Select a topic to research. For your research, you must use Google Scholar, the GCU Library or another reputable site. Use Lecture 2 for a description of what is considered a scholarly article. Use APA formatting style for references.Create a title page and a reference list with 10 references from the last 5 years. Include the permalink for each reference.Include the following types of references:
- Book
- Journal articles
- Website
- Dissertation/thesis from a database
- Streaming video
- Book chapter
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
Communicating as a Graduate Student at GCU Introduction Learning to communicate appropriately and effectively in a variety of settings and in a variety of formats is an important skill in both academic and professional environments. In an online learning environment, learning to communicate effectively through writing is particularly important because it is, by far, how the majority of communication occurs. Review the learning objectives for this module within the course syllabus and use the following lecture, which is about various forms of written communication used in the online graduate setting, to accomplish them. Paraphrasing Paraphrasing the ideas of others is a requirement in academic writing and graduate study. Paraphrasing is using your own words to restate ideas or information from a source material. Paraphrasing will help you grasp the full meaning of the source material and allow you to appropriately reference the source material to support your own ideas and academic writing. Paraphrased material is usually shorter and more concise than the original information. The following are some common guidelines taken from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (2012), which may assist you with learning to paraphrase information gathered from reading materials for use in completing your coursework. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. Set the original passage aside and, on a note card, write what you think the passage means in your own words (paraphrase). Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later of how you plan to use the information. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. Compare your paraphrase with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phrase you copied exactly from the original source. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can cite it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into a paper or discussion question response. The following is an example of paraphrasing (Purdue OWL, 2012), which includes proper citation, per APA style, of the original source material. The original passage: Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, J.D. (1976). Writing Research Papers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Publishing Clearinghouse. A legitimate paraphrase: In research papers, students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note-taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester, 1976). Lester, J.D. (1976). Writing Research Papers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Publishing Clearinghouse. When reading course materials, it is important to make connections between the meaning of the reading material, your course learning objectives, your personal experience with the topic, and the completion of course assignments. Below is an example of a paraphrasing assignment that includes taking a direct quote, writing it down in your own words, and making a connection. Quote From Required Module Reading Meaning of Text Module Learning Objective Making a Connection "Women are the mules of the world." I think Hurston means that women do most of the work in the world, but don't get the credit for it. Discuss perceptions of male and female roles in society. It makes me think of myself, working full time both at home (cleaning, cooking, buying groceries, etc.) and this information relates to my paper because my paper is about the role of women and men today. This is one example of how women are perceived in society. (Alvermann, Phelps, & Ridgeway, 2007) Summaries This week you are required to complete a summary of an academic article. You will use academic articles to increase your knowledge and understanding of topics covered throughout your program of study, as well as to support your articulation of concepts learned. Following are some guidelines for writing an effective summary: Explanation: Explain what the article is about and how it is relevant to the topic of study. Include all important aspects of the article. Clarity and completeness: Express your thoughts about the article clearly and completely. Impartiality and objectivity: Be neutral and objective when summarizing theories, study results, and comparisons with others' work. There is no place for opinion or emotion when summarizing a journal article. Order: Summarize the article in an order that coincides with the structure of the article as written similar to how the article is written. For example, if summarizing a research study, you would not begin by discussing the results of the study, but rather the research problem and research questions. Accuracy: Be sure to accurately articulate the meaning of the article that the author intended to convey. Simplicity: Do not use excessive jargon, flowery language, or long words (e.g., utilization instead of use) for their own sake; the ideas and concepts must stand on their own without unnecessary enhancement. Annotated Reference Lists Throughout your courses, you may be required to complete annotated reference lists (also known as annotated bibliographies); in fact, next week you will be required to complete an annotated reference list. An annotated reference list or bibliography is one way to organize references or information gained from various sources, most likely academic or professional journals, in preparation for completing a writing assignment. An