Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
HELLO, EVERYONE.
WELCOME TO WALDEN WRITING CENTER'S DEVELOPING A PAPER
WEBINAR.
WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THE NEXT HOUR TALKING ABOUT HOW TO
TAKE A DISCUSSION POST AND TURN IT INTO A COURSE PAPER.
MY NAME IS KELLY CHERMACK.
I'M A DISSERTATION EDITOR HERE IN WALDEN WRITING
CENTER.
AND WE ALSO HAVE KAYLA SKARBAKKA AND RACHEL
GRAMMER, BOTH WRITING INSTRUCTORS, THAT ARE ALSO
ON THE WEBINAR TODAY.
SO I'M GOING TO GO UP HERE AND WE'LL GET STARTED
WITH THE WEBINAR.
FIRST, A LITTLE BIT OF HOUSEKEEPING.
YOU CAN TYPE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE
THROUGHOUT THE WEBINAR IN THE QUESTION BOX THAT
APPEARS IN YOUR DROP-DOWN MENU DASHBOARD THING.
IT USUALLY APPEARS ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
UNDERNEATH THAT IS WHERE YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS
CLOSED-CAPTIONING FOR THIS WEBINAR.
THIS WEBINAR IS BEING RECORDED AND THE SLIDES WILL
BE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU TOMORROW ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO YOU CAN ACCESS BOTH THE POWERPOINT SLIDES AND
THE RECORDING OF THIS WEBINAR FROM THE WALDEN 3
WRITING CENTER'S WEBSITE AT
WRITINGCENTER.WALDENU.EDU, ON THE SAME PAGE WHERE
YOU REGISTERED FOR THIS WEBINAR.
IN THE NEXT HOUR, WE WILL COVER HOW TO WRITE A
DISCUSSION POST FOR A CLASS DISCUSSION.
WE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW TO RESPOND TO OTHER
STUDENTS' DISCUSSION POSTS.
AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW TO CREATE A THESIS
FROM THAT.
SO HOW TO REALLY DETERMINE WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO
WRITE A PAPER ABOUT AND HOW TO START DEVELOPING
THAT AND REALLY GET IT INTO AN OUTLINE WHERE THEN
YOU CAN TAKE THAT OUTLINE AND SIT DOWN AND REALLY
RIGHT THE COURSE PAPER.
SO, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT FOR THE NEXT HOUR.
I'VE GOT SOME EXAMPLES OF DISCUSSION POSTS,
WALKING THROUGH RESPONDING TO THOSE DISCUSSION
POSTS, AND THEN TAKING THAT A STEP FURTHER INTO A
THESIS DEVELOPMENT AND OUTLINE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THAT AND A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW TO DO THE RESEARCH,
ET CETERA, THAT GOES INTO CREATING THAT THESIS AND
CREATING AN OUTLINE. I'LL ALSO BREAK FOR QUESTIONS IN THE MIDDLE,
SO 4
FEEL FREE TO TYPE YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE QUESTION
BOX, AS I SAID, AS WE GO, BUT ALSO KNOW THAT I'LL
TAKE A BREAK HALFWAY THROUGH TO ANSWER SOME
QUESTIONS THAT MAYBE KEEP COMING UP AND THEN WE'LL
HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AGAIN AT THE END.
SO, FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A POLL AND GET TO
KNOW FROM YOU GUYS WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE
PURPOSE OF A CLASS DISCUSSION POST?
IS IT TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE PAPERS?
EVALUATE AUTHORS YOU'VE READ?
INTERACT WITH PEERS?
OR TO ASK QUESTIONS?
RACHEL, IF YOU WANT TO LAUNCH THAT FIRST POLL.
OKAY.
IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF YOU ARE SAYING INTERACT
WITH PEERS, PREPARING FOR PAPERS.
THERE'S MORE AND MORE, ASKING QUESTIONS.
IT'S STARTING TO EVEN OUT NOW.
MAYBE LET IT GO FOR JUST A COUPLE MORE SECONDS.
OKAY.
IT LOOKS LIKE MOST EVERYONE HAS VOTED NOW.
SO, WE'VE GOT 57% SAYING FOR FUTURE PAPERS.
30%, EVALUATING AUTHORS YOU'VE READ.
63%, INTERACTING WITH PEERS. AND 30%, ASKING QUESTIONS. 5
EVERYONE IS RIGHT.
THE PURPOSE OF DISCUSSION POSTS ARE TO EVALUATE
THE AUTHORS YOU'RE READING IN CLASS.
SO, REALLY THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE CLASS
READINGS AND THE CLAIMS THE AUTHORS ARE MAKING,
THE RESEARCH THEY'RE PRESENTING.
THINKING ABOUT COUNTERARGUMENTS, SO, IF I'M NOT
BUYING THIS 100%, WHAT WOULD BE THE OTHER POSSIBLE
EXPLANATION.
WHAT OTHER RESEARCHERS ARE MAYBE LOOKING INTO
THIS.
AND REALLY USING THE EVIDENCE THAT'S FOUND IN THE
LITERATURE AND IN THE EXISTING RESEARCH TO SUPPORT
WHATEVER CLAIM IT IS YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE.
DISCUSSION POSTS ARE MEANT FOR YOU TO ASK
QUESTIONS.
WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, WHAT'S NOT CLEAR, WHAT
ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT AND TRYING TO PROCESS AND
TRYING TO FIND AN ANSWER TO.
TO GIVE AGENCY, RIGHT?
YOU CAN TAILOR YOUR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS TO THINGS
THAT INTEREST YOU AND YOUR RESPONSES TO PAPERS
THAT YOU MIGHT BE WRITING ABOUT SO THAT YOU REALLY
CAN PREPARE FOR THESE PAPERS AND THEN TAKE THESE
IDEAS OR THESE TOPICS OR THESE THEMES AND TURN 6
THEM INTO A COURSE PAPER OR EVEN SOMETHING BEYOND
THAT.
SO, DISCUSSION POSTS REALLY DO SORT OF ALL OF
THESE THINGS IN THE CLASSROOM.
NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE BOTH GRADUATE
STUDENTS AND UNDERGRADUATES ON HERE, AND I THINK
THE EXAMPLES THAT I'M GOING TO USE ARE MAINLY
GOING TO BE GEARED TOWARD GRADUATE STUDENT LEVEL.
THAT'S NOT TO SAY THEY'RE NOT APPLICABLE TO
EVERYONE.
WHAT'S REQUIRED FROM THESE DISCUSSION POSTS AND
YOUR RESPONSES IS ALSO GOING TO VARY BY CLASS.
SO, YOUR INSTRUCTORS ARE GOING TO HAVE DIFFERENT
REQUIREMENTS, DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY WANT YOU TO
RESPOND, DIFFERENT LENGTH OF RESPONSES, NUMBER OF
CITATIONS.
SO THESE ARE JUST EXAMPLES THAT I THINK NO MATTER
WHAT STAGE YOU'RE AT IN YOUR DEGREE PROCESS AND
WHAT DEGREE YOU'RE SEEKING, I THINK THESE EXAMPLES
CAN SORT OF HIGHLIGHT MORE ABOUT THE "HOW TO
RESPOND."
DON'T WORRY ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE YOUR RESPONSES BE
THIS LONG OR INCLUDE THIS MANY CITATIONS OR THAT
KIND OF THING, BUT JUST LOOK AT THESE AS EXAMPLES OF HOW STUDENTS COULD RESPOND. 7
SO -- AND, AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS
HALFWAY THROUGH AND AT THE END.
BUT LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SAMPLE DISCUSSION
POST QUESTION.
SO YOU MIGHT SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN YOUR
CLASSROOM.
SO, ANDERSON, HUSSEY, FROGNER AND WATERS SUGGESTED
THAT THE REASON THE UNITED STATES SPENDS SO MUCH
ON HEALTH CARE IS NOT BECAUSE OF MALPRACTICE
SUITS.
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE AND WHY?
CITE THREE SOURCES TO DEFEND YOUR ARGUMENT.
SO RIGHT HERE WE KNOW THAT IN OUR RESPONSE TO THIS
POST STUDENTS NEED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT WHETHER
OR NOT YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE, STATE WHY, AND THEN
CITE THREE SOURCES.
SO, I'M SURE, JUST READING THIS, EVEN IF THIS
ISN'T IN YOUR AREA OF STUDY, YOU'VE GOT SOME KIND
OF REACTION TO IT.
