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Assessment Overview
Intellectual Indebtedness and Academic Integrity | Assignments | Assignment
Marking Criteria | Assignment 1 | Assignments 2 & 3| Assignments Expectations
Intellectual Indebtedness and Academic Integrity
Students enrolled in Athabasca University courses are considered to be
esponsible scholars and are therefore expected to adhere rigorously to the
principles of academic integrity both in assignments and tests. In order to
maintain test question security, duplication or sharing of quiz and test questions
is not permitted. Please read the Athabasca University Student Academic
Misconduct Policy.
Plagiarism is a form of intellectual dishonesty in which another person's work is
presented as one's own. Be certain that whenever you use a secondary source
in your course work and assignments you reference your source in a consistent
and logical manner. All direct quotes (quotations of any number of words from
the original) and indirect quotes (paraphrased ideas) must be acknowledged.
Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, and as with any form of academic
misconduct, it will be penalized. Penalties may take the form of rejection of the
submitted work; expulsion from the examination, the course or the program; o
legal action, depending on the specific nature of the infraction.
Dutiful citation of quotes and paraphrased materials does not mean that you can
write an essay assignment by stringing together a series of quotes. You should
always try to summarize or describe someone else's ideas in your own words.
When you present your own ideas or opinions in a paper, provide evidence o
arguments to substantiate your position. For information about the reference and
citation styles of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (APA [6th ed.]), and how to write scholarly papers, visit Athabasca
University's Li
ary Help Centre.
All written assignments in this course must:
use co
ect spelling and grammar;
adhere to APA format, as outlined in the 6th edition of the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association;
e your own work and be free of evidence of plagiarism;
use Microsoft Word (or Microsoft Word compatible) format; and
e submitted via the Assignment Drop Box.
Assignments
To receive credit for Nursing 438 you must complete all of the required
assignments and achieve an overall composite grade of 64% (C). All papers
submitted must follow APA Publication Manual, 6th edition XXXXXXXXXXThe
assignments and weighting of the composite grade is:
Assignments Due Date Weighting
Assignment 1 20%
Assignment 2 40%
Assignment 3 40%
Total 100%
Assignment Marking Criteria
All assignments in Nursing 438 are marked according to the following
criteria:
Content of Paper or Project (70%)
Each element of the assignment guideline is addressed.
Analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking skills are demonstrated.
The paper integrates material from course textbook and/or othe
scholarly sources as appropriate.
Discussion is logical and clear; presentation of ideas is organized;
evidence supports the discussion; writing style is concise.
Scholarly Format of Paper or Project (30%)
Pape
project is free of typographical, grammatical, punctuation, and
spelling e
ors.
Pape
project adheres to APA (6th edition) format.
Pape
project adheres to page limits.
Critical thinking, scholarly writing and APA scholarly format, good writing, and
critical thinking are the three most important criteria by which you will be judged
in your papers. Each criterion ca
ies equal weight in assigning marks.
Refer to the Student guide Student guide for more information on scholarly
writing expectations and resources related to intellectual indebtedness and APA
format.
Assignment 1
Value: 20% of final grade
Submit assignment via the drop boxes on the course home page
Due Date: Negotiable (suggested completion after Unit 3)
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to:
develop skills in analyzing media-presented issues related to the nursing
profession and nursing practice; and
explore the public perception of nurses and the nursing profession.
To complete this assignment:
focus on a cu
ent issue in nursing; and
examine this issue in the context of written opinions expressed through
three (3) separate types of media.
Issues are often value laden; issues in health care and in nursing are no
different. Concerns about the state of our health care system and the state of
nursing in Canada have been discussed at length within the media, government,
and nursing organizations. While it is often difficult to differentiate fact from
fiction and opinion, public opinion is often influenced by what is written in the
popular press or on the Internet.
Assignment Expectations
Find three articles on the same issue/topic.
One of the articles must be from a popular periodical or media source,
preferably something you may have at home (such as Macleans, Time,
Reader’s Digest, or your local newspaper – either print based or online
version) or CBC, CTV, or CNN online articles.
Your second article must be from a scholarly periodical either print
version [e.g. The Canadian Nurse] or retrieved from a database [e.g. AU
Li
ary, CINAHL, Medline, etc.].
The third article must be from a Web site that is not merely a We
version of a print source. The articles should represent a range of views;
in other words, these articles should not all agree.
