the Department of Geography offers a

The award will be given to the student (or students) who has (have) been best able to combine
(1) the presentation of a geographically significant topic ("good student research")
(2) good writing style, grammar, spelling, complete documentation of sources
(3) an attractive presentation which may, but does not necessarily include graphics
(4) an appropriate use of the hypertextual qualities of the WWW (i.e. connecting components of the documents internally and externally through hyperlinks)
(5) the collaborative potential of Web projects [here broadly defined as joint products, team work, coordination of hyperlinks etc. at the level of the class or department, between students, between students and faculty or other University employees (e.g. Librarians) or between members of the University and the wider Community]; if an individual student submits such a document, the contribution of this student has to be clearly identifiable. However, a group of students (including at least one Geography major) may receive the award for a group project.
(6) the practical or professional usefulness or applicability of the document or its design features as judged by the Awards Committee. Evidence may include written or published recognition of such usefulness.

Further Information:

While good geographic arguments and writing have been desirable attributes of student products in the past, the use of hypertextual and electronically supported organization is relatively new. We are presently not teaching nor requiring the skills needed to present documents on the Internet. However, due to the fact that the already demonstrated and potential usefulness of electronic, hypertextual presentations cuts across all areas in geography, the Department encourages the acquisition of such skills in conjunction with or outside regular classes.

Web pages have become an accepted way of both accessing information available on the Internet and contributing to the Internet. As such, student pages offer the multiple benefits of permitting
(1) merging diverse digital information (text, tables, graphics etc. in single documents)
(2) connecting ideas and information from many different sources, including other parts of the same document through hyperlinks
(3) allowing students to communicate with a much larger audience than a single instructor creating incentives for good thinking, argumentation and presentation beyond what is possible in the context of traditional papers which -- more often than not -- are read by one instructor only and disappear in closets or are discarded.

A student's hypertextual / hypermedia digital document does not have to be actually connected to the Internet at the time when it is selected for the award. However, the student or students winning the award agree(s) to make the document available for connection or transfer to the Departmental Web Page for at least one year after winning the award.