Class, please see the MS Word attachment. This document has my expectations towards evaluating your work. It is your responsibility to review this weekly to ensure that any additional expectations for the assignment are known, as well as lessons learned from other terms from the past. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
The following areas are addressed. I would recommend using the “Find” function in the home tab and you can quickly navigate to the sections in seconds.
Determining Credible Sources
This is by far the most important skill in higher education—selecting credible sources. The reason is that opinions based on the experience of one (usually the person giving the opinion) do not have as much academic credibility as the experience of many. For example, the first sentence in this paragraph is my opinion. It sounds good, but readers must challenge its validity. If that sentence was to be supported by a credible source based on scientific research, then it can almost be taken at face value. Unfortunately, Shen and Liu (2011) disagree with me in a quasi-experimental research study with a sample of fifty college students which concluded that metacognitive skills are most important in higher education. The experiences of 50 seem to have more validity than the experience of one!
In master’s studies knowledge of the truth about the world in the industry of the chosen program of study must be of high academic quality (Roberts & Shambrook, 2012). And in academia, quality is widely thought of through a peer review process by “subjecting an author’s scholarly work to scrutiny of others who are considered experts in the same subject area” (Roberts & Shambrook, 2012, p. 34). Students must use primary sources (Wallace, 2008) to support their claims or understanding of a subject.
Peer reviewed material undergo a rigorous process (Roberts & Shambrook, 2012; Wallace, 2008) unlike information found in places like Wikipedia. This is not to say that information found in Wikipedia, or sites like it, is bad and should not be used. It just cannot be used to support claims in academia. I use Wikipedia as my first source of understanding and a starting point to gather my thoughts, but peer-reviewed articles are the ones to provide the necessary support. Wikipedia is a place to quickly find information about anything and everything and it may be the reason why technology savvy students use it as a source of quick information.
Similar to Wikipedia are many sites on the internet. In the courses I teach I have often seen websites which provide students quick information—sometimes in the form of entire essays! Places like MyPaper Writer, MyEssays, and OPPapers are places where information flows from other students who have already submitted their assignments to other universities. I realize that this is more of a plagiarism problem than seeking information from sources of questionable validity, but the bottom line is the same—questionable validity!
Conclusions
Roberts and Shambrook (2012) and Wallace (2008) promote that reliable sources are those who have undergone a rigorous process to prove their validity within the body of knowledge in a particular subject. And in order to be considered of high academic quality, the source must be accepted by experts in the field in an anonymous process, have sound methodological processes, have met accepted standards of scholarship, not published previously, and have a contribution to the body of knowledge (Roberts & Shambrook, 2012).
It is then necessary to keep these criteria in mind at the time of doing research and selecting sources to support claims. Although the act of peer review suggests a standard of acceptability and not necessarily validity, sources not meeting the majority of these criteria should be considered “good-to-know” but not “good-to-use,” at least in academia.
References
Roberts, T. J., & Shambrook, J. (2012). Academic excellence: A commentary and reflections on the inherent value of peer review. Journal of Research Administration, 43(1), 33-38.
Shen, C., & Liu, H. (2011). Metacognitive skills development: A web-based approach in higher education. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET, 10(2), 140-150.
Wallace, J. D. (2008). Accelerated peer-review journal usage technique for undergraduates. Communication Teacher, 22(3), 80-83.
LUO Late Policy
Every term there are requests for late work. Normally these requests increase in frequency near the last two or three weeks of the term. Unless extreme circumstances exist, there will be no deviations from the policy. I can live with the third DB post being an hour or several minutes late; however, work even submitted at 3:33 a.m. is considered late. Please take the time to review and note the following.
Assignments that are submitted after the due date without prior approval from the instructor will receive the following deductions:
- Late assignments submitted within one week of the due date will receive a 10% deduction.
- Assignments submitted more than one week late will receive a 20% deduction.
- Assignments submitted two weeks late or after the final date of the course will not be accepted.
- Late Discussion Board threads or replies will not be accepted after the initial round of grading.
- Resubmitted assignments are not accepted.
- Work submitted after the end of term will not be scored, unless extraordinary circumstances permit.
Common Scoring Errors
Please note the following common errors that normally result in deductions. Please note these standards are consistent with formal writing at the MBA/MHA and DBA level.
*Do not use contractoins.
*No more than 5% of your word count is allowed in quotes.
*Avoid citation chaining (60% or more of a paragraph are in citations). See synthesis of literature DB post for clarification for graduate level writing.
*Citations within a page number should be only used with tables, charts, graphs, or direct quotes. If a page number is provided, the entire sentence will count as a quote which the above point is applied (no more than 5% of WC in quotes).
