Looking for sources? Search EBSCO or QuickSearch.
For this ITE 120 capstone assignment, you will
When comparing colleges/universities, follow the process below.
Read the assignment instructions very closely, so you can understand what your instructor wants you to do. If there's something you don't understand, contact your instructor right away. I can't stress this enough.
Select the colleges and/or universities that you're interested in. For this example, we will choose Virginia Commonwealth University, Stanford, and University of Pittsburgh.
Jot down what information you think would be useful for you to compare. Some items you could compare: location, campus setting, campus housing availability, cost, and student-to-faculty ratio.
Look for information about each of your choices. The best tool to start researching colleges and universities is the College Navigator, maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics. It's easy to search and you get a lot of information about the institutions.
To search, type in the name of the university (for example, Stanford). You will get a result like this:
Click on the "i" for very useful general information, or on the name, for very comprehensive information about many things related to the institution.
Check rankings, if this is important to you. The best ranking site is the U.S. News & World Report Education Rankings.
Use the search box at the top and type in the institution's name (for example, Stanford). You will get the ranking (Stanford is ranked No. 3 in national universities), and some more information about the institution.
Visit your chosen institutions' websites. Here you can find things such as phone numbers, photos of the campus, information about specific majors, information about local events and things to do around town, and more.
With all this information, you are now ready to write your essay and prepare all the other required documents. If you need more help, consult a librarian. See the "Need Help?" section below.
When comparing items (such as sports, activities, animals, etc.), follow the process below, and keep in mind that a comparison essay discusses similarities AND differences.
Select the items you will compare and the criteria you will use to compare them
Focus your essay
Depending on the length of the essay, you may need to trim the number of criteria you discuss. If you have a lot of room, you can use many criteria, but if your essay is short, you may want to focus on a smaller number of criteria, or even just one. For Example 1, after a brief description of similarities and differences, you could focus on a single aspect, such as pest control for each plant. For Example 2, after a brief overview of similarities and differences, you could focus on the major competitions for each sport.
Find sources
The type of source you will use will depend on what you are comparing:
Consult a librarian
Reach out to a librarian if you need help putting together your essay. Librarians can help you learn how to work smarter, not harder, and this will help you succeed, as well as increase your chances of a higher grade. See the "Need Help?" section below for more information.