JUST EVEN FROM WHAT YOU MAY KNOW FROM THE AREA OF
STUDY THAT YOU ARE IN OR KNOW FROM THE MEDIA,
YOU'VE PROBABLY GOT SOME KIND OF FEELING ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE AND WHY.
NOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS FIND SOURCES FROM CLASS, USUALLY THOSE ARE A GOOD PLACE TO START,
8
OTHER READINGS FROM YOUR COURSE THAT YOU CAN CITE
TO SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU
AGREE WITH THIS.
BUT REALLY START THINKING, OKAY, WHAT CLAIM AM I
GOING TO MAKE IN MY RESPONSE.
AND YOU WANT YOUR RESPONSE TO A DISCUSSION
QUESTION POST TO ALMOST BE LIKE A LITTLE MINI
PAPER.
IT SHOULD HAVE THE MAIN ELEMENTS OF A PAPER, WHICH
INCLUDE AN INTRODUCTION, A BODY, AND A CONCLUSION.
AND THESE AREN'T NECESSARILY THREE DISTINCT OR
SEPARATE ELEMENTS.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT OUR DISCUSSION POST IS GOING
TO HAVE THREE SENTENCES OR SIX SENTENCES, SO TWO
WOULD BE INTRODUCTION, TWO WOULD BE BODY, TWO
WOULD BE CONCLUSION.
THAT KIND OF THING.
JUST THAT THESE ELEMENTS NEED TO BE PRESENT.
SO WE NEED TO INTRODUCE THE TOPIC THAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT, WE NEED TO HAVE THE BODY WHERE WE
MAKE A CLAIM OR ANSWER THE QUESTION IN THE
DISCUSSION POST, AND THEN HAVE A CONCLUSION WHERE
WE SORT OF SUMMARIZE AND CLOSE THE CLAIM OR THE
ARGUMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING. SO THESE ELEMENTS SHOULD BE FOUND IN YOUR
9
RESPONSES TO DISCUSSION POST QUESTIONS.
SO, IN THIS BODY PORTION, THAT'S REALLY WHERE YOU
MAKE YOUR CLAIM, WHERE YOU COMPARE AND CONTRAST
EXISTING RESEARCH.
SO, YOU KNOW, SMITH, ET AL, MAY SAY THIS, BUT
JONES ET AL ARGUED THAT, AND REALLY SUPPORT IT
WITH THE EVIDENCE.
SO RESPONDING TO DISCUSSION POSTS SHOULDN'T BE
NECESSARILY IN A LANGUAGE OF "I THINK" OR "I
AGREE" AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THIS AS WE SEE SOME
EXAMPLES.
BUT MORE USING THE EVIDENCE FROM THE LITERATURE
AND USING REAL EXISTING RESEARCH TO BE ABLE TO
SAY, THIS AUTHOR FOUND X, AND THAT SUPPORTS THIS
IDEA.
AND THIS IS ALSO A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO PRACTICE
SCHOLARLY WRITING.
ALTHOUGH I THINK SOMETIMES WE TEND TO THINK THAT
RESPONDING TO POSTS IN CLASSROOMS IS MAYBE A
LITTLE BIT INFORMAL, AND PERHAPS IN SOME
CLASSROOMS IT'S ACCEPTABLE IF IT'S PRETTY
INFORMAL, THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO PRACTICE YOUR
SCHOLARLY WRITING.
RIGHT? SO, WRITING VERY CLEARLY AND CONCISELY. 10
YOU KNOW, NOT USING CONTRACTIONS, MAKING SURE THAT
YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, PROPER GRAMMAR AND
PUNCTUATION, ALL OF THESE PLACES WHERE YOU CAN
PRACTICE THE SCHOLARLY WRITING IS ONLY GOING TO
HELP YOU AS YOU GO TO CREATE THE PAPER AND THEN AS
YOU MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR DEGREE PROCESS AND YOU
END UP WRITING LONGER PAPERS OR IF YOU'RE IN
GRADUATE SCHOOL WRITE YOUR DISSERTATION OR DOC
STUDY.
SO THE MORE THAT YOU CAN PRACTICE WRITING IN A
SCHOLARLY VOICE, THE MORE IT'S GOING TO HELP YOU
DEVELOP AS A WRITER.
SO, THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO TEST THAT OUT AND MAKE
SURE THAT YOU'RE DEVELOPING THAT VOICE.
SO, HERE'S A SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE.
REMEMBER, I'M JUST GOING TO GO BACK A COUPLE OF
SLIDES, THE ORIGINAL POST ASKED, THIS IDEA THAT
THE REASON THE UNITED STATES SPENDS SO MUCH ON
HEALTH CARE IS NOT BECAUSE OF MALPRACTICE, DO YOU
AGREE OR DISAGREE AND WHY AND CITE THREE SOURCES.
SO, IF WE LOOK AT THIS SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE,
THIS COULD BE A STUDENT RESPONSE THAT WE MIGHT SEE
IN A CLASSROOM.
SO, IT MAY APPEAR TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT MALPRACTICE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF HEALTH
CARE 11
COSTS IN THE U.S., BUT ANDERSON ET AL NOTED THAT
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT ON MALPRACTICE IS
MINIMAL, LESS THAN 1% OF THE OVERALL HEALTH CARE
COSTS IN 2001.
WITH A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY BEING PUT TOWARD
OTHER FACETS OF HEALTH CARE, MALPRACTICE CANNOT BE
A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN THE UNITED STATES' HEALTH
CARE COSTS.
AND THEN THIS STUDENT COULD GO ON TO SAY, OTHER
AUTHORS WOULD CONCUR, AND MAYBE PROVIDE SOME MORE
SUPPORT.
AGAIN, BECAUSE THAT -- THE DISCUSSION POST
QUESTION ASKED FOR THREE SOURCES, TO CITE THREE
SOURCES.
SO, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS THAT MAKES
THIS ARGUMENT AND THEN CITES THE REQUIRED SOURCES
OR IS THE REQUIRED LENGTH IS WHAT WOULD BE
APPROPRIATE IN A RESPONSE.
WHAT WE CAN SEE HERE IN THIS RESPONSE, THE WRITER
IS STATING WHETHER OR NOT THEY AGREE, NOT SO MUCH
IN AN "I" OR "I THINK" OR "I AGREE" KIND OF WAY
BUT WITH THE EVIDENCE THAT FROM THE LITERATURE
THAT THIS AUTHOR IS CITING.
SO THIS LAST SENTENCE, WITH THE LARGE AMOUNT OF
MONEY BEING PUT TOWARDS OTHER FACETS OF HEALTH 12
CARE, THIS CANNOT BE.
SO THAT'S THE ARGUMENT THE AUTHOR'S MAKING IN THAT
KIND OF SCHOLARLY VOICE.
SO, IN THIS SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE, WE ALSO SEE
AN INTRODUCTION, A BODY AND A CONCLUSION, AND IF
WE GO BACK AND LOOK AT THIS POST, THERE'S ONLY TWO
SENTENCES HERE.
SO THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY, LIKE I SAID, AN
INTRODUCTION, A BODY, A CONCLUSION AS THREE
DISTINCT ELEMENTS, BUT ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS ARE
PRESENT.
THERE'S AN INTRODUCTION, IN, IT MAY APPEAR TO THE
GENERAL PUBLIC, THERE'S THE EVIDENCE, HERE'S SOME
STATISTICS, AND THEN THE CONCLUSION, WHERE THE
AUTHOR IS SAYING, THIS CANNOT BE A FACTOR.
AND ALSO, AS I NOTED, THE SCHOLARLY VOICE.
SO, ALTHOUGH "I" IS APPROPRIATE IN SOME PAPERS, WE
DO NOT SEE "I" HERE.
AND, AGAIN, WHEN TRYING TO MAKE AN ARGUMENT IN A
COURSE PAPER, IT'S BEST TO TRY TO AVOID "I" AND
LET THE RESEARCH AND FINDINGS FROM OTHER STUDIES
SORT OF SPEAK FOR ITSELF.
SO, IF WE READ THIS RESPONSE TO A POST IN A CLASS,
WE MIGHT START TO THINK, OKAY, DO I AGREE, DO I
DISAGREE, WHY, IS THERE A COUNTERARGUMENT, ARE 13
THERE GAPS IN THE RESEARCH, ARE THERE FLAWS IN
THIS LOGIC ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT MALPRACTICE IS A
SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF SPENDING IN THE U.S.,
HEALTH CARE SPENDING IN THE U.S.
