Assignment (6)

Personal Success Plan Checklist and Worksheet

 

Walden’s Personal Success Plan offers students a blueprint for professional and academic success. Life can interrupt even the best made plans, but the Walden University staff and faculty are here to help.

Use this checklist and worksheet to seek and use your newly acquired academic knowledge with the additional resources we provide for your success.

Under each category you will find many components that you can use like a checklist. Then you will find a space to fill in some information about your goals in this category. Talk about your plans in this area: have you already done this? What do you need to do? How will you do it? When?

Finally, at the end of this document is a space for you to write a few paragraphs about your short term and long term goals.

Emergency Management

(Resources available via your academic advisor)

Ø Complete Authorization to Release Information form. (Note to Academic Advisor: please locate, under “Program Forms”), to establish an emergency contact.

Learn about the Student Assistance Program.

Learn more about Walden drop dates (if necessary, you will need to complete a Withdrawal Form); understand what a leave of absence means.

Learn how to contact Disability Services for any ongoing medical concerns.

What are your plans for Emergency Management? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

Family Life

Clearly explain your educational goals to your family and closest friends.

Identify childcare options, if necessary, so you are able to focus on your school work.

Establish a dedicated study area and print your course schedule, so you know what is due on a weekly basis.

Discuss your new academic priorities to those who matter most to you.

What are your plans for Family Life? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

Classroom Management: Walden Resources Available

If you need to request an extension on an assignment, contact your instructor within the classroom and provide evidence for your request.

Review the class syllabus in Week 1, note all due dates on the schedule so you can see potential conflicts with work and life obligations.

Review Walden’s Academic Calendar.

If you have questions or concerns about classroom expectations, contact your faculty and your advisor.

What are your plans for Classroom Management: Walden Resources Available? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

Self-Enrichment

Plan a routine to take care of yourself.

Develop a support circle of friends and family to encourage you to move forward in your degree.

Identify a health mentor (colleague, friend, health professional, or guidance counselor) to whom you can go to for guidance.

Make time for healthy food decisions and regular exercise. 

 

What are your plans for Self-Enrichment? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

 

Technology Support & Plan

Create a plan for if your internet goes out or your computer goes down; know how to back-up assignments.

Identify the software that is new to you that you need to practice; recognize any gaps in your technology tool kit, and ask about additional resources.

Locate a technology mentor to help you (face to face or virtual; learn about Walden’s student support services).

 

What are your plans for Technology Support & Plan? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

Professional Guidance

Establish a financial plan for your time in college.

Consider your program and potential career path during and after your degree.

Update your resume (Walden’s Career Services offers a free software called Optimal Resume).

Identify and catalog your professional skills; determine what skills are necessary to obtain your professional goals.

Sign up for a Walden Career Services Webinar.

 

What are your plans for Professional Guidance? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

Time Management

Schedule an appointment with your advisor, and look closely at your competing obligations.

Contact and review resources on time management at Walden’s Career Services Website.

Utilize time between terms for designing an action plan; work to make school a crucial space in your intellectual life.

Make steps to create a space for learning in your life, and never miss an opportunity to gain useful knowledge when it is presented to you.

What are your plans for Time Management? Discuss what, how, and when you’ll accomplish these tasks as part of your success plan. (address at least 2 of these)

Short Term and Long Term Goals

Think about why you are here at Walden.

What do you hope to gain: academically, professionally, personally?

What do you hope to learn and apply?

How do you think you can plan to include social change in your personal and/or professional life?

What specific ways to this class and the assignments you’ve completed help you form these goals?

Use this space to write at least 2-3 paragraphs about your Short Term and Long Term Goals.

© 2014 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 6 of 6

Week 6 Reflection Final Draft Revision Guidelines: Still as Easy as A, B, C, 1, 2, 3, Baby, You and Me! These guidelines are meant to help you improve your rough draft from Week 4 into your final draft.

In Week 4, you used a worksheet to review the writing process and walk you through creating a rough draft of your reflection paper. Now it’s time to revise and finalize your paper. Make sure to use the guidelines below and any feedback from your instructor.

