Description

This assignment focuses on two course outcomes: Course Outcome 1: Examine the role of critical thinking for both a learner in a graduate program and as a professional in an industry. Course Outcome 3: Demonstrate proficiency in using APA Style for citing references. As a graduate student, you will be expected to apply APA Style to academic papers and other forms of writing. This exercise allows you to apply APA Style to both in-text citations and also reference citations. Use the following passage (3 paragraphs) and its list of resources to practice inserting in-text citations and constructing properly formatted reference citations. The sample passage contains direct quotations, Paraphrases and summaries. Insert the in-text citations where they are required.

 Be sure to include the appropriate information for each type of in-text citation. Finally, convert the source information below the passage into properly formatted APA Style reference citations. Include a title page with the proper APA Style formatted information as you did with your essay in Unit I. Then, the passage should appear on the second page of your document. Be sure the font style is set to Times New Roman, size 12, and double-space the passage. Next, insert the correct in-text citations based on the resources list below. Finally, on the last page (a new page) of your document, center the word ‘References’ and format the sources in the form of APA Style reference citations. Be sure to also double-space your reference citations and use a hanging indent. Click here for a formatted template to help you get started on the assignment. Here is the passage: Two key advantages of online learning are flexibility and convenience. But online learning is a lot more challenging than it may seem. So, what makes a successful online learner? First, the online learner must make sure he or she is ready to succeed. Online learning can sound so perfect that some students start with an unrealistic vision. In reality, online courses require just as much, if not more, time and energy as traditional classroom courses. Taking an online course also requires one to have specific computer skills and learning strategies in order to succeed. Dyer believes the most successful students are both efficient at managing their time and also self-motivated. Particularly in the graduate school setting, many students have a lot of things on their plate other than college— a part-time (or full-time) job, a few kids to take care of, or any number of responsibilities. In their book, Professors' Guide: Secrets of College Success, Jacobs and Hyman suggest to students “to divide up your week, and your day, into different and non-overlapping time.” For example, if an online learner works at a job during the day, then the online learner will want to schedule study time in the evenings. 

If on Tuesday and Thursday the online learner’s child has soccer practice in the evening, the online learner will not be able to write much of his or her paper on those two days. “The key to success when you have multiple commitments is compartmentalization: keeping each activity separate, and not letting one zone bleed into another.” In their study on Predictors for Student Success in an Online Course, researchers Yukselturk and Bulut reiterated that “one of the most important components of learning in any educational environment is otivation” and “found it to be one of the best determining factors of student success.” A motivated student could be defined as one who seizes the opportunity to learn or will stick with the class even in the face of adversity. Autonomous, self-regulated learners commit to controlling their own learning experiences. Further explained in this study is that some of the ways that self-regulation can be displayed is by seeking help when they lack understanding, believing in their own capabilities, and organizing the material to be learned.