WHAT MIGHT OTHER SOURCES SAY?
WHETHER IT'S OTHER CLASS READINGS OR WE START TO
LOOK OUTSIDE OF CLASS READINGS.
ARE THERE OTHER IDEAS THAT NEED TO BE EXPLORED?
SO, AS YOU'RE READING DISCUSSION POSTS AND
THINKING ABOUT RESPONDING TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION
BUT THEN RESPONDING ALSO TO OTHER STUDENTS, THESE
ARE SOME QUESTIONS TO KIND OF KEEP IN THE BACK OF
YOUR MIND, WHAT DO I STILL NOT UNDERSTAND, WHAT'S
NOT BEING ANSWERED HERE?
AND HOW CAN I ADDRESS THAT?
SO THIS LAST PIECE OF, ARE THERE RELATED IDEAS
THAT NEED TO BE EXPLORED, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE AND EXPAND UPON A LITTLE BIT
HERE.
SO, THIS IS ANOTHER SAMPLE RESPONSE TO THE STUDENT
RESPONSE.
AND THIS IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
SO DON'T BE INTIMIDATED.
I PUT THIS UP AS AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE IT CITES THE
REQUIRED NUMBER OF SOURCES, AND IT REALLY DOES 14
THIS LAST PIECE WHERE IT SAYS, ARE THERE OTHER
THINGS THAT NEED TO BE EXPLORED.
SO, THIS IS A SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE, WHICH I
SUPPOSE COULD EITHER BE TO THE ORIGINAL POST OR TO
THE OTHER STUDENT.
BUT THIS EXPLORES ANOTHER AREA OF THE SAME TOPIC.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT COSTS, BUT IT'S ABOUT
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
SO IT EXPLORES A DIFFERENT IDEA WITHIN THE SAME
TOPIC.
SO, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING ELSE YOU
MIGHT SEE.
MALPRACTICE COST AND THE FREQUENCY OF SUITS,
UNDENIABLY AFFECTS THE UNITED STATES' HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM.
THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE THE LARGEST DRAIN ON
HEALTH CARE IN THE UNITED STATES.
ACCORDING TO PBS THIRTEEN, THE UNITED STATES
SPENDS 30% OF ITS HEALTH CARE BUDGET ON ELDERLY,
END-OF-LIFE CARE.
AFTER ALL, ACCORDING TO ANDERSON ET AL, FROM THE
ORIGINAL POST, IN 2002, THE UNITED STATES SPENT
53% MORE ON HEALTH CARE, PER CAPITA, THAN OTHER
COUNTRIES. BUT RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC DOES NOT SEEM TO
BE IN 15
TOTAL AGREEMENT.
SO, AGAIN, BRINGING IN THAT, LIKE, OTHER IDEA
ABOUT WHAT IS NOT BEING EXPLORED HERE.
ACCORDING TO THE HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH,
THE AMOUNT THE UNITED STATES SPENDS ON MALPRACTICE
MAY HAVE RISEN IN RECENT YEARS, AND MAY NOW BE AS
HIGH AS 2.4% OF ANNUAL HEALTH CARE SPENDING.
OTHER RESEARCHERS FOUND THIS TO BE CLOSER TO 1%.
PART OF THE CONFUSION AMONG THESE STATISTICS MAY
BE THAT HEALTH AND GOVERNMENT RESEARCHERS HAVE
DIFFERENT WAYS OF DEFINING AND MEASURING MEDICAL
MALPRACTICE.
SO, HEALTH RESEARCHERS AND SCHOLARS NEED TO BE
SPECIFIC ABOUT HOW THEY OPERATIONALLIZE
MALPRACTICE IN THEIR STUDIES.
NO MATTER HOW MALPRACTICE IS DEFINED, THE AMOUNT
IS STILL MINIMAL WHEN COMPARED TO TOTAL BUDGET FOR
HEALTH CARE SPENDING TO OTHER ASPECTS OF OTHER
HEALTH CARE IN THE UNITED STATES THAT REQUIRE MORE
SPENDING AND WHEN COMPARED TO THE TOTAL AMOUNT
SPENT BY OTHER NATIONS.
SO, AGAIN, THIS IS KIND OF A LENGTHY POST, BUT IT
REALLY TAKES THAT IDEA OF LOOKING AT THE QUESTION
AND SOME STUDENT RESPONSES AND INTERACTING AND
THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT WHAT IS NOT BEING 16
EXPLORED, WHAT QUESTIONS DO I STILL HAVE, WHAT
OTHER AREAS OR AVENUES OR OTHER RESEARCH CAN WE
ACCESS HERE TO HELP ANSWER THIS.
AND, AGAIN, THESE PIECES OF RESEARCH MAY COME FROM
CLASS, THEY MAY COME FROM CLASS READINGS, THEY
MIGHT COME FROM OUTSIDE OF CLASS READINGS AND
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO SORT OF FIND AND
INCORPORATE SOME OF THIS.
BUT THIS IS A SAMPLE RESPONSE THAT MEETS, YOU
KNOW, THE REQUIREMENT OF THE ORIGINAL POST AND
HAS -- I THINK IT ACTUALLY HAS FOUR CITATIONS IN
IT BUT THE ORIGINAL POST ASKED FOR THREE.
SO THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF JUST A WAY TO
RESPOND.
SO JUST SOMETHING TO LOOK AT AND MAYBE EXPLORE
SOME OF THE IDEAS, THE RESEARCH ISN'T IN
AGREEMENT, IS IT ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND HOW THESE
AUTHORS ARE DEFINING IT, IS IT ABOUT COMPARING TO
THE U.S. TO OTHER COUNTRIES, SO JUST EXPLORING
SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS UNDER THE SAME TOPIC.
SO, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
WE'VE LOOKED AT THE ORIGINAL POST, WE'VE LOOKED AT
SOME RESPONSE POSTS.
IF WE'RE A STUDENT IN THIS CLASSROOM, IF WE'RE STUDENTS IN THIS CLASSROOM, WE MIGHT NOW HAVE
A 17
QUESTION.
SO, LET'S TAKE THIS IDEA OF, OKAY, WHAT CAN WE ASK
NOW?
NOW IT'S TIME TO ASK A QUESTION.
AND HOW CAN WE TURN THIS QUESTION INTO SOMETHING
THAT WE CAN USE IN OUR CLASS PAPER?
SO THESE ARE SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT AND
REFLECT ON.
AND THAT LAST DISCUSSION POST WAS KIND OF LENGTHY.
IT BROUGHT IN QUITE A FEW NEW TOPICS.
SO, SOME THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER AS
YOU READ THROUGH DISCUSSION POSTS IN CLASS, OKAY,
WHAT JUMPS OUT AT YOU?
ARE YOU CONVINCED BY THE DATA BEING PRESENTED OR
THE ARGUMENT THE AUTHOR MAKES BASED ON THIS
RESEARCH?
WHAT IS NOT CLEAR?
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MAKE YOU THINK OF?
AND ARE THERE EVEN MORE RELATED IDEAS THAT NEED TO
BE EXPLORED?
SO THESE ARE THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN
ASK YOURSELF AS YOU READ THROUGH OTHER POSTS AND
AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT RESPONDING TO A POST BUT
THEN ALSO WHEN YOU'RE PLANNING A COURSE PAPER IS
THINKING ABOUT THESE THEMES AND, OKAY, WHAT 18
QUESTIONS DO I STILL HAVE THAT AREN'T ANSWERED AND
WHERE CAN I TAKE THIS NEXT.
WHAT STILL ISN'T CLEAR.
SO, ONE QUESTION THAT I WANT TO ASK NOW IS, SO,
WHY IS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE PREVALENT IN THE UNITED
STATES?
EVEN IF WE ESTABLISH, BASED ON THAT LAST POST THAT
IT'S ONLY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 1% AND 3% OF HEALTH
CARE SPENDING, THAT'S KIND OF A LOT AND IT'S A LOT
OF MONEY WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY TALKING DOLLAR
AMOUNT AND NOT PERCENTAGE, SO, WHY IS IT PREVALENT
AND WHY DOES THIS UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S SO
PREVALENT COME FROM?
THIS IS THE QUESTION THAT I WANT TO ASK AND THAT I
WANT TO TURN INTO A CLASS PAPER.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS IDEA THAT CAME OUT OF
THESE DISCUSSION POSTS AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE
THIS A STEP FURTHER AND TURN THIS QUESTION INTO A
PAPER FOR THE CLASS.
