Reflection Paper

% of final grade: 15

Week assigned: Week #1

Week due: Week 7

This assignment builds on your contributions to weekly discussions. For the self assessment portion of this assignment, keep track of all your postings to our discussion forums in a separate word document for your own use. Use the discussion topics or indicators/questions (below) as a header for this document.  

Reflect on your postings and summarize your participation in terms of the guidelines below.  Include the week in which the discussion took place. For example, in week 2, I helped solved a problem by... You may focus on two or three weeks in which you felt you made significant/important contributions and discuss those weeks in depth, rather than covering each week.  

Contribution Guidelines

Consider both the quantity and quality of your contributions. The quality of your contribution is more important than the length of each posting.    

In terms of quality did you:  

• Help solve a problem/issue identified by one of your peers?  
• Lend support in resolving the problem/issue?  
• Challenge an idea?  
• Offer some alternatives?  
• Come up with a creative solution?  
• Ask good questions?  
• Assist someone in clarifying his or her ideas?  
• Give examples from your personal experience?  
• Contribute solid evidence to support your opinion?  
• Show respect to others when different opinions are being presented?  
• Acknowledge and affirm someone else's ideas?  

 In terms of quantity did you:  

• Dominate the discussion or remain too silent? 
• Explain yourself well?  
• Give good examples?  
• Respond to others as well as provide your own comments?

Ask yourself whether you did your best to engage the topic and your peers in a productive dialogue and then explain how you did this.    

Your self assessment will cover weeks 1-6. In addition to your self assessment I want you to provide a critical reflection on a topic(s) that most connect with you between weeks 1-6. In essence, you are providing a self assessment on your contributions from weeks 1-6 and singling a week in your submission for a more thorough analysis. To be fair, I am asking that you choose a different topic than the one you are facilitating.      

In your critical reflection portion consider the following:  

1. Why you have chosen a particular week's topic(s)  

2. How does the topic(s) relate to your personal/professional life  

3. How have you used or will use the theories/approaches/strategies in your discipline  

4. Do you agree/disagree with the main arguments of the readings  

5. How did the discussion influence your thoughts on the topic(s)  

6. Was there anything in discussion forum that inspired, if so how?  

Remember this is a critical reflection paper, so providing a summary of the articles and simply stating "I agree" or "I disagree" is not substantive enough.     

Since you will be using the week's readings, APA format applies.  

If you have any questions about your self-assessment report, please let me know.   

Evaluation

Your paper will be graded on the following criteria: 

1. Extensiveness in using class materials (appropriately)

2. Understanding of class materials

3. Clarity in writing and presentation (including formatting and use of APA format). 

Length and Format

5 - 8 pages (1500-2400 words), excluding list of references and title page.