Professional Strategies Assignments

CA499 Professional Strategies
Assignments

Week 1

Here’s a link to your week 1 assignment details: Research Proposal

Your week 1 assignment rubric is included in the assignment details page, or you may also click on the “See Rubric” button at the top of your dropbox page to view how the instructor will grade your assignment. Assignment dropboxes are available by clicking on the module link above or via the left hand “Assignments” menu.

After you have completed your assignment, title your file(s) with: CourseID_LastNameW1Assignment (ex. EN101_SmithW1Assignment), attach them to this dropbox, and press Submit.

Multidisciplinary Capstone – Week 1 Assignment
Research Proposal
For this course, you’ll be building one final academic research paper to highlight the wealth of information you learned at Grantham. As part of your degree plan, you were asked to concentrate in several areas. Your research paper must address a profession-related issue from at least two discipline perspectives. These disciplines come from courses you’ve taken either as electives or concentrations. Examples of disciplines are: Psychology, Sociology, Government, History, Computer Science, Business, Literature, Economics, and Criminal Justice.

Professional Strategies Discussions

In developing your topic, think of something you are passionate about. For example, a nursing student might be interested in work conditions; specifically – why do nurses experience burnout. The student might interweave Psychology and Business – and write a paper about “The effects of overtime on nursing burnout” (see more examples). Needless to say – the critical thinking aspect of this course begins with this assignment. You are tasked with coming up with a topic that creatively intertwines multiple disciplines throughout the course.

For this week, you will prepare your research proposal. The purpose of the research proposal is to demonstrate that you have done enough preliminary reading/research in the topic of interest to develop a plan for your research. (download the proposal template). Your proposal needs to build a convincing case for your research as a viable project to be accomplished within the available time and resources of this course. The proposal becomes the first section of your final research paper.

The proposal is the most important document that you submit as part of the research process. It sets out the central issues or questions that you intend to address. It identifies the two disciplines of study within which your research falls, referring to the current state of knowledge and any recent debates on the topic. It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely and critically (download an example proposal).

The elements of the research proposal are:

• Title
• Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)
• Statement of the Problem (1 paragraph)
• Purpose of the Study (1 paragraph)
• Research Questions
• Study Significance (1 paragraph)
• Conclusion
• References (3-4)

After your introduction, your work needs to be organized under the headings: Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Research Questions, Study Significance and Conclusion. Your completed assignment should be written third person and should be 2-3 pages in length (not including title page and references). Your assignment should use APA style formatting.

Week 2

Here’s a link to your week 2 assignment details: Annotated Bibliography

Your week 2 assignment rubric is included in the assignment details page, or you may also click on the “See Rubric” button at the top of your dropbox page to view how the instructor will grade your assignment. Assignment dropboxes are available by clicking on the module link above or via the left hand “Assignments” menu.

After you have completed your assignment, title your file(s) with: CourseID_LastNameW2Assignment (ex. EN101_SmithW2Assignment), attach them to this dropbox, and press Submit.

Annotated Bibliography
Last week we conducted preliminary research to submit a research proposal that addresses a profession-related issue from at least two discipline perspectives. Once your proposal (your research request) is approved, you are ready to start the primary research.

As a researcher, you must become an expert on your topic. The annotated bibliography is a compilation of sources you plan to potentially use in your research. It encourages you to think critically about the content of the works you are using and their relation to your own research and ideas. The annotated bibliography also demonstrates that you have read and understand your sources.

For this week, you will prepare your annotated bibliography to include 6 sources (4 must be peer-reviewed). List one annotation after the other. Each annotation must be 150-200 words in length and include the information outlined in the steps below (see example annotation).

Steps for writing an annotation:

• Cite the source using APA reference style.
• Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology.
• Compare to other sources you have also cited to show similarities and differences.
• Identify the observations or conclusions of the author.
• Explain why each source is useful for your research topic.

Note** Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the source. Never copy someone else’s annotation or use abstracts to summarize.

Your completed assignment should be written third person use APA style formatting.

View your assignment rubric.

Week 3 Assignment

Here’s a link to your week 3 assignment details: Research Activity

Your week 3 assignment rubric is included in the assignment details page, or you may also click on the “See Rubric” button at the top of your dropbox page to view how the instructor will grade your assignment. Assignment dropboxes are available by clicking on the module link above or via the left hand “Assignments” menu.

After you have completed your assignment, title your file(s) with: CourseID_LastNameW3Assignment, (ex. EN101_SmithW3Assignment), attach them to this dropbox, and press Submit.

Research Activity
Last week we conducted primary research to prepare an annotated bibliography for the sources we will use as a major part of our research. This week you will enhance your research project by collecting additional information conducting ONE of the two following activities. You have a choice!