Due Date: Day 7 of Week 6

Length: 3-5 pages, double-spaced

Goal: Using AWE and the Undergraduate Template

Start by Reviewing the Undergraduate Writing Template File found in the Week 4 or Week 6 Learning Resources. Make sure to read through the instructions and writing advice in the template. Next, use the template to properly format what you’ve already written. Make sure to Save As with the file and name it according to our usual naming convention: WK6Assgn2+last name+first initial

Are there any additional comments or examples you want to add from Weeks 5 and 6? How about the journal entry or the final picture of all your Smarter Measure self-assessments? Consider the Week 5 discussion and assignments. Lastly, consider the overall course themes and ideas: being human in our virtual world while living and learning in a technological world which relates to finding your identity in a virtual space, tool using animals, balancing life and your time, learning styles and strategies, perspectives on reality, important vs. essential technology, connecting and disconnecting online, and social change. Write up any additional sentences directly into your paper in the appropriate sections or create new paragraphs to include these.

Now that you’ve gotten all your ideas on paper and properly formatted, it is time to dive into the revision and proofreading stages. Let’s start with Drafting and Revising. This can be compared to the “meat and potatoes” of the revision process because it serves as the main part of the meal in which everything else is based. It is the most important step because this is when you take a deeper look at the organization and coherence of your paper. In the drafting process, you look at the effectiveness of the ideas, organization and coherence of the paper, and the supportive analysis of ideas. This is an active process. You might move a word or two, change a sentence, or even rearrange an entire paragraph. You might even move a paragraph to another place in the body of the paper. You want to ensure your paper is readable, makes sense, and meets all the requirements of the assignment and scholarly writing expectations. For More Info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/revising As you are revising your paper for the writing elements, you also want to ensure you’ve met the assignment requirements: · Your revision should include topic sentences, strong body paragraphs, a thesis statement, an introduction, and a conclusion. Use the questions below to help you explore each of these more. · You’ve clearly addressed and analyzed what you have completed in the course and how it impacts your success. · You’ve used evidence to support your ideas. You got specific, detailed, dug deeper and provided clear examples for evidence. For example, if you are talking about your score on a self-assessment, why not tell us exactly which one and include the actual score? · You’ve included AT LEAST two specific examples from the course. · You’ve met the length and formatting requirements using AWE.

Here are some specific questions to Ask Yourself as you are revising your draft, along with a quick review of some writing basics. 1. A thesis is your stance on the topic—a one or two sentence statement of opinion, or something that you will explore, prove, expand upon, develop and provide a thorough discussion of in your essay. Remember, a thesis must be arguable. Questions to Ask Yourself: Is your thesis statement clear and specific? Does it indicate the direction your paper is taking? Is it consistent with your body paragraphs? Is it limited enough to be manageable? Do you provide a preview of the points you will use to support your thesis at the end of the introductory paragraph? For more info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/thesisstatements 2. A strong body paragraph should directly support the thesis, have 1 central point, have evidence to support that point, and explain how the evidence supports the point, and in turn, how it supports the thesis statement. Each paragraph should have a: Point- A topic sentence has two functions: -It states the point of the individual paragraph. -It states how the point develops the thesis statement (for an essay). Evidence + Information – Provide outside information to support your topic sentence. Analysis- The explanation illustrates to the reader why the information is relevant to the topic sentence. Questions to Ask Yourself: What are the points supporting the thesis in each paragraph? Do you need to change any that stray away from the thesis? What is each body paragraph’s central idea? Is it expressed in a topic sentence? Where is the sentence located? Can it be moved to the beginning of the paragraph to be more effective? Is the topic sentence merely a fact, or is it a claim that can be supported? Where in the paragraph does support seem irrelevant, vague, insufficient, inaccurate, disorganized? Where would additional sensory details, examples, facts, statistics, expert authority, and personal observation be appropriate? What information should be removed or modified to better support the topic sentence and thesis statement? How could paragraph coherence be strengthened? Which signal devises are used to connect ideas within the paragraphs and between the paragraphs? Are these transitions clear or do they need to be strengthened? How are the body paragraphs organized? Would it be more effective if they were moved into a different order to best support the thesis? Would this make the essay more interesting? For more info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/undergraduate/paragraphs 3. An introductory paragraph should accomplish two tasks: · They should get the reader’s interest so that he or she will want to read more. · They should let the reader know what the writing is going to be about (thesis statement). Questions to Ask Yourself: How could the introduction be more effective? Which striking anecdote, fact, or statistic elsewhere in the essay might be moved to the introduction? How does the introduction establish the essays purpose, audience, tone, and point of view? What introduction techniques might make the paragraph more striking? Is there a clear thesis and preview, are they strategically placed at the end of the introduction paragraph? For more info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/undergraduate/paragraphs/introduction http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/introductions 1. Conclusion Paragraph: The conclusion is a separate section of the essay, a kind of counterpart to the introduction. It has the same purpose as the introduction—to assist the reader in understanding your information and thinking. It is, however, a look back instead of a look ahead. That is, you ask the reader to “step back” from the body part of the essay and reflect on its significance by restating the main points and central thesis. Questions to Ask Yourself: How could the conclusion be strengthened? Which striking anecdote, fact, or statistic elsewhere in the essay might be moved to the conclusion? Would echoing something from the introduction help round off the essay more effectively? Are there any new ideas in the conclusion that should be removed? What conclusion techniques might summarize the thesis and points more creatively? For more info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/undergraduate/paragraphs/conclusion http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/conclusions