The introduction includes a thesis that prepares your reader for the general
topic the articles address, the issues they raise, and the position you will be
taking.
Summarize each article separately by stating in your own words the
important information presented in each article and any arguments the
authors make.
Do not paraphrase the whole article; present the main points
iefly—
each summary should be one paragraph long, two at the most.
When summarizing, it is not appropriate to dwell on extended examples
(such as personal case histories or stories); you do not need to
summarize complex statistical parts of a study.
You should focus on the main ideas and issues discussed. You could
iefly refer to any specific personal stories or statistical sections of the
piece (using one or two sentences).
Respond to the three articles by:
comparing the authors’ credibility, documentation, and support fo
claims;
evaluating any disagreements or agreements between the authors; and
articulating your own position on their ideas or issues. This means more
than just stating your opinion; you must also explain it.
Describe how your personal and professional values influence your views
on this issue.
Document your sources using co
ect APA style. This paper adheres to a 6
page limit excluding reference and title pages.
Assignments 2 & 3
Value: 40% each
Submit assignment via link in the Assessment section of the course home page
Due Date : Negotiable (suggested completion after Units 4 and 8)
Purpose
It is becoming increasingly important for registered nurses to assume a
leadership role in a changing health care system. Hence, registered nurses must
e able to assess and act to fulfill their own learning needs in order to work to
their full scope of practice. To complete this assignment, consider an issue o
trend in nursing or health care and choose one of the options from the bulleted
list below. Your papers must be scholarly in presentation, reflective of course
content, and although they may be related to one another, they must not be
duplications.
The following is a
ief description of each type of pape
project. Please
efer to the assignment expectations assessment section below for a
detailed description of each type of pape
project.
Note: There is a 10 page limit for all written papers excluding title and reference
pages. (with the exception of the professional portfolio):
Pape
Project Options:
Position Paper: presents an arguable position on an issue with the goal of
convincing the audience that this position is valid. The position paper is
elated to course content; be clear as to difference between a position
paper, discussion paper, and an issue paper
Discussion Paper: discusses a situation or dilemma representing a variety
of views; consists of a reasoned defense of the recommendations. The
discussion paper is related to course content; for example one could frame
a question and then proceed with discussion of the answer.
Issue Paper: presents a balanced view of a situation or dilemma in which
oth sides of the situation are clearly articulated. The issue paper is related
to course content that follows the framework from your textbook - Framing
and Analyzing the Issue.
Literature Review:is an account of what has been published on a topic by
accredited scholars and researchers; the purpose is to convey to what
knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, including the
strengths and weaknesses. The literature review is related to course
content.
Website Critique:: is a formalized, critical appraisal of a website; the goal is
to turn critical reading into a systematic evaluation in order to deepen insight
into that website. This is an analysis of several (5-7) interesting Web sites
that relate to a particular issue and or take a position on that issue. Critique
the verifiability of information in each web site including the authority of the
Web site. Compare and contrast how the issue is presented, and provide an
executive summary of each Web site.
Professional Portfolio: is a convenient system to tell the story of one's
career. It might include: original documents (e.g. resume/cu
iculum vitae,
professional association memberships, license
oard results), supporting
materials (e.g. letters of recommendation, publications, presentations,
certifications, job descriptions, evaluations), and collateral pieces (e.g. thank
you letters, articles and books you have read). This is a beginning
professional portfolio. Portfolio should not exceed a 15 page limit including
title page and any appendices (this page limit is an exception to the 10
pages as stated above).
Assignments Expectations
What is a Position Pape
A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a
position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth
listening to. Ideas that you are considering need to be carefully examined in
choosing a topic, developing your argument, and organizing your paper. It is
very important to ensure that you are addressing all sides of the issue and
presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand. Your jo
is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have
well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It is important to support
your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as to
address the counterclaims to show that you are well informed about both sides.
Writing a Position Pape
Issue Criteria
To take a side on a subject, you should first establish the arguability of a topic
that interests you. Ask yourself the following questions to ensure that you will be
able to present a strong argument:
Is it a real issue, with genuine controversy and uncertainty?
Can you distinctly identify two positions?
Are you personally interested in advocating one of these positions?
Is the issue na
ow enough to be manageable?
Analyzing an Issue and Developing an Argument
Once your topic is selected, you should do some research on the subject matter.
While you may already have an opinion on your topic and an idea about which
side of the argument you want to