Week 9 Assignment 2 – Submit Here

 

Students, please view the “Submit a Clickable Rubric Assignment” in the Student Center.

Instructors, training on how to grade is within the Instructor Center.

 

Assignment 2:  Problem Solving

Due Week 9 and worth 150 points

 

When faced with a problem, what do you do to solve it? This assignment asks you to apply a six-step to problem solving process to a specific problem scenario. You will write a paper that presents a synthesis of your ideas about solving the problem using this systematic approach. As Voltaire said, “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”

 

Choose one (1) of the problem scenarios as a topic choice for your paper (Note: Your professor must approve your topic choice before you begin work on the assignment.)

 

Scenario 1: You have worked at your company for eleven (11) years. You have returned to college to earn a Bachelor’s degree in order to increase your chances for a promotion. You are nearly finished with your degree, when a supervisor’s position in a competing company becomes available in another state. The start date is in two (2) weeks, during your final exam period for your courses. The position offers a $15,000 per year salary increase, a car allowance, and relocation expenses. Your former supervisor works for the company and is recommending you for the position based on your outstanding job performance; if you want the job, it’s yours. All of the other supervisors at this level in the company have Master’s degrees, so you know that you would be expected to earn your Bachelor’s degree and continue on to a Master’s degree. Your present company offers tuition reimbursement, but the new company does not.

 

Scenario 2: Your child comes home from school with an assignment sheet for a school project. He / she is very excited about the project and begins work immediately, doing research on the Internet and gathering materials. You read over the assignment sheet and notice that your child is not including all of the required items in the project, and you have some ideas for how to improve the quality of the presentation. You recently read an article in a parenting magazine about the importance of a child developing responsibility for his/ her own learning. You recall the many ways in which your parents took over your school projects. You, on the other hand, want to encourage your child’s confidence in his / her ability to complete a project independently. The next day, you are at the grocery store when you see a parent of a student in your child’s class. That parent has spent over $30 in supplies for the science project and is taking a day off of work to put the pieces of the project together.

 

Scenario 3: You have two jobs—one during the week from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and one on Saturday from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. You are taking two classes—one that meets from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, and one class online. You have two kids—one who plays soccer, and one who is in band. You have two elderly parents who no longer drive. You have two siblings—one who lives two (2) miles away, and one who lives in another state. You have two (2) papers due in your classes the same week that one (1) of your children has a soccer tournament, and the other child has a band concert. You are coaching the soccer team, and you are in charge of fundraising for the band. You have a goal to complete your degree in two (2) years. Your doctor tells you that your blood pressure, your cholesterol, and your weight are too high and recommends several medications that cost you nearly $200 per month after your insurance co-pay.

 

Scenario 4: You are a sales representative for a company that encourages staff to log time in the field and away from the office. You are expected to begin and end your day at the office. You notice that each day when you arrive and return another co-worker is already there, and you wonder whether this person spends most of his / her time at the office. At your weekly sales meeting, you are informed of your co-workers’ outstanding sales performance. You suspect that this co-worker is spending more time flattering the boss instead of working leads in the field, and as a result is getting the best client referrals. Your own sales numbers have steadily decreased since this other sales representative was hired.

 

Scenario 5: Professor’s Choice – problem scenario presented by your professor.

 

Scenario 6: Student’s Choice – Problem scenario presented by you.

 

Review the six-step problem solving process outlined in the webtext, based on the article “The Problem Solving Process” located athttp://www.gdrc.org/decision/problem-solve.html:

 

Step One: Define the problemStep Two: Analyze the problemStep Three: Generate optionsStep Four: Evaluate optionsStep Five: Make your decisionStep Six: Implement and reflect

 

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Define the problem in the scenario that you have chosen.

2. Analyze the problem in the scenario.

3. Generate options for solving the problem in the scenario.

4. Evaluate the options for solving the problem.

5. Decide on the best option for solving the problem.

6. Explain how you will implement the decision made and reflect on whether this option was the most effective.

 

The paper should follow guidelines for clear and organized writing:

 

Include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph.Address main ideas in body paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting sentences.Adhere to standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling.