annotated bibliography is essentially a list of references you have found that are related to the topic of your writing assignment and includes: 1. A brief summary of the source and its relevance to the topic you will be writing about (annotated means "noted" or "explained") 2. An APA citation of the reference The following is an example of the beginning of an annotated reference list: Outlines An outline is a great way to help focus your writing when beginning any writing process (summaries, essays, research papers, etc.). Without an outline, you can easily veer off topic, and end up with a rambling piece of writing that fails to meet the assignment objective. For additional information on how to write an effective outline, visit Purdue's Online Writing Lab by clicking here. Communicating in Forums Communicating effectively with your instructor and peers in an online learning environment will ensure that your learning experiences are valuable. The LoudCloud environment offers the following five forums in which you may communicate with others: Main Forum Individual Forum Questions to Instructor Forum Collaborative Learning Community Forums Class Wall The Main Forum is where discussion question responses are posted, while the Individual Forum is reserved for personal communication between you and your instructor only. The Questions to Instructor Forum is where you may post questions for the instructor in such cases as the answer may be beneficial to all students. The Class Wall is an informal place where you may communicate with both your instructor and classmates. When communicating in any forum of the classroom, you are expected to be respectful, professional, and to always use language appropriate for the academic setting. However, there are also specific expectations for communicating during discussions in the Main Forum. Discussions in the Main Forum All students are encouraged to strive for high academic performance. One way to do this is by posting quality responses in all discussion forums (in-class discussions, online discussion questions, and collaborative learning communities (). A quality response is constructive, meaningful, respectful, concise, distinctive, and timely. The following are guidelines used to assess discussion forum responses: Guidelines for Evaluating Students' Participation in Class Discussions Participation clearly demonstrates understandingof the subject matter at an appropriate depth of analysis and evaluation. Participation clearly demonstrates applicationof the subject matter with appropriate examples from student's own experiences or research. Participation includes relevantmaterial and conveys more than a general message. Participation provides adequate support for assertions from varying perspectives demonstrating the ability to analyze philosophical differences. Participation posts online are writtenclearly and for an audience of peer professionals. Participation posts online are writtenrespectfully and withappropriate tone. Students ask relevant questions related to the subject matter illustrating utilization of Bloom's taxonomy. Participation affirmsthe value of others' opinions. Participation adds value beyond the assigned discussion questions. Online discussion and ground in-class discussions are similar in nature. Someone asks a question, another gives an answer and others contribute in new ways to the discussion by presenting different views, opposite opinions, filling in gaps, or taking the conversation in a related, but different, direction. Attending class online requires your virtual presence, while actually participating in class requires your intellectual presence as well. Being engaged in the learning process is at a higher level still, requiring also your emotional presence. This means that you should always actively participate in discussions by thinking critically about discussion questions and making connections to your personal or professional experiences prior to posting a response. Discussion promotes independent thought and helps you integrate the learning material with your prior knowledge of the topic of discussion. You are expected to critically think about ideas, debate issues, defend your perspective with facts, and apply theoretical concepts in discussions. Your initial and follow-up responses should integrate course theories with practical application, offer a personal observation or experience, or reference real-world examples, current events, or further research you have done on the topic. Quality discussion responses should demonstrate deeper or broader thoughts about a topic rather than just rephrasing what the textbook has to say on the topic, and encourage further discussion and ongoing dialogue with other students in the class. It is important to do more than repeat information that others have given or simply agree with or acknowledge the contributions of another. Communicating in Teams Collaborative learning involves assigning students to teams so that they can learn to work together to achieve common goals. Doing this successfully requires effective communication regarding team roles and expectations, deadlines for assignments, and agreement on how the assignment should be completed. These collaborative projects will give you an opportunity to work together with your team members to determine the best solution to a problem or present a summary of material for example. One goal of collaborative learning is the accomplishment of joint, rather than individual, goals, similar to that of working collaboratively as you would on a team project in the workplace. Success occurs when all members of the team achieve the goal. This is the basis of the Collaborative Learning Community (CLC). Many class assignments throughout your courses use CLCs. In addition, students are encouraged to form CLCs as study groups to work on assignments and to prepare for exams, as long as each student contributes substantially