You are entering the final activity in this course and I couldn’t be happier for you! You have been challenged to change or polish the way you read, think, and write, and to develop an image of yourself as a successful student and professional. It has been exciting for me to have accompanied you in this important step of your journey.
Personal Success Plan. Right now, take an honest look at your own skills and progress. Do you feel confident in some skills but perhaps anxious about your performance in other areas? That is pretty natural at this point. This course was not meant to perfect your skills, only to provide an introduction to the skills that you will need to be successful in graduate school. To progress further, you need to make a candid evaluation of just where you would like to improve. We have provided a chart to help you do this and suggest that you neither underestimate nor overestimate your own skills. By identifying where you need further help in skill building you can help me and your Advisor to direct you to additional NCU resources that can help you develop skills even as you learn the material you will be studying in your courses. So, fill out the chart accurately, and I will give you my opinion too. Together we can work out a plan for your success. By the way, you may have entered the program with a good skills set but really want to take it over the top. We can help with that too!
Program Resources. In this course, you have picked up lots of tips and tools for success. While they are still fresh in your mind, compile a toolbox for yourself. Write down the tips that were important to you, make a few notes about how they can help, and compile this into a guide that you can use throughout your program. For the “Program Resources” you do not need to include each resource you encountered, but be sure to include at least one or two key resources from each activity that you think will be helpful to you as you continue in your graduate studies. These could be resources from the activity resources, or perhaps links that I have provided in preview and/or feedback. Look at the Activity 8 Foundations Feedback Sheet, to see what you will be graded on. Also, the first column in the chart in the “Personal Success Plan” will give you some ideas of what resources you should think about. Remember to include the link in the annotation, and be sure to include a references page. If you cite a source in your document, it must be included on a references page. You cannot have one without the other.
Motivation Touchstone. I really applaud you for undertaking your graduate degree, and understand that you will probably face a multitude of pressures and constraints yet to be determined to succeed. To keep your spirits up, prepare a touchstone, something you can turn to when the going gets tough that can motivate you. This might be an image of yourself getting that degree, or a picture of your family and support team, or even just a lovely image that really helps you relax and refresh. I have been sharing some quotes and images in these letters, so now it is your turn to share the sayings, or images, or other artifacts that inspire you. In addition to uploading your work in the courseroom, you may want to store these final products in your e-portfolio and discuss your reactions and conclusions from this course with your Advisor, especially if you have decided to work further on developing your skills. The e-portfolio is your personal space that only you can access.
You will submit two documents for this activity – the “Program Resources” and your “Personal Success Plan” should be included in one document, and your “Motivation Touchstone” should be submitted separately.
Use the two-page Activity 8 Foundations Feedback Sheet (found in the Activity Resources), followed by a title page, and then begin your Program Resources and Personal Success Plan paper. In this paper, remember to start with an introduction (tell the reader what to expect), provide the required information, and end with a conclusion or summary. Remember to provide a references page. Any time that you have an intext citation, you must provide a references page.
For the Motivation Touchstone, you do not need to use the Activity 8 Foundations Feedback Sheet.
Be sure to use the NCU Naming Convention for each: Last Name_First Initial_BTM-xxxx-8-1 and Last Name_First Initial_BTMxxxx-8-2.
As always, if you have questions, do not hesitate to ask! I am looking forward to reviewing your final assignment.
Activity 8 Further Explanation
This assignment is in two parts: a summary of the resources that you utilized (at least one from each activity), a self-evaluation of the skills that you learned during this course (one document) and; (b) a motivational touchstone (second document).
The assignment is for your benefit so that later on in your program you will have an annotated bibliography of resources in which you may access when needed. For example, the activity where we learned about annotated bibliographies – the resources may be important to review when it is time for you to create more annotated bibliographies later in your program. By summarizing your resources into an annotated bibliography paper, you will be able to maintain information from various resources in a concise, ready-reference that includes notes, ideas, and observations of that material. It is not so important that you provide an APA-correct citation for these resources – the importance lies in how you will find the resources later. So, for instance, if you want to use the Time Management Workbook from Activity 2, in your write-up, provide the URL that will take you to the AttackYourDay website. In the write-up, provide a reminder of what this is and how you may benefit in the future.
