Week 8-Announcements

Week 8

Announcements 

 

Dear Students,

Welcome to Week 8!  Time seems to have gone so quickly; we will be moving towards the second half of our course now. I have thoroughly enjoyed our discussions and the progress being made as part of the assignments being submitted. As we progress through the modules, you are learning more about simulation models and technological developments in policymaking. This week focuses on communication technologies tools (ICT) and technologies presenting the potential to enhance policymaking. Along with the different types of ICT tools and technologies that assist in policy making, you will also learn the main aspects of policymaking such as the policy cycle and types of stakeholders involved in the process.

Your tasks for this week include the textbook reading, participation in the discussion, homework assignment and a quiz. I would like to suggest a few things that would enable your performance in class. Getting additional readings in areas of difficulty and contacting me on topics you need clarification will definitely help. Please feel free to post your general questions on our course page.

The discussion forum requires submission of an original post by you and 3 subsequent responses to your peers. Address your peer by name in your response. Occasionally, I may prompt you with a question in the forum. Response to the instructor is not considered as a peer response. Scholarly writing is expected from doctoral learners. Check your spelling and grammar using the tools available in the message box. Avoid multiple copies of the original posts and attachments. APA formatted headers are not required in discussions. Use your references and in-text citations as needed. Discussions will be turned off by Sunday midnight of each week and submissions will not be accepted for credit after the deadline. I am noticing that many of you have a similar response to the initial post when it comes to examples and applications.  In some cases, they look intentional ( plagiarised). Please make sure the work submitted in this course is from your own research. 

Read and re-read the homework assignments carefully. Focus ONLY on what is being asked in the question. Use subheadings in your submissions for clarity and content presentation. Review the rubrics. In doctoral-level courses, students are expected to apply research, critical thinking, and analysis. The use of scholarly references must be visible in your submission. This is a criterion that I will be looking for, to give an excellent rating. Please note that UC utilizes SafeAssign to check student submissions for plagiarism. This is located within all assignment settings. The originality report I see highlights any blocks of text in submitted documents that match reference sources. It also links back to the matching documents on the Internet or in supported content databases.  Proper attribution of any borrowed content is expected throughout the course. There are many resources available to assist you with a better understanding of how to avoid academic integrity violations.  Please visit our library to access these resources.

I would also like to remind you about the late policy. Our syllabus highlights that late assignments will NOT be accepted. If you have extenuating circumstances that are serious and unforeseen, such as, but not limited to, unexpected extended hospitalization, death of an immediate family member, or natural disaster, I will allow you to submit assignments after the due dates. You must notify me as soon as possible to arrange new deadlines within the same week the assignment is due.

If you submitted a wrong file, contact me by email and I will clear your submission allowing you to resubmit. This has to be prior to the due date and late policies apply if the assignment is late. For technical issues, contact iLearn support.

Discussions:

Chapter 7 presents a comparative analysis of various tools useful in policy making. Select two tools described in chapter 7 from different categories, and describe how these tools could be used to develop policy for optimizing bus and local train schedules to minimize energy use and passenger wait times in a SmartCity environment.  

To complete this assignment, you must do the following:

A) Create a new thread. As indicated above, select two tools described in chapter 7 from different categories, and describe how these tools could be used to develop policy for optimizing bus and local train schedules to minimize energy use and passenger wait times in a SmartCity environment. 

B) Select AT LEAST 3 other students' threads and post substantive comments on those threads. Your comments should extend the conversation started with the thread.

 

ALL original posts must be research-based and comments must be substantive. (I'm looking for about a paragraph - not just "I agree.")

Homework Assignment:

1. Use the readings and your research to examine a formal simulation model in policy-making. Consider the following as you review the literature:

· How does the model fit into the need of a selected organization?

· How can validity and formality be applied to the model?

Your submission should be approximately 500 words and demonstrate proper APA formatting and style. You do not need to include a cover page or abstract, but be sure to include your name, assignment title, and page number in the running header of each page. Your assignment should include a minimum of four references from your unit readings and your research; the sources should be appropriately cited throughout your paper and in your reference list. Use meaningful section headings to clarify the organization and readability of your paper.

2. By submitting this paper, you agree: (1) that you are submitting your paper to be used and stored as part of the SafeAssign™ services in accordance with the  Blackboard Privacy Policy ; (2) that your institution may use your paper in accordance with your institution's policies; and (3) that your use of SafeAssign will be without recourse against Blackboard Inc. and its affiliates.

Rubrics: 40 points

Content & Research

13.2 (33.00%)

Thoroughly researched and presented a formal simulation model in policy-making and described how the model fit into the needs of an organization by applying validity and formality.

Organization, Readability& Subheadings

13.6 (34.00%)

Well organized content with subheadings, professional, scholarly writing in an easy-to-read format.

APA, Grammar, Clarity & Mechanics

13.2 (33.00%)

Exceeds number of required references; all references high-quality choices. Submission is free of errors and follows APA format.

Supplementary Resources

 

·  How IT allows e-participation in policy-making process.pdf  (260.941 KB) 

·  Tools and Technologies for Planning the Development of Smart Cities.pdf  (406.979 KB) 

·  Toward Visualization in Policy Modeling.pdf  (944.518 KB)