SENIOR PROJECT SELF-EVALUATION

Directions: Utilize this worksheet to help evaluate yourself and your project. Be as complete
and descriptive as possible. This self-evaluation should give the scoring team a clear picture of
what you accomplished in your project. You may recreate these forms on your own computer or
download them from the Class Homepage. Be sure to give a typed clear description and account
for all twelve items on the self-evaluation.

Name:

Project Start Date:

January 1st, 2015

Project Completion Date:

March 18th, 2015

Victoria Holmes

Title of Project: Can you handle it?

1. In 40 words or more describe your project and the steps you performed to complete it. What did
you produce or perform?
My senior project focused on the CSI Effect- the misportrayal of FBI Agents and other law
enforcement through crime television. The purpose of my project was to give my audience a
correct perception of what a career in the FBI actually entails. I did this by showing them two
Criminal Minds videos pointing out the accuracies and inaccuracies in Crime TV shows (since
that is the main form of misconception), give them a mini FBI Training to determine if they
could pass in the FBI, and have FBI Special Agent Mike Freeman speak on his perception of the
CSI Effect and what his job is like on a daily basis.
2. In at least 40 words explain how the project challenged you, and what sort of time challenges and
resource problems did you encounter?
I faced several challenges throughout my senior project ranging from not liking my senior project
topic, wanting to drop down to an easier project idea, and having difficulties creating my project
materials. As a result of challenges I faced, my senior project was the assignment I put the most
effort into throughout my high school career. Several times I considered taking an easier way out
which would have resulted in not as good as a project. But, I had to learn to be calm under stress,
continue to give 100% effort, and keep in mind the finished project I wanted to have.
3. List and then describe 5-8 fundamental ideas/concepts/skills of your project, which you learned
during your project.
Idea/Concept/Skill

Explanation

(how you learned it)

Taking risks can pay off

As I began planning for my senior project, my consultant wanted me to

take the easy way out and teach one of his classes. I knew that I would
not be satisfied with myself if I only taught a class, so I put in the extra
work and created an event that turned out to be a huge success with
almost 60 people in attendance.

Learn the correct

FBI procedures

I had to research and learn the correct FBI procedures/protocols in

order to sound informed and confident in front of my audience. I had to
also use this skill to find correct accuracies and inaccuracies in
Criminal Minds.

Advertising

I created almost 90 personal invitations and an elaborate flyer in hopes

of recruiting an outstanding audience for my project.

Organizing an event

My project time was a hour and a half. I had to plan ahead to make sure
that my audience would have enough activities to keep them occupied
and interested in my project for the duration of that time.

Advocating for myself

A lot of times during preparation for my project, I had to step out of my

comfort zones. I emailed my guest speaker several times in order to
ensure that we were on the same page and he was able to attend, I wrote
and delivered invitations to people I barely knew, I posted my flyer to
several different Facebook pages many different times, I had to convince
people that my project was worth volunteering at, and I had to convince
my sponsor that my project was worth investing in when I even wasnt so
sure it was.

Film Editing

While putting my video clips together, I had to make sure I recorded the
entirety of the clip I needed with a few seconds before it started and after
it ended in order to have leeway with editing. Every clip I filmed
required me to watch over it numerous times to ensure the quality was
presentable and clear and edit out the parts of the clip I did not need.

Creating a screenplay

Once I found enough clips to create a movie, I had more clips than what
was necessary. I had to re-watch several clips to decide which ones
would be the best ones to show and portray my message. I then had to
decide the order of the topics I was showing. Please see Weebly for a
copy of my screenplay.

4. List and describe 5-8 problems you encountered in your project, and briefly describe how you
solved each.
Problem

Explanation

Connection

I chose this topic for my senior project while I was regularly watching
Criminal Minds. As time progressed, I stopped watching Criminal Minds
and I was left with a senior project topic that I was not particularly
attached to or interested in. I began researching and getting more hands
on experience with my project, which made me excited about my topic
again.

Technology

I had to figure out an efficient way to record Criminal Minds clips while
still keeping the quality of the images and the message clear. I downloaded
4 different soft wares until I finally found software that worked well
enough.

Recruiting workers

I had to recruit 8 volunteers who were willing to help me at my stations.