If you want to use one of the resources from Activity 6, writing annotated bibliographies, you could use the University of Canberra resource: University of Canberra, Academic Skills Center. Annotated bibliographies, found at: http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/bibliography. Then, provide your write-up – a reminder of what this is so that six months from now, if you need to write annotated bibliographies, you can go back to this resource for a refresher.
If you want to use the Writing Center – provide the link to the Writing Center and a reminder to yourself what you would use it for.
Remember, when you provide intext citations, you must include the resource on the references page.
The table should show your level of mastery for each of the skills that you have practiced during this course. If you look at the skills identified in Column A, you will see that they are from different activities. For example, goal writing was from Activity 7. Rate yourself. Also, keep in mind that the Goal Writing Workbook from Activity 7 could be included in the first part (your program resources write-up). The second skill listed is Understanding and Applying the Academic Integrity process. Recall, this was from Activity 3. Rate yourself, and be sure to identify the Activity Resource from Assignment 3 in your program resource write-up.
Each one of the skills listed in the table was covered in a specific activity throughout the program. This should help you organize the first part of your paper. The first two were from Activity 7 (remember to list these in your program resource write-up). The third and fourth skills listed used the resources from Activity 3; the fifth skill listed (reading and analyzing complex texts) was used in Activity 6; the sixth skill listed (performing an online library search) was used in Activity 4; the manage time skill was used in Activity 2; etc.
The self-evaluation of your skills allows you to set intermediate and immediate goals to improve and possibly master those skills. In addition, you should include goals for those skills where you need improvement, or require additional resources, and/or assistance. It would be a good idea to update the table as you proceed throughout your program.
Start your paper with an introduction – tell the reader what is in the paper. Present the material, (your write-up listing resources, the table, and then a summary – tell the reader what was in the paper. This should be 4-6 pages, including the table. Finish with a references page. Remember, page count begins with the first word in the introduction and ends with the last word in the summary. The feedback sheet, title sheet, and references page do not count toward page count.
The second document is the Motivational Touchstone. What specifically will keep you motivated? It could be something as simple as a few quotes on a PowerPoint slide. It could be a picture of you in your cap and gown, or maybe a picture of a destination that you will visit when you graduate. Some students write a short motivational letter to themselves.
Purpose
Assemble your own, personal North central University Success Guide, which will serve as your foundation for success
Time Required
11 to 15 hours
Program Resources (annotated list of resources)
Personal Success Plan (chart of skills, development, goals)
Motivation Touchstone
Personal Success Plan
Prepare a brief chart (download from courseroom:
Lists each skill and rate your success on each skill on a scale of 1 to 3: (1. Beginner; 2. Familiar; 3. Master).
For those skills where you have rated yourself 1 or 2, write immediate and intermediate goals to improve those skills. Note any additional resources/assistance you may need.
Write a 4-6 page double-spaced paper containing the following:
Program Resources
Personal Success Plan
Create a Motivation Touchstone
http://www.worldtimebuddy.com
Program Resources
Create an annotated list of resources for success.
Articles
Websites
Links
Skill builders
Tutorials
Any material you gathered through your own searches.
Include the following:
Name the resource
Explain how you plan to use it
Disclose where you can access it
Make sure to include at least one or two key resources from each activity
Personal Success Plan
Prepare a brief chart (download from course room:
Lists each skill and rate your success on each skill on a scale of 1 to 3: (1. Beginner; 2. Familiar; 3. Master).
For those skills where you have rated yourself 1 or 2, write immediate and intermediate goals to improve those skills. Note any additional resources/assistance you may need.
Motivation Touchstone
Create physical representation of your professional and educational goals to motivate you and keep your eyes on the prize:
Vision video,
PowerPoint,
Audio file,
Collage,
Poem,
Letter to yourself,
Saying or quote,
under the skill heading …1. visualizing overall goal .
2. understanding how can i reach these goals at north central
3.understanding and academic policy
4.applying APA citation
5.read and analyze complex text
6 perform online library research
7.manage time
8.formulate actionable goal
9.self evaluate skill and process
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