SO, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?
WE'VE LOOKED AT AN ORIGINAL POST.
WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME RESPONSE POSTS, EITHER
STUDENTS RESPONDING TO THE ORIGINAL POST OR
STUDENTS RESPONDING TO OTHER STUDENT POSTS. NOW I HAVE A QUESTION THAT I KNOW I WANT TO
TURN 19
INTO A CLASS PAPER.
WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?
DO I POST AGAIN IN THE CLASSROOM?
DO I DO SOME EVALUATING AND THINKING?
DO I DO RESEARCH?
OR DO I START WRITING?
RACHEL, DO YOU WANT TO OPEN THIS NEXT POLL?
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT ABOUT HALF OF THE PEOPLE ARE
VOTING, ALMOST 60% NOW.
A LOT OF YOU ARE SAYING RESEARCH, A LOT OF YOU ARE
SAYING EVALUATE, A FEW PEOPLE ARE SAYING POST
AGAIN AND WRITE.
WE'LL JUST WAIT ONE MORE MINUTE AND SEE.
OKAY.
SO, IT LOOKS LIKE 57% OF YOU ARE SAYING RESEARCH.
36% SAY EVALUATE.
AND THEN A COUPLE, 2 AND 5%, ARE SAYING WRITE AND
POST AGAIN.
I THINK WHAT WE WOULD WANT TO DO NOW IS RESEARCH.
WE NEED TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION.
EVALUATE IS KIND OF PART OF THAT, RIGHT, BECAUSE
WE NEED TO STILL CONSIDER AS WE GATHER SOME MORE
RESEARCH, HOW DOES THIS FIT WITH WHAT WE ALREADY 20
KNOW, HOW DOES IT FIT WITH WHAT STUDENTS ARE
ARGUING AND THE DATA THAT THEY ARE PRESENTING IN
THEIR DISCUSSION POSTS.
SO WE CAN DO A LITTLE BIT OF EVALUATING AS WE
CONDUCT RESEARCH, BUT THE NEXT STEP, I THINK, IS
REALLY TO FIND WHAT SOME OTHER RESEARCHERS MAYBE
OUTSIDE OF OUR CLASS HAVE DONE IN THIS AREA.
SO, THE NEXT STEP HERE, LET'S DO -- WE'LL DO SOME
RESEARCH AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MAYBE BEGIN TO
ANSWER THIS QUESTION AND DEVELOP A THESIS OR AN
ARGUMENT THAT WE CAN TURN INTO A CLASS PAPER.
I'M GOING TO STOP RIGHT NOW, IF THERE'S SOME
QUESTIONS, KAYLA AND RACHEL.
ARE THERE SOME THINGS THAT STUDENTS ARE ASKING
ABOUT?
>> ACTUALLY, THE QUESTION BOX HAS BEEN PRETTY
QUIET DURING THIS WEBINAR SO FAR TODAY.
SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, IF YOU COME UP
WITH SOME QUESTIONS DURING THE WEBINAR, GO AHEAD
AND TYPE THEM IN THE QUESTION BOX AND RACHEL AND I
ARE HERE TO RESPOND TO THOSE QUESTIONS.
WE'VE HAD A COUPLE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF
A.P.A.-RELATED QUESTIONS, AS YOU'VE THOSE EXAMPLES
UP ON THE BOARD. BUT NOT TOO MANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO DISCUSSION
21
POSTS THEMSELVES.
>> Kelly: OKAY.
WELL, I HOPE THAT'S BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S WITH ME
AND READY TO GO ON AND DO SOME RESEARCH.
BUT, AGAIN, WE'LL STOP AND WE'LL HAVE PROBABLY AT
LEAST FIVE MINUTES AT THE END, IF NOT MAYBE TEN,
DEPENDING ON HOW FAST WE KIND OF BREEZE THROUGH
THE REST OF THIS, BUT WE WILL HAVE MORE TIME FOR
QUESTIONS AT THE END IF THERE ARE OTHER THINGS
ALSO.
BUT LET'S KEEP GOING THEN.
SO, NOW WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS SOME RESEARCH.
AND THE BEST PLACE TO START IS AT THE WALDEN
LIBRARY WEBSITE, LIBRARY.WALDENU.EDU, AND I'M NOT
GOING TO GO THROUGH HOW TO USE THIS DATABASE AND
HOW TO DO THESE ACTUAL SEARCHES IN THIS WEBINAR
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME OTHER WEBINARS ABOUT
SEARCHING AND THE LIBRARY HAS A TON OF REALLY GOOD
RESOURCES ABOUT SEARCHING DATABASES.
SO I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND TIME ON HOW TO DO THE
SEARCH, BUT BASICALLY WHAT I WOULD DO IS I WOULD
GO HERE AND I WOULD FIND SOME APPROPRIATE
DATABASES OR AN APPROPRIATE DATABASE, AND I WOULD
DO A SEARCH FOR MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES
OR PREVELANCE OF MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES. 22
SO, THAT'S WHAT I DID FOR MY RESEARCH.
AND LET'S SAY I FOUND SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
AND THIS IS BY NO MEANS EXHAUSTIVE.
BUT I FOUND A COUPLE OF REASONS WHY MALPRACTICE IS
HIGHER IN THE U.S. THAN IT IS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
AND WHY IT'S -- WHY IT'S JUST PREVALENT IN
GENERAL, EVEN THOUGH, LIKE I SAID, WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT EVEN IF IT ONLY ACCOUNTS FOR, AT A MAXIMUM
OF 3% OF HEALTH CARE SPENDING, IT STILL IS
ACTUALLY QUITE A BIT DOLLARWISE THAT THE UNITED
STATES IS SPENDING.
AND HERE ARE SOME REASONS THAT I FOUND IN MY
LITERATURE SEARCH.
SO, MEDICATION ERRORS AND DIAGNOSIS ERRORS ARE
REASONS FOR MALPRACTICE SUITS.
ONE STUDY THAT I FOUND DESCRIBES SPECIFICALLY THE
INCREASE IN BREAST CANCER AND INCORRECT BREAST
CANCER DIAGNOSES, WHICH WOULD SOMETIMES LEAD TO
INCORRECT TREATMENT OR SURGERIES THAT WERE
UNNECESSARY, BUT SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THIS HUGE
INCREASE IN BREAST CANCER THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE
LAST 20 YEARS.
AND THEN ANOTHER STUDY THAT I FOUND LOOKED AT
PROBLEMS IN DIAGNOSING CHILDREN. SO WITH THE INCREASE IN TECHNOLOGY THAT WE
HAVE, 23
THERE'S A LOT OF PRENATAL TREATMENTS AND -- SO
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, MORE RISK OF THINGS GOING WRONG
AT THAT STAGE, BUT THEN ALSO DIAGNOSING CHILDREN
IS OFTEN DIFFICULT BECAUSE CHILDREN CAN'T ALWAYS
CORRECTLY DESCRIBE THEIR SYMPTOMS.
AND THESE ARE JUST BASICALLY THREE STUDIES THAT I
FOUND.
I COULD HAVE DONE MORE RESEARCH AND I SHOULD IF
I'M GOING TO SIT DOWN AND WRITE A COURSE PAPER.
I SHOULD LOOK AT MORE STUDIES THAN JUST THIS AND I
SHOULD LOOK AT WHO THESE AUTHORS ARE CITING, MAYBE
EVEN LOOK AT WHO HAS CITED THESE AUTHORS IN THE
LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
THESE ARE 2004, 2005, 2008.
SO, THEY'RE NOT -- THE 2004 AND '5 ARE GETTING A
LITTLE BIT OUTDATED.
SO, I WOULD NEED TO DO MORE RESEARCH THAN THIS FOR
A COURSE PAPER, BUT I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE THESE
THREE BASIC IDEAS JUST FOR PURPOSES OF THIS
WEBINAR AND WE'RE GOING TO TURN THEM INTO A THESIS
STATEMENT AND A PAPER.
SO, I'VE GOT ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS TOGETHER.
I'VE GOT THE INITIAL POST, THE RESPONSE POST, AND
MY OWN QUESTIONS AND MY OWN RESEARCH. AND I'M GOING TO PUT THESE ELEMENTS TOGETHER
AND 24
MAKE MY THESIS.
SO WHAT DO I THINK, WHAT IS MY ARGUMENT.
AND WHAT DO I -- WHAT KIND OF CLAIM DO I WANT TO
MAKE IN MY PAPER.