The editing and proofreading can be compared to the “salad on the plate”, essential to balance the meal, but not as heavy as the meat and potatoes of drafting and revising. In the editing and proofreading process, you will examine the style, sentence structure, and the mechanics of the paper. This is the last step, after the paper has a solid and well-supported argument. For More Info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/proofreading

Final Considerations: These are things you’ve hopefully considered a bit as you went along, but it’s never a bad idea to check one more time. •Sentences: Questions to Ask Yourself: Are your sentences effective? Interesting? Varied in length and structure? Should any sentences be deleted, combined, shortened, and/or moved? Are there any sentences that are awkward, confusing, or weak? •Mechanics: Questions to Ask Yourself: Do you have errors that may impede the understanding of the reader? Are there run-on and/or comma splices in your paper? Are all the punctuation marks used correctly and skillfully? For more info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/multilingual/grammar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FqSw-HUr3U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-UJJNVLAoE&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLM7NbPzilFBcbmW9VettBnal4DazPzcDU

Getting Ready to Submit

Make sure to proofread your paper one last time before submitting. For more info: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/proofreading You also want to address Part 4 of the directions by adding a visual representation. Part 4: Visual Representation After you have completed your Reflection, find or create a visual artifact that shows your aspiration and hang it above your desk. Think of something that will motivate you and keep you engaged and focused as you complete each Discussion and Assignment as you move through your coursework toward graduation. Be sure to include a picture or copy of this visual representation with your reflection paper by copying and pasting it into your paper or attaching it as a separate file. Make sure to also include your Rough Draft either at the end of your paper or as a separate file uploaded on the Submission page. Congratulations on completing your first major paper and writing exercise at Walden!

Assignment 2: Reflection: Looking Forward: Your Promise to Yourself and to Walden

You are a human in a virtual environment. You are going to learn next to many other students who will bring multiple perspectives to the learning environment. Your Walden community will provide support to you, just as you will provide support and different perspectives to the other students in your classes. Positive social change is a pillar of Walden’s philosophy. An important part of any first term course is reflecting on what the start of your educational journey means while defining your goals and how you plan to achieve them.  Considering the reasons you enrolled in this university, your place in it and in your world, and how you’ll function as a human who will learn in a technological world, are important to your success.

This week is an opportunity to further reflect on the last six weeks by adding onto, revising and proofreading the rough draft you began in Week 4.  Writing is a process, not a one-time event.  Strong writers know that the proofreading and editing involved in revising their work is crucial to producing their best final draft.  You’ll be practicing these skills as you finalize your own draft of the Reflection Assignment.

To prepare for the Assignment:

• Review the instructions in the Week 4 Assignment 2 area.  Pay particular attention to the four Parts and ensure you have addressed each of these sections: Today I am, I Promise To…, How I Will Become Part of the Walden Community, and Visual Representation.