 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

 

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA Style format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

 

You should follow these submission guidelines:

 

Submit the paper draft to Turnitin.com and then submit the originality report with the draft to Blackboard.

 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

 

Recognize the hindrances to the decision-making process in order to apply problem-solving skills to a variety of situations.Create written work utilizing the concepts of critical thinking.Use technology and information resources to research issues in critical thinking skills and informal logic.

 

Click here to view the grading rubric..

 

Case study 1.Lana S. seemed to be a healthy newborn. In fact, she seemed to be hitting developmental milestones ahead of schedule, trying to lift her head up at only 3 weeks. But then she rapidly lost skills. Her head flopped, she stopped trying to turn over, and her arms and legs became spastic. When she no longer made eye contact, her anxious parents took her to the pediatrician. She referred the family to a pediatric neurologist, who was puzzled. “She has all the symptoms of Canavan disease, but that can’t be. You’re not Jewish.” Explain how the neurologist was incorrect. 2.The human population of India is divided into many castes, and the people follow strict rules governing who can marry whom. Researchers compared several genes among 265 Indians of different castes and 750 people from Africa, Europe, and Asia. The study found that the genes of higher Indian castes most closely resembled those of Europeans, and that the genes of the lowest castes most closely resembled those of Asians. In addition, maternally inherited genes (mitochondrial DNA) more closely resembled Asian versions of those genes, but paternally inherited genes (on the Y chromosome) more closely resembled European DNA sequences. Construct an historical scenario to account for these observations. 3.A magazine article featured parents who filed a “wrongful birth” lawsuit against their doctor for failing to offer prenatal testing for spina bifida, which their daughter was born with in 2003—even though they love the child dearly. They will not say whether they would have ended the pregnancy had they known about the birth defect. If they had ended it, would that have been a eugenic act? Explain your answer. Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Submitted the document for the case study in “Changing Allele Frequencies” and it contained the following: Explained why the increased prevalence of sickle-cell disease among African Americans has more to do with the environmental factors than the skin color or other phenotypes used to define races. Described other examples of balanced polymorphism. Identified a population group (other than African Americans) with a high prevalence of sickle-cell disease. Listed six genetic diseases more common among Ashkenazi Jews than among other population groups. Used correct spelling, grammar, and professional vocabulary. Cited all sources using APA format.

ESSAY

 

 

” Please respond to one (1) of the following, using sources under the Explore heading as the basis of your response:

 

 

 

•Write for one (1) minute using the stream of consciousness writing method (Note: You may also type it offline and copy it within this discussion thread). Then, first explain what stream of consciousness method is (provide references).  Describe your experience and your reaction to what you wrote. Of the samples of the stream of consciousness technique given in this week’s chapters, determine which you prefer and explain the reasons why. Use a concrete example from the textbook, summarize it in your own words, and tell us concretely about your impression after reading it.

 

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•Of the various authors, artists, and musicians who participated in the Harlem Renaissance, identify the person whose autograph you would most want, and explain the reasons why. Tell us a bit about this person: when and where did she or he live, what is she/he famous for, etc. Provide one (1) example that illustrates the reason why you selected the person that you did.

 

Explore:

 

Streaming Live

 

•Chapter 35 (pp. 1163-1166); Chapter 36 (p. 1189), stream of consciousness – background and samples

 

•Method and exploration of stream-of-consciousness writing at  http://dversepoets.com/2012/05/24/stream-of-conscousness-writing/

 

 

 

•Writing a stream: http://thewritepractice.com/stream-of-consciousness/

 

 and http://literarydevices.net/stream-of-consciousness/

 

 

 

Harlem Renaissance

 

 

 

•Chapter 36 (pp. 1172-1180); review the Week 8 “Music Folder”

 

•Website and video at http://www.history.com/topics/harlem-renaissance