A THESIS SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT IS SPECIFIC,
UNIQUE, SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN ARGUE, AND ALSO
VERY CLEAR AND CONCISE.
SO, IT SHOULD BE A SENTENCE THAT IS BASICALLY A
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY OF YOUR PAPER AND YOUR
ARGUMENT IN A VERY CLEAR AND STRAIGHTFORWARD WAY.
AND THIS IS OFTEN VERY DIFFICULT TO SIT DOWN AND
CREATE A VERY CLEAR THESIS.
THIS IS WHERE I THINK MOST OF THE WORK IN WRITING
A PAPER REALLY IS CENTERED IS IN HAVING A GOOD
THESIS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD RESOURCES FOR THESIS
CONSTRUCTION.
AND HERE'S A LINK, WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD THIS WEBINAR
OR THE WEBINAR POWERPOINT AFTERWARD, YOU CAN CLICK
ON THIS LINK OR SEARCH ON OUR WEBSITE AT THE
WRITING CENTER, WE HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD RESOURCES
ON THERE TO HELP AS YOU'RE WRITING YOUR OWN THESIS
FOR YOUR COURSE PAPERS.
TAKING THESE ELEMENTS INTO CONSIDERATION THAT IT
NEEDS TO BE SPECIFIC AND ARGUABLE AND VERY CLEAR, 25
WHICH ONE OF THESE STATEMENTS DO YOU THINK IS A
GOOD THESIS STATEMENT?
AND I'M GOING TO READ THROUGH THESE, AND BECAUSE
OF THE CHARACTER LIMIT ON THE POLLS, WE CAN'T PUT
ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE NEXT POLL PAGE, SO
YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO BE ABLE -- YOU'LL ONLY SEE A,
B, OR C.
SO I'M GOING TO READ THROUGH THESE, THEN CHOOSE
WHICH ONE YOU WANT, THEN WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT
PAGE, PLEASE ENTER WHETHER YOU THINK A, B, OR C
BEST FITS THE DEFINITION OF A THESIS STATEMENT.
SO, A IS, I WILL SHOW WHERE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IS
PREVALENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
B, THIS PAPER WILL EXPLORE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE.
OR, C, MY PURPOSE IN THIS PAPER IS TO EXAMINE
MALPRACTICE AND DEFENSIVE MEDICINE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
SO TAKE JUST A SECOND AND CHOOSE A, B, OR C.
AND THEN LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GUYS THINK.
ALL RIGHT.
RACHEL, DO YOU WANT TO PUT THE POLL UP?
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF VOTES FOR BOTH A AND C.
AND SOME FOR B ALSO.
BUT C IS TAKING THE LEAD. I'M JUST GOING TO GO FOR A COUPLE MORE SECONDS.
26
USUALLY WE GET ABOUT 70% VOTING.
AND WE'RE ALMOST THERE.
OKAY.
WE'LL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR 69%.
WE DON'T QUITE HAVE 70.
34% OF YOU SAY THESIS A.
46% SAY THESIS C.
AND 20% SAY THESIS B.
OUT OF THESE, I WOULD ACTUALLY CHOOSE THESIS A.
I WILL SHOW WHY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IS PREVALENT
IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND I GET THE ARGUMENT FOR SOME OF THE OTHER ONES
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THESE REAL QUICK.
IN EXAMPLE A, I GUESS IT DOES HAVE "I," IT HAS THE
FIRST PERSON IN THERE WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT NOT
USING.
SO I GUESS TECHNICALLY, SOME OF YOU PROBABLY
DIDN'T CHOOSE A FOR THAT REASON ALONE.
SO I UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT THE BEST EXAMPLE BECAUSE
IT HAS "I" IN IT.
BUT IT'S VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I WILL
SHOW WHY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IS PREVALENT IN THE
UNITED STATES, SO IT'S BEING SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT
THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AND ITS PREVELANCE AND
WHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. 27
B, THIS PAPER WILL EXPLORE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IS
A LITTLE BIT UNCLEAR.
SO, EXPLORE WHAT ABOUT MEDICAL MALPRACTICE.
IT'S NOT VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT THE ARGUMENT IN
THE PAPER IS.
OR THE ARGUMENT THAT THE AUTHOR IS TRYING TO MAKE.
AND C, KIND OF ALONG THE SAME LINES.
MY PURPOSE IN THIS PAPER IS TO EXAMINE MEDICAL
MALPRACTICE AND DEFENSIVE MEDICINE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC BECAUSE IT'S
TALKING ABOUT MALPRACTICE AND DEFENSIVE MEDICINE,
WHICH IS ANOTHER PART OF MALPRACTICE, BUT IT STILL
DOESN'T SAY WHAT ABOUT IT.
I LIKE OPTION A BECAUSE IN A IT SAYS, I WILL SHOW
WHY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IS PREVALENT IN THE UNITED
STATES.
IT'S BEING VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE GOAL IN THIS PAPER
IS I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU BASICALLY, I'M GOING TO
DEMONSTRATE TO MY READER THE REASONS WHY THIS IS
PREVALENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
B AND C EXPLORING OR EXAMINING MEDICAL
MALPRACTICE, IT DOESN'T -- THESE TWO STATEMENTS
AREN'T VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT ABOUT MEDICAL MALPRACTICE. 28
SO THAT'S WHY I WOULD CHOOSE OPTION A.
OPTION A IS MORE SPECIFIC IN THAT SENSE.
SO, I HOPE THAT THAT'S CLEAR.
AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS AND GET TO IT IN THE
QUESTIONS.
I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END.
SO, IF YOU'VE GOT A QUESTION ABOUT THIS, WE CAN
COME BACK TO IT.
SO, HERE IS THE THESIS THAT I'M GOING TO CHOOSE
FOR MY PAPER.
MALPRACTICE CASES MAY BE HIGHER IN THE UNITED
STATES THAN IN OTHER COUNTRIES DUE TO MEDICATION
ERRORS, DIAGNOSIS ERRORS, INCREASED PREVELANCE OF
CANCER, AND DIFFICULTY IN CORRECTLY DIAGNOSING
PEDIATRIC CASES.
AND THIS BASICALLY CAME RIGHT OUT OF THE RESEARCH
THAT I FOUND WHEN I DID MY SEARCH.
SEE HOW IT'S -- IT'S VERY SPECIFIC.
SO IT'S SAYING THAT MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED
STATES, SPECIFICALLY, MAY BE HIGHER THAN OTHER
COUNTRIES DUE TO THESE THINGS.
AND I PUT THAT LANGUAGE OF "MAY BE" BECAUSE IN
THESE ARTICLES, NONE OF THEM REALLY ESTABLISHED A
CAUSALITY BETWEEN THESE THINGS AND A COMPARISON WITH OTHER COUNTRIES. 29
SO THESE ARE JUST REASONS THAT I'M GOING TO ARGUE
MIGHT MAKE IT HIGHER IN THE UNITED STATES THAN
OTHER COUNTRIES.
HOPEFULLY THAT WOULD BE CLEAR IN MY PAPER ALSO.
WHY I HAVE THAT LANGUAGE IN THERE.
BUT IT'S VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THE ARGUMENT THAT I'M
GOING TO MAKE, IS THAT THESE ARE THE REASONS,
THESE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS, ARE THE REASONS WHY
I'M GOING TO ARGUE THAT MALPRACTICE IS HIGHER IN
THE UNITED STATES.
OKAY.
SO, IN THE INTRODUCTION TO OUR PAPER, WE WOULD
WANT TO GIVE THE BACKGROUND OF THE TOPIC, THE
GENERAL TOPIC OR THE PROBLEM, AND OUR THESIS.
SO THE INTRODUCTION CONTAINS THESE ELEMENTS
WORKING TOGETHER.
AND THAT'S WHERE I WANT TO START WITH MY PAPER.
HOW DO I SET THIS UP AND INTRODUCE MY THESIS TO
THE READER IN THE COURSE PAPER THAT I'M GOING TO
WRITE?
SO, MY INTRODUCTION, REMEMBER, SHOULD INCLUDE AN
OPENING STATEMENT, IT SHOULD INTRODUCE THE TOPIC,
GIVE SOME GENERAL INFORMATION, IDENTIFY THE
PROBLEM, IT SHOULD CONTAIN MY THESIS, AND THEN A
CONCLUDING STATEMENT ABOUT BASICALLY WHAT THE 30
READER WILL FIND IN THE REMAINDER OF THE PAPER.