Unfortunately, the First Colonial juniors were unable to work with me
because of an internship meeting, so I had to ask several different
sophomores. I began looking for volunteers a month before my project, and
did not secure them all until a week before. I advocated for myself in my
sponsors classroom in order to secure my final volunteers.

Trial and Error

By the time I was done filming both of my Criminal Minds movies, I had
completed two full seasons of Criminal Minds. Although this task may not
seem like much work, it proved to be one of the most difficult and
frustrating tasks I had. I spent between 50-60 hours in front of the TV with
a notepad and pen trying to find both inaccurate and accurate portrayals
of the FBI that were short enough to be considered a clip, and detailed
enough for my audience to still understand what was going on in the scene.
Many times I would write down a certain clip from an episode and forget
what it was about and be forced to re-watch it. My first video was about 14
minutes and my second was about 12. So for 50-60 hours I spent trying to
find the perfect clips, I ended up with 26 minutes of film.

Micromanaging an even

Although I organized my senior project as a whole, I had to micromanage

to make sure every part of my event was organized and ready for my
audience. I had a lot of trouble coming up with an activity for my audience
to do at my DNA Testing station. I explained my project and situation to
the different forensic science teachers, and luckily one was able to give me
an idea for a good activity to use.

Trusting others with my work

As great of jobs my volunteers did, I constantly worried that something

might go wrong in their station that would take my senior project off of the
predetermined vision I had. This is where I had to learn to be able to trust
other people. I gave my volunteers all of the necessary information they
needed and met with each one individually to give them direction on what
to do during my project and at their station. Knowing I gave them all the
necessary information, I had to assist them when needed and trust that
they would follow my instruction and ask me questions.

5. Outline the process hours spent in completing the project.

A. Estimated total hours spent on project: 80 hours outside of class plus class time from January
1st to March 18th
B. Estimated total steps involved in your project: 20
.

Steps Involved
Creating bare invitations
2 hours
Writing out and personalizing 8 hours
invitations

Time

Date Completed
February 10th
February 15th

Creating notes to volunteers

for all 4 stations
Created materials for station 1:
Researched FBI intelligence
requirements, found an
accurate FBI Phase Test, edit
the test to make it
understandable for audience,
create an answer sheet
Created materials for station 2:
Researched deadly force
policies for the FBI, created
the Officer Down Memorial
Page sheet that highlights the
officers that die from deadly
force, created the path for my
audience to follow during
simulation
Created materials for station 3:
researched DNA procedures as
seem on TV compared to real
life, found a an accurate and
fun simulation on DNA testing
for my audience
Created materials for station 4:
researched the Personal
Fitness Test that FBI agents
have to complete,
brainstormed on how to morph
the actual PFT into something
my audience could complete
(maximum number of
pushups), find a selfevaluation for the participants
who could not complete the
pushups, create Actual PFT
Guidelines and Answer Sheet
for the pushup test, and create
a point system for the number
of pushups done.
Experimented with several
video recording softwares
Finding all of the video clips

3 hours

February 28th

2 hours

February 16th

2 hours

February 18th

1 hour

February 20th

4 hours

March 10th

2 hours

March 9th

55 hours

February 28th

for my videos
Create a screenplay for my
videos
Create video 1
Create Video 2
Secure volunteers
Individually meet with
volunteers
Secure guest speaker
Setting up movies, food, and
stations for my project
Conducting Seminar
Clean up
Thank you notes to guest
speaker and volunteers

4 hours

March 6th

10 hours
10 hours
1 hour
1 hour

March 14th
March 16th
March 12th
March 17th

1 hour
1 hour

February 8th
March 18th

1.5 hours
30 minutes
1 hour

March 18th
March 18th
April 29th

6. List materials used.

Note to Volunteers for all four stations
Pencils
FBI Agent Sample Phase 1 Test
FBI Sample Phase 1 Test Answer Sheet

Station One: Intellectual Testing

Officer Down Memorial Page, Honoring Officers Killed in 2015

Foam Balls
Laptops
Nova DNA Fingerprinting Software

Station Three: DNA Evidence

PFT Self Evaluation

PFT Self Evaluation Requirements
Grading Scale and Guidelines for the actual PFT
Gym Mat
Criminal Minds Videos
Personal Laptop
Promethean Board

Station Two: Deadly Force

Station Four: Physical Fitness

Criminal Minds Videos

Exit Survey
Project Script
7. List all people who helped you on the project and briefly describe the help given.
Example

John Sutton

Project Consultant:
Mr. Sutton discussed my project plan with me and provided me
guidance when needed. During my project, he led the groups
up and down the hallways during the Deadly Force Station
before they were bombarded with deadly force. He then used
the Officer Down Memorial Page Statistics to emphasize how
important it is that officers are prepared for the worst to
happen

Grace Nahorney

Volunteer for my Intellectual Testing Station:

Grace explained the purpose of my station and help
participants
check their answers on the test.

