Week2a

Cancer Public  Service  Announcement Project 

The local chapter of the American Cancer Society has learned that you are taking a Cancer Biology college course and have asked you to help them develop a public service announcement. The goal of the announcement is to educate the general public on the biology of one specific type of cancer and to encourage people to get screened, look for signs themselves, or implement lifestyle changes that will reduce their chance of developing that specific type of cancer. 

In this multi-step assignment, you will throughout the semester create a public service announcement brochure, article, poster, video, podcast, or narrated presentation.   

If you choose a video, podcast, or narrated presentation, you must also include a written script as part of your presentation. If a presentation or video is uploaded to YouTube (unlisted); you can download an automatically generated transcript – see more information below.  

This assignment addresses the following course outcomes: 

· Identify properties involved in maintaining homeostasis in order to recognize how certain factors contribute to cancer.

· Recognize the complexity of cancer and assess current approaches for screening, diagnosis, and treatment in order to adopt appropriate lifestyle strategies.

· Apply knowledge of causes, development, and progression of cancer to ask questions and make informed decisions about personal and public health.

 
Step 3:  Submit an Outline Week 5 

The outline should be in alphanumeric format with numbers for the main sections and letters for the sublevels under each main section/level (the outline should not be a draft with full sentences and paragraphs). The more tiers/levels and supportive details you include in the outline, the more you will likely benefit from the feedback.    

Include at least one numbered main tier/level for each of the required sections of the service announcement (introduction, genetic/environmental factors, development/progression, screening/diagnosis/treatment, public health, conclusion). Include enough lettered sublevels for each main tier/level to clearly outline what you plan to include in each section. Depending on the section, enough sublevels for each main level may vary, for some two may be enough, and for others, you may include five or more. You may also include additional levels of supportive detail when that is beneficial.     

If you would like feedback on the images you plan to use. you can include them in the outline document as well (Optional).  

Here are some resources that you may find helpful when writing your outline:   

How to Build an Alphanumeric Outline
 (video)  

· UMGC (2021) Prewriting and Outlining. 

Prewriting and Outlining

· UMGC (2021) Online Guide to Writing. 

Using Your Outline as a Note and Research Trap

Example (the number of levels and sublevels below each main level/section will vary):   

1. Introduction  

1.

A. first item or topic that will be covered in the introduction 

B. second item/topic  

etc.  

2. Genetic and Environmental Factors  

1.

A. first item/topic  

1. supportive detail

2. supportive detail  

  etc.  

B. second item/topic  

1. supportive detail

2. supportive detail  

etc.   

Important: 
If you use a 
Generative AI tool to assist you with this assignment, it must be acknowledged. Please review the statement about Generative AI use under Academic Policies in the syllabus, and the 

UMGC Artificial Intelligence Guide
, especially in regard to the importance of acknowledgement and citation. The large majority of your assignment must be your own work, and any Gen AI output incorporated into the assignment must be cited as such. An important aspect of responsible AI use, and academic integrity, is honesty. Your own voice, your own thoughts, and supportive detail from each of the information sources cited, should be evident throughout all your submitted work. 

Due in Week 7 (included for required information needed when preparing the outline): 

Step 4: Submit Public Service Announcement 

Regardless of the chosen format, your public service announcement should contain the following information:  

· Introduction: Share a few statistics about the chosen type of cancer and introduce what will be covered.   

· Describe the known genetic and environmental factors that cause this type of cancer. Include details about genes, inherited and spontaneous mutations, proteins, hormones, and known carcinogens that are involved with the development of this type of cancer.  

· Using your knowledge of cancer cell and tissue biology, describe the development and progression of this type of cancer.  

· Discuss the current approach for screening, diagnosis, and treatment for this type of cancer. Include either an explanation of how one type of treatment works at the cellular level or discuss an emerging innovative approach to treatment.  

· Discuss what can be done from a public health perspective, and from an individual perspective, to reduce the risks associated with the development of this type of cancer.  

· Conclusion 

· A minimum of 5 informative and relevant images are required, regardless of the chosen format. More than 5 is fine. These images should be referred to in the text and/or narration and should be explained as needed. Include the source below each image (just the url is enough). See suggestion for type of images under Step 2. 

· References in 

APA format
. 

· Length Requirement: 1200-1800 words  (for the article, brochure, or narration transcript – fewer words on the slides themselves for the presentation option). 

· Mechanics and organization of content will account for 10% of the assignment grade. 

Your announcement should be fully paraphrased in your own words, with your own writing style, and structure. Changing just a few words in a sentence is not fully paraphrasing. 

Use in-text citations within your assignment and a reference list at the end. Text from outside sources either needs to be fully paraphrased in your own writing style (in-text citation is still needed), or needs quotation marks around the copied text, plus an in-text citation after. There should be a minimal need for direct quotes in this assignment (less than 10%).

Remember that your audience is the public. Although you may be using some technical information resources you should explain everything so that people who have not completed BIOL 304, or attended college, can understand it.  

Submit your public service announcement to the assignment folder by the due date listed in the syllabus.  

Submission formats:  

· Submit a narrated presentation as an unlisted YouTube link (see instructions below), and a written transcript in a Word document.   

· Submit a popular science article or a scientific brochure as a Word, PowerPoint, or PDF file.   

Turnitin: The originality of your assignment will be checked with Turnitin. Please review the originality report, and if needed, submit a revised assignment before the submission deadline. 

If you need help accessing and understanding the Turnitin Report, please use this resource:  

UMGC Turnitin FAQ