SO, I TOOK SOME ELEMENTS THAT WE'VE GONE OVER
ALREADY AND I ADDED IN A COUPLE OF OTHER PIECES.
BECAUSE, AS I SAT DOWN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD I
WANT IN MY COURSE PAPER, HOW WOULD I OPEN IT, IF I
WANTED TO INTRODUCE THE TOPIC OF MALPRACTICE, I
NEED TO FIRST SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
SO, WHAT I WOULD DO IS, I WOULD OPEN WITH A
STATEMENT ABOUT THE PREVELANCE OF MALPRACTICE IN
THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
SO, WHAT I MIGHT DO IS SEARCH FOR SOME STATISTICS,
MAYBE FROM SOME GOVERNMENT CITES IN THE UNITED
STATES AND MAYBE JUST CHOOSE SOME OTHER COUNTRIES
LIKE CANADA OR FRANCE, MAYBE SOME COUNTRIES THAT
HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS.
I WOULD ESTABLISH SOMETHING IN MY FIRST COUPLE OF
OPENING STATEMENTS TO, ONE, GRAB MY READER'S
ATTENTION, BUT, TWO, I WOULD PUT SOME STATISTICS
OUT THERE SO THAT MY READER CAN SEE, HERE'S SOME
STUFF ABOUT MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THEN I WAS THINKING, OKAY, SO WHAT ELSE WOULD
I DO BEFORE I GET TO MY THESIS AND BEFORE I GET TO
THESE OTHER AUTHORS THAT I KNOW I WANT TO CITE, IT
MIGHT BE HELPFUL ALSO TO SHOW IF THERE'S BEEN AN
INCREASE IN MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES IN 31
THE LAST 20 YEARS.
SO, I MIGHT DO SOME MORE RESEARCH AND SOME MORE
DIGGING AND SEE IF I CAN FIND SOME OTHER
STATISTICS AND REALLY START TO SET THIS UP FOR MY
READER.
HERE'S WHAT MY READER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT MEDICAL
MALPRACTICE IN THE U.S.
AND THEN AS I'M GETTING READY TO INTRODUCE MY
THESIS STATEMENT, SET UP MY ARGUMENT, I WOULD
DESCRIBE SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
MALPRACTICE CASES.
AND THESE ARE THE PIECES THAT ARE LEADING TOWARD
MY THESIS STATEMENT.
SO, REMEMBER, I FOUND THOSE ARTICLES THAT TALKED
ABOUT MEDICATION ERRORS, DIAGNOSIS ERRORS,
INCREASE IN BREAST CANCER, AND DIFFICULTY
CORRECTLY DIAGNOSING CHILDREN.
I WOULD MENTION THESE THREE THINGS AND BE SURE
THAT I CITE THESE AUTHORS AND THEN GET TO MY
THESIS STATEMENT HERE, WHERE I SAY, MALPRACTICE
CASES MAY BE HIGHER IN THE U.S. THAN OTHER
COUNTRIES DUE TO MEDICATION ERRORS, DIAGNOSIS
ERRORS, INCREASED PREVELANCE OF CANCER, AND
DIFFICULTY IN CORRECTLY DIAGNOSING PEDIATRIC CASES. 32
AND NOT THAT THIS IS A STANDARD FORMULA, BUT WHEN
YOU THINK DOWN TO THINK, OKAY, I'VE GOT SOME OF MY
RESEARCH I KNOW I WANT TO MENTION, I'VE GOT MY
THESIS STATEMENT, RIGHT, THAT'S THE HARD PART,
ONCE YOU'VE GOT A THESIS STATEMENT, YOU JUST NEED
TO CREATE THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT GO WITH IT.
SO, AGAIN, I JUST THOUGHT, SITTING DOWN, WHAT
WOULD MY READER WANT TO KNOW OR HOW WOULD -- HOW
WOULD I BEGIN TO MAKE THIS ARGUMENT ABOUT
MALPRACTICE.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE I CAME UP WITH THESE POINTS
"A" AND "B" ABOUT, IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO INTRODUCE
MALPRACTICE TO MY READER AND HAVE THEM BE A LITTLE
BIT MORE INFORMED AND KNOW SOME STATISTICS BEFORE
I GET TO THE MEAT OF WHAT IT IS THAT I'M GOING TO
ARGUE.
SO, AGAIN, THERE ISN'T NECESSARILY A FORMULA FOR
THIS.
THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WAY TO APPROACH
STARTING OUT -- STARTING A COURSE PAPER, STARTING
AN OUTLINE.
AND THEN I HAVE MY THESIS POINTS WHICH BASICALLY
CAME FROM THE RESEARCH THAT I DID AND THE ARTICLES
THAT I FOUND. SO ONE REASON THAT I'M GOING TO ARGUE THE
HIGH 33
INCIDENCE OF MALPRACTICE SUITS MAY BE BECAUSE OF
INCREASED MEDICATION ERRORS.
AND, SO, I WOULD CREATE AN OUTLINE AND SET UP SOME
OF THE INFORMATION FROM THESE ARTICLES A LITTLE
BIT MORE IN DEPTH.
SO I WOULD TALK ABOUT THESE MEDICATION ERRORS.
WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL KINDS OF MEDICATIONS, ARE
THERE CERTAIN TYPES, IS IT ABOUT BLOOD PRESSURE
MEDICATION OR DIABETES MEDICATION OR IS IT
SPECIALIZATION OF DOCTORS, IS IT LIKE PRIMARY CARE
DOCTORS THAT WE'RE SEEING THIS MORE FROM VERSUS
EMERGENCY ROOM, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
SEE WHAT KIND OF -- WHAT THE TRENDS ARE.
AND THEN I WOULD DO THE SAME FOR DIAGNOSIS ERRORS.
THAT'S PART OF MY POINT IS ABOUT MEDICATION ERRORS
AND DIAGNOSIS ERRORS.
AND, SO, I WOULD KIND OF DO THE SAME THING.
WHAT ARE THESE COMMON MISDIAGNOSES AND TREATMENTS?
ARE THEY COMING FROM -- ARE THERE TRENDS IN THE
SPECIALIZATIONS OF DOCTORS THAT ARE INVOLVED?
AND THEN I WOULD EVEN DO MORE RESEARCH.
NOW THAT I'M CREATING AN OUTLINE AND I'M REALLY
PUTTING DOWN ON PAPER ALL OF THE POINTS THAT I
WANT TO BE SURE THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, I COULD
JUST DO ANOTHER SEARCH JUST FOR THIS. 34
REMEMBER, THE ORIGINAL SEARCH THAT I DID WAS ABOUT
MALPRACTICE PREVELANCE IN THE UNITED STATES.
I COULD DO ANOTHER SEARCH REALLY SPECIFIC AND SAY,
MALPRACTICE MEDICATION ERRORS OR MEDICAL ERRORS,
AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT FITS UNDER
THIS POINT.
AND THEN I WOULD DO THE SAME THING WITH THE OTHER
TWO THESIS POINTS THAT I HAD, THAT THERE'S BEEN AN
INCREASE IN THE DIAGNOSES OF BREAST CANCERS, THAT
THIS LEADS TO SURGICAL ERRORS ON PEOPLE'S BODIES
AND ON THE WRONG INDIVIDUALS, IS THERE A
POSSIBILITY FOR MORE RESEARCH IN THIS AREA ALSO.
AND THE SAME THEN MY THIRD POINT WAS ABOUT
PROBLEMS CORRECTLY DIAGNOSING CHILDREN, RIGHT?
PRENATAL DIAGNOSES AND TREATMENTS, I WOULD TALK
ABOUT THOSE.
AND HOW CHILDREN CANNOT ALWAYS ACCURATELY DESCRIBE
THEIR SYMPTOMS THAT SOMETIMES LEADS TO
MISDIAGNOSIS IN CHILDREN.
AND AGAIN SOME MORE RESEARCH.
JUST TO REITERATE, I DID THE FIRST SEARCH ABOUT
THE PREVELANCE OF MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED
STATES, BUT I COULD DO AGAIN SOME MORE SPECIFIC
SEARCHES HERE ABOUT DIAGNOSING CHILDREN AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AND SEE IF THERE'S OTHER
35
THINGS OR OTHER RESEARCH STUDIES THAT CAN SUPPORT
MY POINTS THAT I SHOULD CITE HERE, MAYBE THERE ARE
SOME THAT RUN COUNTER TO THE ARGUMENT THAT I'M
TRYING TO MAKE.