Zak Cateraa

Volunteer for my Intellectual Testing Station:

Zak had the same duties as Grace Nahorney.
Volunteer for my DNA Evidence Station:
Zak helped participants activate the simulation and then spoke
about the inaccuracies on Criminal Minds regarding the time it
takes to complete DNA Evidence.
Volunteer for my DNA Evidence Station:
Will had the same duties as James McPhillips.
Volunteer for my Deadly Force Station:
Courtney hid in a classroom in the hallway and ambushed my
participants with foam balls as they approached her door. This
gave a simulation that FBI Agents never know when they will
need to be prepared for deadly force.
Volunteer for my Deadly Force Station:
She had the same duties as Courtney Barr.
Volunteer for my Deadly Force Station:
She had the same duties as Courtney Barr.
Volunteer for my Physical Fitness Station:
Tradgon helped participants count the number of pushups they
completed and helped give them motivation to reach a passing
amount. After the participants completed their pushups, he
then
helped them calculate the number of points they earned to
determine if they would pass the FBI PFT for pushups. He also
distributed the PFT Self Evaluation to participants who
were
not able to complete the pushups and helped them grade it.

James McPhillips

Will McKeever
Courtney Barr

Megan Greezaid
Makenna Bradford
Tradgon Sexton

Alexis Bryant
Nick Gofroth

Mike Freeman

Mrs. Van Schenck

Volunteer for my Physical Fitness Station:

Same duties as Tradgon Sexton.
Alternate: Nick was originally attending my Senior Project as
a
alternate volunteer in case if any of my volunteers needed to
drop out. He ended up in my Deadly Force Station with the
same
duties as the other volunteers within his station.
Guest Speaker: Mr. Freeman guest spoke at my project to give
my audience an accurate idea of what the life of an FBI agent
is
like.
Senior Project Teacher: Mrs. V helped me develop ideas for
my
project and edited some of my work.

8. How does your completed project compare to the picture you had in mind when you started the
project?
When I originally envisioned my project, I thought the transition between my stations would
consist of four different groups that rotated between the stations every 6 minutes. At my project, I
was not able to keep four different groups rotating coherently because many people wanted to
complete the stations with their friends and they preferred visiting the stations as they pleased.
This ended up working in my benefit because my audience enjoyed themselves a lot more since
they didnt have a strict schedule to stick by and they got to spend more time at the stations they
enjoyed the most.

9. If given the opportunity, what would you do differently now that you speak from experience?
It is hard to say whether or not I would change anything about my project. Id like to say that I
would have wanted to be less stressed out, but if I did not stress out as much, I may have not put
so much effort into making sure it was a successful project.
10. Now that the project is completed, explain/describe the stretch or challenge you
encountered/experienced.
I am not a tech savvy individual. When I decided to make a movie for my project I did not know
how much technology I would be exposed to. I had difficulties finding a high quality and reliable
program software to record my videos (I needed to record my PC screen). While filming my
videos, I literally had to record the same clip numerous times because of either poor quality or
timing. Filming movies gave me the most challenges and taught me how to work under
frustration.

11. Beyond the project itself, what did you learn about yourself?
I learned that putting a significant amount of effort into something you care about will make it
much better than expected. During the creation of my project, I doubted myself and whether or
not my project would be successful. As a result from my stress and doubt, I continued to put
effort into my project and as a result, my project was a huge success.

12. What grade would you give yourself on the project? Justify the evaluation of your grade in at
least 25 words.
Grade: 94
Justification: I gave myself a 94 since my project accurately gave my audience a correct idea of what a
career in the FBI would entail. I put in several hours of work to ensure that my project was both
informative and interesting, and I went outside of the box with the activities I had my audience do. Both
my audience and I were happy with my performance and I feel as if my efforts deserve a score of a 94
because they were exceptional, yet not perfect.