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THINK QUEST

I. What is ThinkQuest about?


II. Rule.
III. Entry requirements.
IV. Entry submission.
V. Scoring guide.
VI. Technical requirement.
VII. Site profile.
VIII.

1. What is ThinkQuest about?


a. Introduction.
ThinkQuest inspires students to think, connect, create, and share. Students work in teams
to build innovative and educational websites to share with the world. Along the way,
they learn research, writing, teamwork, and technology skills and compete for exciting
prizes. Sponsored by the Oracle Education Foundation, the competition offers a unique
project-based learning experience to students and teachers across the globe. Everybody
wins by having their completed websites published in the ThinkQuest Library, a rich
online resource visited by millions monthly.

b. Competition: Students form a team and recruit a teacher to act as coach. Once the
coach enrolls the team, students work together to create an innovative website on any
topic within a broad range of educational categories. Diverse teams and globally
relevant themes are encouraged.

c. Prize.
The top 5 teams in each age division receive laptop computers and a cash award for the
coach's school. In addition, the top 3 teams in each age division travel to ThinkQuest
Live, an educational extravaganza celebrating their achievements. A special award is also
presented to the team best demonstrating global perspectives.

2. Rule.
a. Schedule
Team Enrollment opens: August 15, 2008

Entry Submission Deadline: April 2, 2009, 7:00 PM GMT (3:00 PM EDT)

Winners Announced: May 29, 2009

b. Team Composition:
- A Team: three to six student members and one Primary Coach (each, a “Team”).
- A Team may also include one Assistant Coach.

- A Team may have no more than two student members who have been on winning
ThinkQuest teams in the past.

- Teams may include students and coaches from a single classroom or from many
different classrooms, communities, or countries. Encouraged to be diverse.

c. Student Requirements:
- Be no younger than age 9 and no older than age 19 on the day of the Entry Submission
Deadline.

- Be a member of only one Team.

d. Age division.
Teams compete in one of three age divisions:

* Age 12 and under.

* Age 15 and under.

* Age 19 and under.

3. Entry Requirements
a. Content Location: All final Website content must be uploaded to the ThinkQuest
server. No portion of Website content can be hosted on an external server, including
multimedia files on services including, but not limited to, YouTube, game building
servers, guestbooks, blogs, and/or other hosting services.(see File Size Limit under
Technical Requirements).

b. Objectionable Material: Websites may not contain any Objectionable material.


"Objectionable" means any information in any medium or format that (as determined by
the Foundation): (i) is inappropriate, offensive, libelous or defamatory, pornographic,
sexually explicit, or unlawful or that encourages any of the foregoing; (ii) a reasonable
person would consider harassing, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, profane, obscene,
excessively violent, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; (iii) infringes or
violates any person's (living or deceased) privacy, publicity or other property rights; (iv)
promotes software or services that deliver unsolicited email, including bulk e-mail,
surveys, contests, "junk mail," "spam," or chain letters; (v) disrupts or interferes with the
Competition or any services, system resources, accounts, servers or networks connected
to or accessible through the Competition, including use of viruses, worms, corrupt files,
or Trojan horses; or (vi) is subject to any restriction upon transmission under any law or
under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as information pertaining to minors
where no parental consent has been obtained).

c. Commercial Content: Websites may not contain any commercial content that
promotes the sale of a product or service either directly via the Website or via hyperlinks
to external sites. Commercial content includes but is not limited to logos, brand names,
slogans, text, images, videos, or any type of multimedia file(s).

d. Previously Submitted Websites: Websites (or content from websites) previously


submitted in ThinkQuest competitions are ineligible for submission.

e. Use of Copyrighted Materials: By submitting an Entry, Team members represent


that they have the unrestricted right to submit the content and it does not infringe upon
any third party's proprietary or other rights. Any content, including, but not limited to,
text, images and videos, that is not the original creation of the Team must be
completely and accurately cited, and if permission is necessary to use such content,
the Team shall disclose how such permission was obtained. Teams may either cite
sources directly on each page or use a summary "Citations" page to adequately
disclose the sources and/or permissions to include content.

f. Work: Team members must do their own work and must not permit any person (other
than student members of the Team) to perform such work and must not copy the
materials (words, images, data, audio and video files, and other media) of others, except
as permitted below:

* Websites may include material that was created by another person before
January 1, 1918 so long as an accurate citation is provided within the Website.