*References, title pages, abstracts, and breaking down the original question (DBs) do not count towards your word count.
*You must use a cover page, reference page, and proper APA formatting for essays.
*Sources should not be more than five years old.
*Meeting the two scholarly references, WC, and Bib Integration does not guarantee an A. The quality of what is written increases the likelihood of a higher score.
*Please do not copy and paste blocks of text from DB to DB.
How to Find Scholarly Resources
https://watch.liberty.edu/edit/1_ruj79231
What is Synthesis of the Literature
I wanted to share this before you begin posting throughout the term. In an effort to promote transparency in grading, I am outlining my expectations when I review your work. These expectations are in line of your syllabus and graduate level standards. I would recommend having this post available as a good guide to refer to when you are receiving your grades/feedback. I will always provide comments and feedback to your submission as an effort to encourage improvement or recommendations that may not necessarily affect your score, but provide better quality of writing. You may find at times that I will make revisions directly on a paper if numerous errors are found to provide opportunities for improvement.
Please understand the difference of providing critical thinking analysis vs. regurgitating a reference and heavy quote usage. The purpose of synthesizing the literature is to take elements of what you researched and combined them with your viewpoint into a clear and concise point. Such synthesis of the literature should provide themes of critical thinking analysis. It is not uncommon for students to use the course textbook as a heavy source of reference along with two citations that are in quotes.
The latter of the two instances are not considered graduate level work. Everyone will read the same text, thus providing the author’s name constantly without any analysis is not graduate level work and will result in deduction of your grades. This includes heavy use of quotations. To set the standard consistently, I would like to point out that you should not use more than two quotations and the combined words of quotes used should not exceed no more than 100 words (20% of the required minimum). Furthermore, you should not provide more than 3 textbook references for each post. I want to see your thoughts and analysis, not the authors.
Biblical integration should feature a sincere and thoughtful analysis plus scripture of how this relates to the learning objectives. Placing a quote without a thought will not fare well in your scoring based on your rubric.
Become familiar with the rubric. Even if you answer a DB Forum question that may ask for responses to three questions, you must provide thoughtful insight. The rubric is set at different levels and your efforts will reflect in the scoring. I generally try to review each grade on a level playing field meaning that if several students are articulating their thoughts and meeting all criteria of the rubric requirements, I use that as the “measuring stick” of your posts/submissions. This ensures integrity in scoring and fairness for those who put significant time and effort into the posts.
I have included a link concerning synthesizing the literature below. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!
God Bless,
Dr. Duncan
Synthesizing the Literature: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=310271&p=2071511
Example of synthesis of the literature
The post features a synthesis of the literature, meaning the student applied what was read and researched and integrated them in her overall discussion. As you can see, the student did not provide several citations in a row. Instead, the citations were used to emphasize and validate the position articulated.
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The post discussed the reasons why health care executives receive seemingly disproportionate compensation packages compared to line employees. The board members examine comparable pay ranges in different industries to attract talent (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011). The demands placed on C-level executives requires candidates who understand and analyze strategic industry trends to make decisions that impact the future of the health care organization.
Kuhn (2017) highlights the overall increase in executive salaries in 27 countries since the 1970s utilizing a longitudinal study. Several factors contribute to the increase in executive salaries. First, increasing economic interconnectedness through technology forces organizations to hire executives who understand how to maintain competitive advantages. Additionally, technology and artificial intelligence reduce the number of specialized employees required for daily operations. An example of this is electronic patient record management. Employee wages also increased as health care organizations attempt to retain and invest in the workforce to maintain competitive advantage (Kuhn, 2017). Another reason for the increase in executive compensation centers on performance-based outcomes from decisions made by C-level executives.
Board members examine specific achievements and metrics among executive candidates to determine if the applicant aligns with the demands of the organization. The American health care industry remains largely privatized with expectations for return on investment, shareholder considerations, and public demands. Performance value assessments of executives’ past experiences provide an indication of candidate value added to the health care organization. Executive decisions impact the long-term outlook for an organization and the board of directors’ reviews and seeks to attract the most suitable person to lead (Bettis, Bizjak, Coles, & Kalpathy, 2018). Due to the increased scrutiny and demands, executive compensation remains set with the board of directors along with other considerations. Scripture provides another lens to view a seemingly unbalanced method of compensation.
The Bible underscores various human conditions on Earth. While one overarching theme is redemption, God provides that humans who remain faithful will overcome the challenges of sin during life. Romans 12:2 states, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (King James Version). Various people in the Bible exist to demonstrate that godly people regardless of socio-economic status receive the gift of salvation. The challenge remains in avoiding evil pitfalls such as covetousness or demanding others sacrifice wealth because it is “fair”. Determining executive compensation remains a complex and challenging endeavor; however, board members must consider salaries of employees not being sacrificed to satisfy compensation of C-level executives who lead the organization. Christian thinking must remain centered on heavenly things and ministry to others, regardless of salary.
