Assignment. Week 1 Discussion: Introduction; Personal and Professional Goals
A. Introduce Yourself
Here are some suggestions on the type of information you can share when introducing yourself:
- Where you live.
- Degree you are pursuing.
- Family, hobbies/interests, and anything else you want to share about yourself.
- What you would like to learn from this course.
B. My Personal and Professional Goals
Step 1: Reflect upon your goals and purpose for pursuing this degree.
- Find a quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted and connect with your inner self. Aim for at least 20 minutes to settle in and explore your dreams.
- Consider carefully what aspects of your life you’d like to improve by completing this degree. These could include health, academic, career, relationships, or finances.
Step 2: Use the following prompts as a starting point to write about your goals and how you will achieve them.
- Goals I plan to achieve:
- I plan to achieve these goals by doing the following:
- Barriers that may impede my progress:
- I plan to overcome these barriers by:
Respond to at least two classmates and share your perspectives on how you can create a collaborative and mutually supportive learning environment in this and future courses in this program.
At the end of the week, submit a brief summary of your observations and learnings from this discussion.
Initial Post (200 – 300 words): Due Friday @ 11:59 pm
Response Posts (at least two; each 75 – 100 words) and Summary Post: Due Tuesday @ 11:59 pm
If citations are included in your post, include references using APA style.
Guidelines for Online Discussions
Grading Criteria
- Initial post (50%)
- Posted on time and to required length. Addresses the topic of the discussion. Provides personal insights, thoughtful reflection, supporting examples and references. References are listed in the required style. Tone is professional.
- Response post (30%)
- Responds to 2 or more students. Responses provide additional insights and/or raise questions that require reflection. Shares multiple points of view. References are listed in the required style. Tone is professional.
- Summary post (10%)
- Provides meaningful summary and response. Demonstrates reflection and further analysis. Supports statements with citations and references.
- Grammar and mechanics (10%)
- No spelling or grammatical errors. Clearly and succinctly expressed thoughts.
Week 1 Reflection: First Week Experience
Reflect upon your experiences of the first week in the course. Use the following prompts to get started. Focus on thorough and thoughtful writing.
- How am I feeling as I start this journey?
- Have I been through a similar journey in the past? How did I manage it? How did I overcome challenges that I faced in that journey?
- What is one thing I can do to ensure my success?
- One question I have after completing this week is…
Submit your reflection in MS Word or Adobe PDF format.
Length: 1 page
Grading Criteria
- Meaningful and relevant reflection (45%)
- Coherent & thoughtful analysis (45%)
- Formatting, presentation, language, grammar (10%)
Assignment. Week 2 Discussion: Schedule Analysis
Each week we have 168 hours to live our lives and achieve our goals, it’s up to us to make each moment count. In preparation for this week’s discussion, please review the article below for tips on time management and keeping a daily log.
Step One: Read the content at the following site:
Fabrega, M. (N.D.). Keeping a Time Log – How to Track Your Time. Daring to Live Fully.
Step Two: For at least two days, keep a time log of your activities (use the template available at the site above). It can be quite eye-opening to see exactly where our time is spent.
Reflect upon your findings and share your thoughts with your classmates in this discussion forum.
Starting with the prompts below:
- What do I like most about my schedule?
- What do I want to do more of with my time?
- What do I want to do less of with my time?
- What actions can I take in relation to how I spend my time?
- Was this a worthwhile activity? Would you use it in the future?
In your responses to your classmates, comment on how your analysis is similar or different. Share any tips that could help your classmates improve their time management skills.
At the end of the week, post a brief summary of your observations and learnings from this discussion.
Initial Post (200 – 300 words): Due Friday @ 11:59 pm
Response Posts (at least two; each 75 – 100 words) and Summary Post: Due Tuesday @ 11:59 pm
If citations are included in your post, include references using APA style.
Guidelines for Online Discussions
Grading Criteria
- Initial post (50%)
- Posted on time and to required length. Addresses the topic of the discussion. Provides personal insights, thoughtful reflection, supporting examples and references. References are listed in the required style. Tone is professional.
- Response post (30%)
- Responds to 2 or more students. Responses provide additional insights and/or raise questions that require reflection. Shares multiple points of view. References are listed in the required style. Tone is professional.
- Summary post (10%)
- Provides meaningful summary and response. Demonstrates reflection and further analysis. Supports statements with citations and references.
- Grammar and mechanics (10%)
- No spelling or grammatical errors. Clearly and succinctly expressed thoughts.
Assignment. Week 2 Paper: Managing My Time – Plan of Action (50 Points)Step 1: Complete your time log for the discussion forum.Step 2: Complete the “Time Management from the Inside Out” worksheet (attached).Step 3: Share your Plan of Action for handling your tasks and time.Respond to the prompts below:- Describe at least three insights you have gained in how you handle time and productivity.
- Where do you see your strengths in time management?
- What are the primary obstacles hindering your attempts to stick to your plan?
- What can you do to minimize disruptions, interruptions, and distractors?
- What do you need to adjust in your weekly schedule to better match your life priorities?
- Where could you save time?
- List at least three tips you’d like to implement in your schedule.
- List at least three items that could be removed or delegated from your schedule.
- Share any other insights you have developed from this experience.
- Time management worksheet (10%)
- Reflection & critical thinking in formulating the responses (80%)
- Formatting, presentation, language, grammar (10%)
Assignment. Week 3 Discussion: PlagiarismStep one: View SNL Plagiarism SkitSaturday Night Live. (2003 March). Plagiarism – SNL [Video]. YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/embed/yDxN4c_CmpI?wmode=opaque&rel=0Step two: Respond to the following prompts
- What is your initial reaction to the skit?
- What were two of the strategies that the instructor identified as academic dishonesty?
- Why might a student plagiarize?
- List at least two strategies you can use to ensure that your submissions cannot be construed as plagiarism.
- Initial post (50%)
- Posted on time and to required length. Addresses the topic of the discussion. Provides personal insights, thoughtful reflection, supporting examples and references. References are listed in the required style. Tone is professional.
- Response post (30%)
- Responds to 2 or more students. Responses provide additional insights and/or raise questions that require reflection. Shares multiple points of view. References are listed in the required style. Tone is professional.
- Summary post (10%)
- Provides meaningful summary and response. Demonstrates reflection and further analysis. Supports statements with citations and references.
- Grammar and mechanics (10%)
- What is plagiarism?
- Why is plagiarism inappropriate?
- Provide at least three different examples of graduate work submission that could be construed as being plagiarized.
- Why could plagiarism be detrimental to your academic and professional career?