IT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T MAKE THIS ARGUMENT, BUT IT
MEANS THAT I PROBABLY NEED TO ADDRESS THOSE ALSO.
SO, DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH AS YOU GO,
PART OF THAT, LIKE, EVALUATING POINT, OKAY, SO, AS
I'M TAKING ALL THIS INFORMATION IN, AND I'M
PULLING IT TOGETHER -- PUTTING IT TOGETHER AND
CREATING AN OUTLINE, DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE
RESEARCH AND EVALUATING TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M
MAKING A SOLID ARGUMENT.
AND ALSO THAT EACH OF THESE POINTS THAT I MAKE
CONNECT BACK TO MY THESIS STATEMENT.
SO, IF I PUT ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS TOGETHER, WHICH
I PRETTY MUCH CAN'T IN A POWERPOINT BECAUSE IT
WOULD BE WAY TOO MUCH TO FIT ON ONE SLIDE, BUT IF
YOU GO BACK AND YOU LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS FOUR OR
FIVE SLIDES, I'VE DEVELOPED AN INTRODUCTION, I
HAVE THESIS POINTS 1, 2 AND 3, AND THEN I WOULD
WRITE A CONCLUSION.
I DIDN'T DO THAT HERE BUT THE CONCLUSION IS
BASICALLY A REITERATION OF WHAT'S IN THE INTRODUCTION. 36
SO YOU REMIND THE READER OF THE MAIN POINTS THAT
YOU MADE AND YOU MADE A CONCLUDING -- MAKE A
CONCLUDING STATEMENT THAT REALLY SUMMARIZES YOUR
ARGUMENT AND MAKES YOUR FINAL POINT.
SO, FROM THE DISCUSSION POST THAT FIRST ASKED
ABOUT MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES TO A COUPLE
OF OTHER DISCUSSION POSTS TO ASKING A QUESTION OF
MY OWN TO DOING SOME RESEARCH AND THEN EVALUATING
WHAT I'VE READ AND MAKING A THESIS, I'VE NOW
CREATED AN OUTLINE, WHICH I COULD THEN TURN INTO
MY COURSE PAPER.
AND THAT WOULD BE DEPENDING ON THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE PAPER, I CAN EXPAND UPON THAT AND DO MORE
RESEARCH AND FIND MORE ARTICLES THAT PERTAIN TO MY
STUDY THAT I CAN CITE OR I CAN DO A LITTLE BIT
LESS DEPENDING ON WHAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE
COURSE IS.
SO, BASICALLY WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE GONE FROM
THIS POST TO RESPONSES, DISCUSSION POST RESPONSES,
TO ASKING A QUESTION, DOING SOME RESEARCH,
CREATING THE THESIS, AND NOW WE HAVE AN OUTLINE
AND WE'RE READY TO WRITE A PAPER.
SOME STRATEGIES FOR DOING THIS PROCESS ON YOUR
OWN, RIGHT, I KNOW IT CAN SEEM KIND OF INTIMIDATING WHEN YOU'RE SITTING AT YOUR COMPUTER
37
IN YOUR CLASSROOM READING DISCUSSION POSTS AND
YOU'RE THINKING, OH, GOSH, WHAT AM I GOING TO
WRITE ABOUT, OR HOW AM I GOING TO COME UP WITH A
TOPIC FOR A COURSE PAPER.
SOME STRATEGIES THAT I'VE FOUND HELPFUL ARE, KEEP
A NOTEPAD BY YOUR COMPUTER SO THAT YOU CAN WRITE
DOWN QUESTIONS THAT COME UP AND CITATIONS.
SO, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT STRIKES YOU WHILE
YOU'RE READING THE DISCUSSION POST OR ANOTHER
STUDENT RESPONSE TO JOT THAT DOWN.
THAT MIGHT END UP BEING YOUR COURSE PAPER AT SOME
POINT.
AND CITATIONS ALSO.
THINGS THAT YOU FIND INTERESTING IN OTHER STUDENT
POST THAT YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO GO BACK
TO THAT ARTICLE OR FIND THE ARTICLE IF IT'S NOT
FROM A CLASS READING.
SO FIND A WAY TO COLLECT THAT INFORMATION SO THAT
YOU DON'T LOSE IT SO THAT WHEN IT COMES TIME TO
SIT DOWN AND WRITE YOUR COURSE PAPER, YOU CAN GO
BACK TO SOME OF THAT.
THERE'S A SLIDE EARLIER IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT
HAS ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ON IT ABOUT, DO YOU AGREE
OR DO YOU NOT AGREE, IS THERE MORE INFORMATION THAT NEEDS TO BE EXPLORED, WHAT'S NOT CLEAR,
IS 38
THERE A COUNTERARGUMENT.
IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO PRINT OFF THAT SLIDE
AND HAVE IT WITH YOU AS YOU'RE READING DISCUSSION
POSTS.
THAT WAY IF YOU'RE READING POSTS, YOU CAN KIND OF
GO BACK TO THOSE QUESTIONS AND THEN MAYBE JOT SOME
NOTES DOWN, LIKE, OKAY, IS THERE A
COUNTERARGUMENT, WHAT ISN'T CLEAR.
IF I WAS GOING TO DO SOME MORE RESEARCH ON THIS,
WHAT WOULD I SEARCH FOR?
AND JUST HAVE THOSE QUESTIONS KIND OF OUT IN FRONT
OF YOU.
I THINK THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO SOME OF YOU AS
YOU'RE READING DISCUSSION POSTS AND THINKING ABOUT
CRAFTING YOUR OWN RESPONSE.
AND THEN BEGIN AN OUTFIT EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS.
AND I DON'T MEAN EARLY ON AS IN LIKE THE FIRST DAY
OF CLASS, BUT AS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH DISCUSSION
POSTS AND MAYBE YOU'VE GOT A THESIS OR SOMETHING
THAT YOU THINK YOU COULD TURN INTO A THESIS FOR
YOUR COURSE PAPER, IT DOESN'T EVER HURT TO START
WRITING AN OUTLINE AND START PUTTING SOME EVIDENCE
THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CITE OR SOME THESIS POINTS
TOGETHER. YOU CAN ALWAYS CHANGE IT LATER. 39
WHAT'S DIFFICULT IS WHEN YOU GET TO THE POINT
WHERE IT'S THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PAPER IS DUE AND
YOU HAVEN'T STARTED IT YET.
SO, I ALWAYS TELL STUDENTS THAT, IT'S EASIER TO
CHANGE WHAT YOU'VE GOT ON THE PAGE THAN IT IS TO
START FROM SCRATCH.
SO, BEGINNING AN OUTLINE IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD
JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO, EVEN IF IT'S NOT AN
OUTLINE, JUST NOTES ABOUT WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO
PUT IN YOUR PAPER.
THESE ARE THE REFERENCES FOR EVERYTHING THAT I
CITED.
I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD INCLUDE THEM, NOT THAT YOU
WANT TO SEE THAT PAGE.
AND E-MAIL WRITINGSUPPORT@WALDENU.EDU WITH
QUESTIONS ABOUT DISCUSSION POSTS OR OTHER
QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP DURING
THIS WEBINAR.
AND THEN VISIT OUR WEBSITE, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT A LOT
OF GOOD RESOURCES FOR WRITING, ESPECIALLY WITH
THAT LINK THAT I MENTIONED ABOUT CREATING A THESIS
STATEMENT.
WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD RESOURCES ON THERE, SO,
IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE. I THINK WE CAN GO BACK TO QUESTIONS NOW, RACHEL
40
AND KAYLA.
HOPEFULLY WE HAVE SOME.
>> GREAT.
THANKS SO MUCH, KELLY.
WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I WANT TO
BRING UP TO THE WHOLE GROUP.
FIRST OF ALL, WE HAD A QUESTION, A COUPLE OF
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE THESIS STATEMENT.
ONE QUESTION ABOUT, WHAT WOULD THE DIFFERENCE BE
BETWEEN A THESIS STATEMENT IN A DISCUSSION POST
VERSUS A THESIS STATEMENT IN A PAPER?
AND THEN ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER
OR NOT EVERY COURSE PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE A THESIS
STATEMENT.
SO, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO JUMP IN WITH
THOSE.
>> YEAH.
SORRY.
I WAS JUST WRITING THEM DOWN.
>> OH, GREAT.
