Thing #21 - Student 2.0

This seems to be one of the smaller "Things" on the list, but I think it's also a hidden gem that has flown under the radar.  By "Student 2.0", it means programs that help students plan and coordinate their schoolwork, especially undergrad students working on specific assignments.  There are two resources for this: the Research Project Calculator and the Assignment Calculator.  I've never heard of either of these, but there are a lot of undergrads out there who could benefit from using something like this.  You just enter your assignment and get out an itinerary of which steps should be done by when, including specific walkthrough tips to better explain each step.  The Assignment Calculator uses a 12-step program, and assembles the timeline from a start date, end date, and subject area for the assignment.  The RPC, on the other hand, uses a more general 5-step program, with more specific instructions and tips for each step, and lets you choose the type of assignment (research paper, presentation, or video).  The RPC also has support material for teachers and librarians to help them explain the research process to their students. 

While all of this is novel and helpful, I think it has to be used in the right time and place.  This kind of thing is something that you have to get undergrad students using right away when they start college; otherwise, a lot of them will just fall into bad patterns and never work their way out.  I've always been meticulously, if not obsessively, organized about my assignments, and even though I never laid out schedules on paper, I've always had a clock ticking in my head, counting down to when the assignments are due, and I've known whether I've been on track or not.  At the same time, I know most of the rest of the world isn't naturally that way, and getting into the habit of researching, writing, and re-writing early, or at the very least sticking to a schedule, can save a lot of time and stress, both for the students themselves, and for the teachers and librarians that they turn to at the last minute, trying to scrape together an assignment.