it giving feedback to the ones who are
*Challenge 2 works). participating.
 Some models you could adapt to your
feedback message are:

 This paragraph is not very

clear. Do not forget
punctuation.
 This paragraph could be
clearer if you use linking words.
Check this video to learn more
about them (add a video).
 I like that idea, but grammar
needs consideration.
 Add more functional features
and give more details.

At the end of the week, you have to

choose the best paragraph of each
team. You can make comments like
these

 Congratulations! You have

been the winner of the week.
 I love this idea! for that reason,
it is the winner of the week!
 This time nobody won the
challenge. You can do it better.

The purpose of this videoconference

Videoconference 2 is for you to explain the main

Week Challenge 3 SS write a convincing
9 paragraph to persuade any
"business angels" to invest on
it (Target market, population,
what makes it special and
innovative)
Videoconference 3 In this videoconference, all the
SS must participate and ask
possible questions about the
project development.
Week Task 2: SS start working together and
10 create a convincing article
*Article "Tell us more about your about their innovative
invention" (2nd submission) invention. SS download the
"My 5senserelativ (app)"
article and use it as an
example. This document will
characteristics of a well-written
paragraph, so that students can
produce good paragraphs for the
writing challenges of the forum of this
second phase.
At the end of the week, you have to
choose the best paragraph of each
team. You can make comments like
these
 Congratulations! You have
been the winner of the week.
 I love this idea! for that reason,
it is the winner of the week!
 This time nobody won the
challenge. You can do it better.
The purpose of this videoconference
is for you to give general feedback
about the Challenges 1, 2 and 3, so
that Ss produce very good articles.
You should also answer questions
about the project.
Pay close attention to the platform in
case any SS have questions about
how to present this 2nd submission.
 help them to structure the
article. Keep in mind the
following structure:

Title (Name of your invention)

Creators
Paragraph 1: Describe the
invention
Paragraph 2: Explain how it
works
Paragraph 3: Reasons why
people should buy/use it.
During the week, one person
of the group uploads the
presentation.

During this videoconference, The purpose of this videoconference

Videoconference 4 all the Ss must participate and
is for you to show students how to be
ask possible questions about prepared for the oral presentation of
the project development. their invention and give examples of
Shark Tank episodes.
Week Videoconference 5 nd
2 submission: During this week, you evaluate the
11 Evaluation Ss load the article to the descriptive article and the oral
platform and present the oral presentation, taking into account the
presentation about the parameters of the rubric.
invention.

Evaluation
SS will be evaluated through a rubric with the following parameters:
 Language use: vocabulary
 Language use: grammar
 Language use: punctuation
 Content