* Websites may include material that was created by another person on or


after January 1, 1918 so long as written permission to quote or use such material is
obtained as required by the creator or owner of such intellection property AND an
accurate citation is provided within the Website. Team must also be able to provide a
copy of such permission to the Foundation, if requested.
g. Plagiarism: The Foundation takes plagiarism very seriously. Any plagiarism or
copyright violation will result in an Entry's disqualification. For purposes of these
Rules, "plagiarism" means:

* any copying of another person's work that results in the Entry not being substantially
the original work of the Team, regardless of whether the copied work is cited.

* copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit or attributing those
words or ideas as one's own.

* failing to put a direct quote in quotation marks.

* giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation, passage, image or other
content.

* changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving
credit.

* use of website templates without giving credit to the original creator/owner of the
template.

* any other behavior that the Foundation determines to be plagiarism in its sole
discretion.

h. Personally Identifiable Information: For the protection of student Team


members and to prevent Library readers from adding their own personally identifiable
information, the Website and Site Profile content may NOT contain any of the
following:

* student last names;

* student email addresses or personal contact information (generic Team or coach email
addresses are acceptable).

* guestbooks, discussion boards, forums, chat areas, blogs (including links to these types
of forums hosted on external websites). The Foundation may, in its sole discretion,
remove any such items from Entries. If this information cannot be removed, the
Foundation will not post the Entry in the Library.

i. Language: The Website, Site Profile, file and directory names (required in basic ASCII
format), as well as other communications submitted to ThinkQuest, must be in English.
Translation of the Website into additional languages is encouraged; however, Judges will
evaluate the Website based upon the English language version.

4. Entry Submission.
a. Submission: Enrolled Teams that do not submit a complete entry by the Entry
Submission Deadline will be disqualified. A completed entry ("Entry" or "Entries")
consists of the following TWO items:

1. the collection of website files the Team has produced and successfully uploaded to the
ThinkQuest server (the "Website").

2. a completed online form providing requested information about the Team and its
Website, accessed by logging in to www.thinkquest.org ("Site Profile"). The Site Profile
includes a checklist that must be completed by the Primary Coach. No further changes
may be made to an Entry after the Site Profile is submitted.

b. Categories: Entries must be submitted in one of the following twelve categories. To


view examples of topics in each category, click on the links below.

* Arts & Entertainment. Example: Re-Awakening Cuban Music, Poetry Slams, Hip hop
Style…

* Books & Literature. Example: Harry-Mania, Writing Systems Around the World…

* Business & Industry. Example: Non-Native species and shipping, Space Tourism,
Irrigation Pump in Africa...

* Computers & the Internet. Example: Blogs and podcasts, "Virtual" Healthcare in
Africa, Outsourcing...

* Geography & Travel. Example: Greek Shipping Power, The Silk Road, Hawaii and
Non-native Species...

* Health & Safety. Example: Effect of Space Travel on Humans, Plants as Medicine,
Guide Dogs...

* History & Government. Example: The Euro, the G8 Summit, California Missions...

* Math. Example: Musical Note Frequencies, Nature's Pattern, Stock Markets...

* Philosophy, Religion & Mythology. Example: Mythology in Art, Philosophy in Action,


Recurring Mythology Themes...
* Science & Technology. Example: Roman Aqueducts, Hydrogen Fuel Cells, Smart
Materials and Textiles...

* Social Sciences & Culture. Example: Drums across cultures, Origins of Jazz music,
Traditional Dress Around The World...