Choose an activity that is appropriate for your research topic and adds relevance to your previously collected information. Click each activity to understand the assignment criteria before you choose.

CLICK TO VIEW OPTION 1 – CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW
CLICK TO VIEW OPTION 2 – CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS OF DATA
After you complete your chosen activity, you will write and submit a 2-3-page APA formatted paper.
View your assignment rubric.

Week 4 Assignment

Here’s a link to your week 4 assignment details: Thesis & Subtopics

Your week 4 assignment rubric is included in the assignment details page, or you may also click on the “See Rubric” button at the top of your dropbox page to view how the instructor will grade your assignment. Assignment dropboxes are available by clicking on the module link above or via the left hand “Assignments” menu.

After you have completed your assignment, title your file(s) with: CourseID_LastNameW4Assignment (ex. EN101_SmithW4assignment), attach them to this dropbox, and press Submit.

Thesis & Subtopics
By now, your proposal should have been approved and you have collected the bulk of your research. It’s time to develop your tentative thesis statement and subtopics for the body of your research.

You may have noticed your ideas about your topic have changed or even been challenged due to your research. You’ll need to develop a solid thesis statement. The thesis statement is typically the last sentence of your introduction. A thesis statement is not your opinion or a matter of fact, it is a clear and concise statement (argument) that you support in your paper (see example thesis statements).

Subtopics are the headings that identify the main body of your research. You need to create 3-5 subheadings based on the research you have done. For example, a student studying the effects of overtime on nursing staff burnout might have collected research that leads to three subheadings: Statistics of Nursing Overtime, Causes of Nursing Burnout, and
Psychological Effects of Burnout.

Note** The subheadings in your research do not include your conclusions or inferences, they simply synthesize and present the information from the research you have collected into coherent sections. Do not present results in your subheading sections. We will present results in our draft paper next week.

Criteria for Thesis & Subheadings:

• Title
• Introduction (this may come from week 1) – include your tentative thesis statement
• 3-5 subheadings – include topic sentences that describe what is covered under each subheading and transition sentences that lead to the next subheading
• References – Include references used in this paper

Your completed assignment should be written third person and should be 3-5 pages in length (not including title page and references). Your assignment should use APA style formatting.

View your assignment rubric.

Week 5 Assignment

ATTENTION: This week’s assignment will only be visible if you have already attempted the Week 4 Proctored Exam. If you cannot see the assignment this week, go back to Week 4, schedule and take your Proctored Exam. You will not be able to submit any assignments or quizzes for the rest of the course until you have attempted the Proctored Exam.

Upon successful completion of this week’s lesson, you should be prepared to:

• Integrate concepts and principles from different disciplines to examine a question, problem or phenomenon.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of the conclusions reached in research studies based on the data presented.
• Articulate critical perspectives and social implications of findings or solutions in a concise and comprehensive research project.

Research Draft
This week we you will develop your research draft paper. You will include the information you presented in your week 1 proposal for the first part of this draft. Be sure to include your thesis statement in your introduction. You will then include the subheadings sections you created in week 4. You will also develop and present your results in the discussion section (download research template). You must meet the following requirements:
• Your paper should range from 6-8 pages.
• The paper should have 6-8 peer-reviewed references.
• Your paper must combine information from two different disciplines.
• Your paper should be written in third person and past tense.
• Your paper must be in APA format.

Criteria for Research Draft:

• Title – not just a topic name – should capture the research problem and tell the reader what the research investigates
• Introduction – 1-2 paragraphs – gives your reader adequate background information and includes your main thesis statement
• Problem Statement – 1 paragraph – describes the overarching problem to include your main (supported) problem statement
• Purpose Statement – 1 paragraph – describes the intent of the research to include your main purpose statement
• Research Questions – include your research question(s)
• Study Significance – 1 paragraph describes the importance of the study to include your main significance statement
• 3-5 Subheadings – Include topic sentences that describe what is covered under each subheading (the subheadings make up to main research body)
• Discussion – Present your conclusions and results based on the research you presented in the subheadings. This is where you clearly answer your research question(s)
• Conclusion – 1 paragraph to summarize the key points to include a rephrasing of your thesis statement
• References – 6-8 peer-reviewed sources

Note** We are not writing a proposal anymore, we have completed our research. Therefore, this paper should be written in past tense.

View your assignment rubric.

Week 6 Assignment

ATTENTION: This week’s assignment will only be visible if you have already attempted the Week 4 Proctored Exam. If you cannot see the assignment this week, go back to Week 4, schedule and take your Proctored Exam. You will not be able to submit any assignments or quizzes for the rest of the course until you have attempted the Proctored Exam.

