Mini-scenarios1. Ana is taking an online psychology class. The instructions for the exams indicate that the test is “open book/open note.” Yet the exam has a time limit of two hours. She tak

1. Mini-scenarios

   1.    Ana is taking an online psychology class.  The instructions for the exams indicate that the test is “open book/open note.”  Yet the exam has a time limit of two hours.  She takes her test with two computers open – one has her notes and the book on it, and the other one is used to access the test.  Is this cheating?

   2.    Bob and Brenda discovered through the discussion forum that they are in the same city.  They decided that they will go to the local coffee shop to take their economics midterm exam which is “open book/open note.”  The exam has a time limit of two hours.  On a few of the questions, Bob and Brenda discussed the questions, compared their notes, and agreed upon an answer before submitting their test responses.  Is this cheating?

   3.    Collette wrote a paper in sociology class and wanted to use part of it in her psychology class.  She copied and pasted the portion she had written in the sociology paper.  She then continued to write more content in the psychology paper around the pasted portion.  Is this cheating?

   4.    Diana is not the best writer, and even though she is working with a tutor every week, there are still times that her written thoughts are not clear to others.  When she is writing essay responses on an exam, she calls her mother over to read her responses and edit her paragraphs so that her writing is clear.  Is this cheating?

   5.    Eduardo uses the online library to gather sources for his research paper.  The paper requires citations in APA format.  There is a button that Eduardo can click that provides the APA citation, so instead of writing the citation  himself, he clicks the button and copies/pastes the citation into his paper.  Is this cheating?

   6.    Frank is taking the same business class that his girlfriend took last term.  She gave him all her notes and papers.  Frank reads her papers and the instructor’s comments before writing his own papers.  He uses her notes along with his own notes for the “open book/open note” exams.  Is this cheating?

   7.    George is writing a paper for his environmental science course.  While researching fossil fuels, he reads each paragraph in the source (article or webpage), then closes the article and writes down what he remembers without looking back at the source.  Because he is working from his own memory, he does not cite the sources.  Is this cheating?

   8.    Howard does not type well – he uses the “hunt and peck” method.  The exams in his courses are timed, and they are closed book, closed note.  During the midterm exam, he gets through most of the questions, but because of his poor typing skills, he discovers he is running out of time and he still needs to answer two more short-answer questions.  With just one minute left, he takes note of the final two questions, and then time expires.  He calls the I.T. desk and reports that his computer stopped during the exam period.  He gets confirmation of that work ticket for his instructor.  Meanwhile, he starts typing answers to the final two questions from the exam so he can also submit those to his professor, along with the I.T. work request ticket.  Is this cheating?

   9.    Iris has no idea what to do for her poetry analysis paper.  She doesn’t understand the terms or how they apply to the poem.  In fact, she doesn’t understand the message of the poem.  She “googles” the poem and finds several places where she can purchase an essay on the topic.  She buys one of the papers, and then tries to insert her own words and thoughts into the purchased paper before submitting it.  Is this cheating?

   1. Create a list from 1-9, and after each number, write your determination (cheating, not cheating, it depends).
2. If you write “it depends” – you must explain your reasoning.
3. Then select ONE of the 9 answers that was “cheating” and explain why it was cheating.

We don’t always succeed at everything we try, but failure is not necessarily a bad thing. What is really important regarding failure is what we do AFTER we fail.

Sometimes we learn something about ourselves, make changes, try again and succeed… the point is that a failure can be a true learning experience and/or a growth experience.

In this post, you will:

1. Share a personal experience of a failure which became a lesson or growth experience.
2. Describe the situation.
3. Share your feelings at the time of the failure and your feelings at some point after the failure.
4. Describe how you found the courage/strength/grit to move forward, try again…
5. Explain what the experience taught you and how you will continue to apply what you learned.

It’s pretty common to hear people say, “I don’t know how I am going to get this all done.” We may think we manage our time well and know how to multitask, but there are always tips and tricks that help us make the most of our time.

For example, every day after school, one mother usually waited for her son 10-15 minutes in the parking lot of the elementary school. She realized that sitting there was simply a waste of her time. She then chose to log in to her online class with her cell phone and read her textbook during this time. At the end of the week, she realized that the time in the car was 50-75 minutes of reading time!

Likewise, a father carried 10 flashcards each day in his pocket. He took 5 minutes on each of his breaks at work to review the cards. He found that he retained so much more information by taking 5 minutes here and there to review concepts. Tips like this help students balance school, work, family, and other life demands.

In this post, you will:

1. Explain time management in your own words.
2. Explain how a person truly knows if he or she manages time well. What evidence supports the idea that someone manages time well?
3. Provide at least two time-saving tips that you use/ have used at school, at work, or in life, and explain how they have helped you.
4. Explain how “I need” statements can help with time management.

In this scenario, you are part of an online class business class which is studying diversity in the workplace and diversity training. The prompt asked about the purpose of diversity initiatives/trainings, and how they can benefit business. A student posted what he experienced at his workplace diversity training not too long ago. A second student replied to his post, but with a very different “take” on the topic.

Here is a copy of the second post:

You got lucky. My job makes us attend these stupid trainings for diversity every year, and they are a complete waste of time. I mean, I am not going to be mean to lazy people who don’t do their work because they come from cultures where people don’t work hard. I know it’s not their fault that they were raised that way, and I guess they do ok for who they are and all, but that doesn’t mean I have to like picking up their slack. But that’s the world today, we have to accept everyone and everything.

Your job is to respond to the  second post and maintain professionalism while you do. Your response should defuse the situation (rather than make it worse).

One aspect of the final project is to anticipate any upcoming events that might delay your progress toward graduation (i.e. a pregnancy, military deployment, planned move, etc.)  Discuss how you plan to work around these speed bumps so you can get back on track quickly.

If you cannot think of any planned speed bumps, then discuss the impact of unanticipated circumstances (earning grades of “F” or withdrawing from courses)  How will these impact your progress toward graduation, and what can you do to mitigate those circumstances?

It is now five-ten years in the future, and you are a college alumnus. Congratulations! You are working in the field you have chosen.

In this post, you will:

1. Introduce yourself to the class as the person you are in the future.
2. Describe your workplace and your job title.
3. Explain one way your life has changed as a result of your college experience at college.
4. Predict what you will be doing next. (What are your new goals?)