* Sports & Recreation. Example: Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports, Real Extreme
Sports, Traditional Children' Game…

In the event that one or more Teams miss the Entry Submission Deadline due
solely to a confirmed technical failure or malfunction of the Foundation's systems, and
that Team's Primary Coach contacts ThinkQuest support within 2 days of the Entry
Submission Deadline, then the Foundation may, but is not obligated to, extend such
deadline in its sole discretion, upon notice to the Primary Coach.

c. Program Tools: Certain software tools or other materials ("Program Tools") for use
by Teams in the Competition are available, including but not limited to access to tools
and materials available on the Think.com website. Primary Coaches are responsible for
insuring that Program Tools (if any) are used by Teams in accordance with these Rules
and any specific terms accompanying the Program Tools, including any applicable
Software License Terms or Terms of Use for such Program Tools ("Terms"). Primary
Coaches are also responsible for insuring removal of Program Tools from computer
systems upon completion of the Competition and/or termination of a Team's participation
in the Competition. Unless otherwise specified in writing by the Foundation or its
suppliers, Program Tools may be used only for activities directly related to the Team's
participation in the Competition. A team will be disqualified if any Team member
modifies or reverse-engineers any software, or uses any software in a manner inconsistent
with the Terms. Use of Program Tools is not necessary in order to participate in the
Competition or to win a Prize.

5. Scoring guide.
a. Content: Website expertly explores the chosen topic as evidenced by: depth of
information provided, inclusion of supporting details, and variety of information
source. All content is accurate, credible, current, and supported by citations.
b. Writing & Organization: English using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Writing is concise and easy to understand. Content is effectively organized so as to
hold the reader’s attention and easily transition between sections.

c. Originality: Website is creative and original in its approach to presenting the topic. A
variety of information sources are used, including primary sources such as interviews,
surveys, personal observations, and original artwork or multimedia recordings.
Content is the original work of the students and not paraphrased or copied from outside
sources in any way. (Plagiarism results in disqualification.)

d. Educational Relevance: Content is written and organized for a student audience.


Team effectively describes its’ intended audience and relevance to teaching and
learning. Website is educational and informative.

e. Global Impact: Team has selected a topic of global importance.Website proactively


presents diverse viewpoints on the topic, with clear differentiation between opinion
and fact. Website raises awareness, presents action steps, and/or effectively engages
others in addressing the issue.

f. Citations: All sources used to research and create the website are clearly identified
and credited, ideally as footnotes on the relevant page and on a summary citations page.
If the website includes text, images, or other legally protected materials (e.g.
copyrighted information, images, audio, video), permission to use these materials is
clearly stated or noted as public domain.

g. Collaboration: Site Profile and website include a candid narrative on how the team
worked together to create the website, divide tasks, share responsibilities, and overcome
challenges. Students share reflections on difficulties encountered, group problem
solving, and teamwork as experienced during the competition.

h. Team Diversity: Student team members are located in, or come from, more than one
country, region, socioeconomic, or cultural group. Site Profile and website explain how
the team is diverse and the role diversity played in the development of the website.

i. Website Structure, Appearance and Function: The site’s design and layout
make it easy to use. Every page is visually well organized. Colors, fonts, and overall
layout are creative, artistic, consistent across the website and do not interfere with the
ability to easily read content. There are no technical problems (e.g. broken links or
images, missing files, etc.).

j. Media Use: Creative use of media (e.g. images, audio, video, animation, games,
interactive features, etc.) enhances the presentation of information by engaging the user
more deeply and illustrating key concepts.

6. Technical requirement:
a. Restrictions on File Names and Storages.
i. Home page: index.htm or index.html (lowercase) in top level folder.

ii. Use non-accented Western characters (low ASCII).

iii. Do not use spaces or special characters except hyphen(-) or underscore (_).

iv. Use lowercase characters.

b. Technologies:
* browser-based technologies such as Flash, Java script, dhtml, style sheets, and
applets are supported.

* server-based technologies such as PHP, Perl, SSI, Java, CGI, and FrontPage
extensions are NOT supported.