References
Bettis, J. C., Bizjak, J., Coles, J. L., & Kalpathy, S. (2018). Performance-vesting provisions in executive compensation. Journal of Accounting & Economics, 66(1), 194-221. doi:10.1016/j.jacceco.2018.05.001
Kuhn, A. (2017). International evidence on the perception and normative valuation of executive compensation. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 55(1), 112-136. doi:10.1111/bjir.12214
Pynes, J. E., & Lombardi, D. N. (2011). Human resources management for health care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978047087355
Appropriate use of p. and para. in citations
From https://ccconline.libguides.com/c.php?g=242137&p=1609874
Citation Basics:
In the text of your paper, references in APA style are cited with an author-date method of citation (as compared to author-page number method in MLA style). The full description of the source can be found listed alphabetically on the reference list at the end of the paper. Each reference cited in the text must appear on the reference list and each entry on the reference list must be cited in the text of the paper. If you are referring to an idea from another work but NOT direct quoting the work, or if you are making a reference to an entire article, book or other work, you will only cite the author and date, and not the page number. If you are directly quoting from the work, then you will also need to include the exact page number where the information came from in your in-text citation.
Short Quotation: When directly quoting from a work, include the author, year of publication and the page number in the in-text citation. In APA style, you do include the “p.” in the citation. Introduce the quote with a signal phrase that includes the author’s last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses and put the page number at the end of the quotation. The citation is part of the sentence and the punctuation will come after the citation. Example:
- According to Smith (2010), “Studies show pet owners have lower blood pressure as well as lower triglyceride levels than non-pet owners” (p. 14).
If the author’s name isn’t included in the signal phrase, then place the author’s name, year of publication and page number in parentheses directly after the quotation:
- She stated, “Studies show pet owners have lower blood pressure as well as lower triglyceride levels than non-pet owners” (Smith, 2010, p. 14).
Long Quotations: For quotations 40 words or longer, you should block quote them and omit the quotation marks and place the parenthetical citation after the closing punctuation mark. Start the quotation on a new line, and indent the whole quotation 1/2 inch from the margin (tab in once). Keep the double spacing. For example:
Chandler (2005) explains:
Sometimes it is important to match a dog’s personality with the population it is to work with. Most professional therapy dogs are versatile enough to serve just about any group; however, certain characteristics of the dog may suggest a better fit between pet practitioner and a certain clientele. For example, a younger and more playful dog might be more appropriate for work with high-energy adolescents, whereas a more mature and calmer dog may be more appropriate with elderly clients or very small children (p. 28).
Research Project: Topic, Annotated Bibliography and Outline
For most, this may be their first foray into developing an annotated bibliography (AB) and outline. First, always review the rubric and assignment instructions as they should be aligned with the course objectives. I will always evaluate your work based on the rubric, not personal reflection or thoughts. Concerning the topic selection, I found students score higher when selecting a topic of his or her interest rather than providing a list of topics to consider. Remember this is a graduate level program; therefore, you should seek outside sources, materials, and independent research to learn more about an intellectual gap you may have. This is a statement I will always ask a student who reaches out to me for guidance, did you look independently and tell me what you found before going into instruction. Below, you will see brief comments and links about these elements of the project:
Topic: Healthcare is a large and complex industry with a plethora of issues to examine. As long as it is related to the themes of the course, this is fine. If you are uncertain, please ask.
Thesis Statement: This is where you will clearly define the scope of your study, and how your research and analysis will be centered around. Thesis statements are not paragraphs, they are typically 30 – 40 words, or one sentence. If you think your topic can be broken down more, then your topic is too broad. Here is a link on thesis statements; however, additional independent research is required: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TotaRoYh60Y
AB: Follow the rubric instructions for key elements, but your AB does not need to be 20+ mini-novels. A paragraph (3 – 7 sentences) would suffice. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVYmU4kXEhA
Outline: Follow the rubric instructions for key elements. Thesis statement is more refined. You will provide likely headings and subsections with estimated page length and anticipated citations to be included. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kVGCFgoZCw
General Comments: You will continue to refine your thesis statement. Students will rarely get it correct the first time on their own. You may also consider switching sources as you work on your draft, which is fine, but in the end, I will evaluate each iteration to see if you are meeting the peer-reviewed sources requirements. Do not use books, blogs, or periodicals. If you search exclusivelyy in the library and isolate your peer reviewed sources, you will be fine. Finally, please proof your work.