Upon successful completion of this week’s lesson, you should be prepared to:

• Evaluate the appropriateness of the conclusions reached in research studies based on the data presented.
• Reflect on the research experience, identifying lessons learned, personal strengths and opportunities for growth, and how the experience informs future educational and career goals.

Multidisciplinary Capstone – Week 6 Assignment
Research Review
Reflection is a purposeful activity in which you analyze experiences, or your own practice/skills/responses, in order to learn and improve. Now that you have written a complete draft and received feedback, please answer the following questions in a 2-3-page (double-spaced) reflection:

• Briefly describe your background with the research topic you selected.
• Do you feel your experience could lead to research bias? Why or why not?
• Where do you feel your paper incorporates research the best?
• Based on your feedback, what are the specific areas of your paper you plan to revise? How?
• What specific areas of your paper could you strengthen by incorporating a bit more research?
• What challenges did you encounter incorporating research and/or adding citations?
• What was the most important aspect you learned in doing this assignment? Why?
• If you were in a high-stakes professional setting, how would you go about finding out for sure whether your final draft is up to snuff?
• What questions do you still have about the research process?
• Your completed assignment should use APA style formatting.

View your assignment rubric.

Week 7 Assignment

ATTENTION: This week’s assignment will only be visible if you have already attempted the Week 4 Proctored Exam. If you cannot see the assignment this week, go back to Week 4, schedule and take your Proctored Exam. You will not be able to submit any assignments or quizzes for the rest of the course until you have attempted the Proctored Exam.

Upon successful completion of this week’s lesson, you should be prepared to:

• Integrate concepts and principles from different disciplines to examine a question, problem or phenomenon.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of the conclusions reached in research studies based on the data presented.
• Articulate critical perspectives and social implications of findings or solutions in a concise and comprehensive research project.

Research Final
Using the feedback you received, you will complete your final research paper. You will also add additional content to the subheadings (body) of your research. Your work must clearly show revisions and additions or you may be asked to revise and resubmit your final research paper (see research template). You must meet the following requirements:

• Your paper should range from 8-10 pages.
• The paper should have 8-10 peer-reviewed references.
• Your paper must combine information from two different disciplines.
• Your paper should be written in third person and past tense.
• Your paper must be in APA format.

Criteria for the Research Final:

• Title – not just a topic name – should capture the research problem and tell the reader what the research investigates
• Introduction – 1-2 paragraphs – gives your reader adequate background information and includes your main thesis statement
• Problem Statement – 1 paragraph – describes the overarching problem to include your main (supported) problem statement
• Purpose Statement – 1 paragraph – describes the intent of the research to include your main purpose statement
• Research Questions – include your research question(s)
• Study Significance – 1 paragraph describes the importance of the study to include your main significance statement
• (3-5) Subheadings – Include topic sentences that describe what is covered under each subheading (the subheadings make up the main research body)
• Discussion – Present your results to include the answer to your research question(s)
• Conclusion – 1 paragraph to summarize the key points to include a rephrasing of your thesis statement
• References – 8-10 peer-reviewed sources

Note** We are not writing a proposal anymore, we have completed our research. Therefore, this paper should be written in past tense.

View your assignment rubric.

Week 8 Assignment

Here’s a link to your week 8 assignment details: Research Reflection

Your week 8 assignment rubric is included in the assignment details page, or you may also click on the “See Rubric” button at the top of your dropbox page to view how the instructor will grade your assignment. Assignment dropboxes are available by clicking on the module link above or via the left hand “Assignments” menu.

After you have completed your assignment, title your file(s) with: CourseID_LastNameW8Assignment (ex. EN101_SmithW8Assignment), attach them to this dropbox, and press Submit.

Research Reflection
For this course, you have presented one final academic research paper to highlight the wealth of information you learned at Grantham. You researched, analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated information from both primary and secondary sources to develop a research project that examined a question, problem, or phenomenon across two or more disciplines.

For this week, you will prepare your research reflection. Write 2-3-page reflection to answer the following prompts:

• Please describe your study and why it was important to you; why did you decide to investigate this question(s)? What recommendations do you have for practitioners in these disciplines?
• What lessons did you learn during this research experience?
• What were your personal strengths in the research process; how did you leverage these strengths in the research process? Be specific. Give examples.
• What were your opportunities for growth in the research process; what strategies did you use to overcome the challenges? Be specific. Give examples.
• How will this research experience help with your career choice or future school? Be specific. Give examples.
• How has this work been transformative for you personally and professionally?

Your completed assignment should use APA style formatting.

View your assignment rubric.

Week 8 Final Exam

To access your Final Exam, click on the link above or on the Exams link in the left hand navigation menu. This exam consists of 5 True/False questions (4 points each) and 10 Multiple Choice questions (8 points each). The exam will not be timed, but will allow only one attempt.