• Access the Rough Draft Reflection you submitted in Week 4.

• Review the comments and feedback your instructor made for your Week 4 Rough draft.

• Review the Week 6 Reflection Assignment Rubric.

• Use the Week 6 Reflection: Revision Guidelines document found in this week’s Learning Resources to guide you through the revision process.

Assignment Instructions:

By Day 7

Submit a 3- to 5-page paper that that represents a finalized version of your Reflection Paper Assignment.

Make sure all four sections are included, you have a clear structure with an introduction and conclusion, and that you’ve met all AWE guidelines, as well as any expectations described in the Week 6 Reflection Assignment Rubric.  Include your rough draft either as a separate file or at the end of your final draft to demonstrate the revisions you’ve made.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK6Assgn2+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

• Click the Week 6 Reflection Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

• Click the Week 6 Assignment 2 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK6Assgn2+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.

• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review your Weekly Journal entries, your initial Discussion posts, Assignments submissions, and Self-Assessments.

• Consider how you have grown or changed your perspective throughout this course.

• Were you surprised by any of the scores you received? What resources will you use this term to enhance your skills in the areas that you’ve covered?

• Review the Personal Success Plan Checklist and Worksheet (Word document).

• Watch the Scholar of Change videos.

Assignment Instructions:

By Day 5

Submit your Personal Success Plan using the Personal Success Plan Checklist and Worksheet in this week’s Learning Resources.

This essay is an explanation of the lessons I have learned at Walden from week one up to week four. The essay will briefly describe the lessons I have reviewed and how they have been significant to me in this term. It will focus on the main areas such as the degree I am pursuing. The modules have been helpful, and Walden has made it feasible for me to benefit from this course, and give me reasons to commit to the course among other factors. I am happy that the knowledge that I gain at Walden will help me even in my career.

I am a proud Walden student pursuing a degree in Healthcare management. Today, I can say that I am a prospective healthcare manager because of this course and all the support Walden is providing to me to make it halfway through. The first module of this class has been captivating and has taught me a lot about technology and how I can use it towards my field of study. I have always wanted to pursue a degree in Healthcare and Walden gave me the perfect opportunity to do it. In the beginning, I was a bit reluctant of whether I could make it but Walden has enhanced my passion and motivate me to stay focus on completing my degree.

Walden is providing me both necessary and professional skills and knowledge, which is essential in management. I am now mastering the fundamentals of technology that enable me to be more competent in my future career. This Technology class has provided the tools to learn and understand myself better and also serve the people in my chosen career. By understanding myself, I am able to deal with other people in a more elaborate manner. This course has, therefore, expanded my knowledge and showed me how important modern technology is to our daily lives.

I am confident that I am not going to quit because I have been passionate about healthcare management and also I am finding it as the best course due to the knowledge I am accumulating from the professor and the support Walden is offering. One of the main things I like about taking classes at Walden is that the professors are involved in the class with the students and strongly advocate for group discussions, and also role-play as a way of improving our skills. Role-playing under the professor’s supervision is enabling me to master the key elements in the course as well as improving on my weak areas.

In this session I have learned the importance of modern technology for healthcare managers. I also learned how to multitask and manage my time while spending time with my family. In the Walden support guidelines and policies, I learn how to avoid burn out and ways of dealing with it in case I find myself in that situation. I have mastered the skill of personal care and how to assist my family and friends without feeling overwhelmed.

My dream is to see myself succeed in my chosen career. This will be feasible with Walden’s support system and constant guidance as well as the weekly assignments. Furthermore, becoming a Walden student reassures me that I will graduate as a competent healthcare manager. I will be part of the positive change in my chosen career because I have learned from the best and I am passionate about what I do. I want to be able to influence other healthcare professionals. I also want a mentor, someone who can guide me during challenging moments and challenges me to become better. I also would like to mentor someone in the future in order to pass on what I have learned.

In conclusion, Walden is one of the best institutions to get the skills and knowledge relevant to various fields. So far, I see myself becoming the best healthcare manager with the support and guidance I have acquired at Walden. I call upon anyone who is interested in any professional course to consider Walden because they give out the best to their students.