* File Size Limit: a maximum of 50 mb of ThinkQuest server space for its


Website or else disqualified without notification

c. Links and references: use relative links.

d. Compressed file: To enhance upload speed, you may use compressed file. One of the
most common formats for a compressed file is a zip file. The File Upload tool will
automatically "unzip" or extract a zip file as soon as it is uploaded. (Note that it will not
extract compressed files in other formats.). Since a single zip file can contain dozens of
compressed files, zipping your files can save you the time and trouble of uploading files
one by one. Note that WebDAV does not support this feature. Most zip utilities ask if
you want to "include folder/directory names." Make sure to select this option if your
website has subfolders/subdirectories. When zipping files, do not select the
folder/directory containing your website. Instead, open the folder that contains your
website and select each file and/or folder within. Make sure that your index.htm (or
index.html) file is in the top level folder and not inside a subfolder. The web-based file
upload tool will automatically extract your files exactly the way they were when you
zipped them. If your index.htm file is not located in the top level directory, users will see
a list of folders and files when they visit your site instead of seeing the home page.

7. Site profile.
a. Overview.
The Site Profile is an important part of a Team's entry. The Site Profile is a short
questionnaire that provides information about a Team and the Team's site. This
information is used during Judging to help Judges score the Team's site, and can be read
by visitors to the ThinkQuest Library if the Team's site completes the Competition and is
included in the Library. The Site Profile is designed to work closely with the Evaluation
Criteria. It allows the Lead Coach to provide details about the Team's site, and the
Team's experiences working together to create the site.

The Site Profile also acts as a checklist for the Lead Coach to ensure that all important
aspects of a Team's entry have been completed. Once all parts of the Site Profile have
been completed, the Lead Coach can submit the Site Profile, confirming that the Team's
entry is complete and ready to be included in the Judging phase of the Competition.

Lead Coaches must be authorized before a Site Profile can be submitted.

Site Profiles for all Teams must be completed before the Entry Submission Deadline. An
incomplete Site Profile risks disqualification for the Team.

b. Accessing Site Profile: Site Profile details for a Team can be accessed from the Site
Profile page. This is located under the Website tab.

c. Completing Site Profile: Only the Lead Coach for a Team can complete the Site
Profile. There is no limit to the number of edits that can be made to the Site Profile.
However, the Site Profile can only be submitted once; after submission, the Site Profile
(and the Team's site) cannot be changed. The Site Profile is comprised of 16 items,
almost all of which must be completed before the Site Profile can be submitted.

* Team Name: The name of the Team.

* Lead Coach: The details for the Team's Lead Coach.


* Student First Names: Details of the Students in the Team.

* Student Age Range: The Age Range for the Team.

* Assistant Coach: Details of any Assistant Coaches in the Team.

* Alternate Contact: This is an optional item.

* Website Title: The name or title of a Team's website.

* About your Website: Describe the subject or theme of the Team's website which would
be useful to ThinkQuest Judges and ThinkQuest Library visitors.

* Category: All Teams must select a category for their site. Sub-categories are optional.

* Audience: This is the intended age-range for a Team's site.

* Secondary Languages: Optional item.

* Website Features: If a Team's site includes any of the features listed the Lead Coach
should indicate this by selecting the relevant checkbox.

* Team Collaboration: All Site Profiles should include details from the Lead Coach that
describe the Team's experiences working together to complete their ThinkQuest project.

* Team Diversity: All Site Profiles should include details from the Lead Coach the
describe how the Team's composition and diversity helped development of the Teams'
site.

* Content Check List: This is a manual checklist to help the Lead Coach ensure that
important parts of the Team's entry have been completed. Each checkbox must be
selected before the Site Profile can be completed.

* Entry Check List: The items in this list cannot be updated by the Lead Coach directly.
The items are indicators of other parts of the Team's entry that are updated elsewhere;

d. After Site Profile Submission


* The Site Profile status for the Team is updated to Submitted.

* The Site Profile can no longer be edited.

* Team details can no longer be edited.

* The Team cannot be deleted.

* The Team's site files can no longer be edited.

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