5Cs: Handy tips for project work

Project work requires both academic (subject-related) and non-academic (life-skills) inputs. Here, you have an opportunity to become actively engaged with your own learning rather than passively sitting in a classroom, listening to a lesson or writing down notes from a blackboard.

Ask yourself:

- Why are you doing this particular project?
- What do you need to focus on?
- How much do you want talk about it?
- Who is it targeted at?
- By when do you have to complete it?

Once you have tackled these questions, gather the various resources you require for the successful completion of the project.

Any project work should be:

CLEAR: Any project work should have a clear title and subject. There should be absolute clarity on what you are writing about and why. There also needs to be a clear flow of information so that by the end of the project work both the one who wrote it and the one who reads it have a better understanding of the specific subject.

CORRECT: Any information that you write should be your  original interpretation and all data gathered from any source, especially the Internet, should be quoted and credited correctly. Ultimately, the purpose of the whole exercise is to encourage one’s thinking and interpretation/presentation skills. Borrowed feathers might shine better, but will not last long!


CRISP: Project work should never be lengthy and boring. The flow of information should be clear and message should be crisp and to the point. Otherwise, the work will not get any serious attention!

CREDIBLE: All information presented and quoted must be from credible sources. A ‘cut and paste’ methodology will never help you move up in class or in life. It could bring temporary relief but never a permanent satisfaction or a sense of achievement.

CLASSY: And finally any project must showcase the refinement and taste of an individual. The presentation, colour code, pictorial input, and writing  — language and style, must be able to give a classy picture. The better the project reads and looks, better would be its assessment and marking.