>> I TRY TO WRITE DOWN THE QUESTION SO THAT AS I
TALK AND CHANGE THE SUBJECT AND GET ON TO
SOMETHING ELSE I CAN GO BACK TO WHAT THE ORIGINAL
QUESTION WAS. [ Laughter ] 41
OKAY.
SO, THESE ARE SOME GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT THESIS
STATEMENTS.
SO, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A THESIS
STATEMENT IN A DISCUSSION POST AND IN A PAPER.
THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT THERE ISN'T A DIFFERENCE.
I THINK THAT THE THESIS STATEMENT NEEDS TO BE THAT
ONE SENTENCE ABOUT WHAT YOUR ARGUMENT IS.
AND WHETHER THAT'S FOUND IN A DISCUSSION POST
THAT'S ONLY PART OF A FEW PARAGRAPHS OR WHETHER
THAT'S IN THE INTRODUCTION TO, YOU KNOW, A
DISSERTATION THAT'S HUNDREDS OF PAGES, I THINK IT
NEEDS THOSE SAME BASIC ELEMENTS.
AND IT NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS ARGUABLE.
BASICALLY IT'S THE CLAIM THAT YOU'RE MAKING,
WHETHER THAT'S IN A DISCUSSION POST OR IN A PAPER
OR A DISSERTATION OR DOC STUDY, THAT YOU'RE GOING
TO SUPPORT WITH RESEARCH EITHER FROM YOUR CLASS
MATERIAL OR FROM RESEARCH YOU'VE DONE ON YOUR OWN.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO BACK IT UP WITH EVIDENCE.
AND, SO, I THINK THERE'S NOT A DIFFERENCE.
IT'S JUST THAT, YOU KNOW, THE POST IN A
DISCUSSION, IN THE CLASSROOM IS JUST GOING TO BE
SHORTER OVERALL. 42
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE THESIS STATEMENT
SHOULD BE SHORTER.
I HOPE THAT MAKES SENSE.
AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION ABOUT, DOES EVERY
COURSE PAPER NEED A THESIS?
YES, BASICALLY, THE THESIS IS -- SAY THAT THREE
TIMES FAST.
THE THESIS --
[ Laughter ]
-- THE THESIS IS WHAT YOU ARE ARGUING IN YOUR
PAPER.
SO THERE SHOULD BE AN ARGUMENT IN ANY PAPER.
NOT NECESSARILY, LIKE, ARGUMENT IN THAT SENSE, BUT
BASICALLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DEMONSTRATE.
YOUR THESIS STATEMENT IS THE ONE THING YOU WANT
THE READER TO KNOW AND TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR PAPER.
IT'S THE MAIN IDEA, IT'S THE ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY
OF WHAT THE WHOLE PAPER IS ABOUT.
SO, YES, EVERY COURSE PAPER SHOULD HAVE A THESIS
STATEMENT.
AND, AGAIN, I KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT EASY TO WRITE.
THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, I WOULD DIRECT YOU TO OUR
RESOURCES FOR THESIS STATEMENTS ON THE WRITING
CENTER WEBSITE BECAUSE I THINK, TRULY, THAT IS THE
HARDEST PART OF WRITING A PAPER IS THAT ONE 43
SENTENCE, I THINK.
SO, I HOPE THAT --
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> -- ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
>> YEAH, THANKS SO MUCH.
THANKS SO MUCH, KELLY.
WE ALSO HAD SOME QUESTIONS, SOME REALLY GREAT
QUESTIONS THAT SORT OF -- I THINK THEY WERE BORN
OUT OF THAT -- THAT TOPIC FROM EARLIER IN THE
PRESENTATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SO YOU'VE WRITTEN
YOUR DISCUSSION POST, YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR
RESPONSE, YOU COME UP WITH YOUR QUESTION, AND YOUR
QUESTION SORT OF SPAWNS YOUR FUTURE RESEARCH.
AND WE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT QUESTIONS ABOUT --
I'M SORRY, MY DOG IS BARKING IN THE BACKGROUND.
[ Laughter ]
AND WE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT QUESTIONS COME OUT OF
THAT ABOUT SORT OF THE GENERAL NATURE OF RESEARCH,
I THINK, AND SCHOLARLY INQUIRY.
WE HAD A STUDENT ASKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU
TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU DEVELOP YOUR QUESTION
AND THEN THAT LEADS TO FUTURE RESEARCH.
A STUDENT WAS ASKING, WELL, CAN'T RESEARCH ALSO
COME FROM EVALUATING RESEARCH YOU'VE ALREADY DONE?
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO 44
COME UP WITH A QUESTION AND THEN FURTHER
RESEARCHING THAT QUESTION, CAN YOU EVALUATE THE
RESEARCH YOU'VE ALREADY DONE AND USE THAT TO SORT
OF SPUR ON YOUR RESEARCH?
AND THEN ALSO SORT OF AT THE OTHER END, HOW DO YOU
KNOW WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH YOUR RESEARCH,
BASICALLY?
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH RESEARCH
AND YOU'RE READY TO START WRITING?
IF YOU DON'T MIND, I KNOW THOSE ARE PRETTY BIG
QUESTIONS AND I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO SORT OF THINK
ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT, SO I MIGHT SORT OF JUMP
INSPECT WITH MY INITIAL RESPONSE, AT LEAST.
>> Kelly: YEAH, GO AHEAD.
>> OKAY, GREAT.
FEEL FREE, OF COURSE, TO JUMP IN.
SO, MY INITIAL RESPONSE TO THOSE QUESTIONS IS THAT
THE IMPORTANT THING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE
WRITING COURSE PAPERS AND DISCUSSION POSTS, IS TO
JUST KEEP IN MIND THE SCOPE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET TO -- IF SOME OF YOU ARE
DOCTORAL LEVEL STUDENTS AND YOU'RE WRITING YOUR
DISSERTATION, THEN, ABSOLUTELY, YOU ARE GOING TO
CONDUCT A TON OF RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO KEEP FINDING WAYS TO EXPAND ON YOUR 45
RESEARCH AND KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS.
WHEN IT COMES TO A COURSE PAPER, THOUGH, AND A
DISCUSSION POST, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN
MIND, WHAT IS THIS ASSIGNMENT ASKING ME TO DO.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO WRITE,
YOU KNOW, A SPECIFIC PAPER ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY,
FOR EXAMPLE, YOU DON'T NEED TO KEEP CONDUCTING
RESEARCH AND SPAWNING NEW RESEARCH SO THAT YOU
COVER THE ENTIRETY OF THAT TOPIC.
INSTEAD, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE
FULFILLING YOUR ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS AND THAT
YOU HAVE A GOOD SOLID GRASP OF THE SPECIFIC
ARGUMENT FOR THAT PAPER THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT WITH
EVIDENCE, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP A
NARROW FOCUS, ESPECIALLY IN YOUR COURSE WORK WHEN
IT COMES TO YOUR PAPER TOPIC AND THE ARGUMENT THAT
YOU'LL MAKE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE, KELLY?
>> Kelly: YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GREAT POINT.
IT WAS HARD TO COME UP WITH SOME OF THESE EXAMPLES
AND THE RESPONSES KNOWING THAT WHAT STUDENTS SEE
AND WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS
VARIES, YOU KNOW, GREATLY AMONG STUDENTS.
BUT, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GREAT POINT TO
MAKE, IS JUST TO BE AWARE OF THE SCOPE OF THE 46
ASSIGNMENT.
AND THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE, WHICH I MAY HAVE
GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT CRAZY WITH, WITH THE RESEARCH,
BUT --
[ Laughter ]
-- THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WAY TO TAKE AN
IDEA AND EXPAND ON IT.
YOU KNOW?
YOUR REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR COURSE PAPER OR EVEN
YOUR DISCUSSION POSTS ARE PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, NOT
GOING TO BE -- NOT GOING TO BE NECESSARILY IN LINE
WITH THE EXAMPLE THAT I GAVE.
SO, YEAH, JUST BE AWARE OF WHAT THE REQUIREMENT IS
FOR YOUR DISCUSSION POSTING AND YOUR COURSE PAPERS
BECAUSE, YEAH, YOU CERTAINLY WANT TO KEEP YOUR
WORK WITHIN THAT SCOPE.
THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT, KAYLA.
KAYLA: GREAT.
AND THEN JUST SORT OF ONE MORE -- ONE MORE
QUESTION ABOUT USING DISCUSSION POSTS AND SORT OF
DEVELOPING THOSE TO CREATE COURSE PAPERS.
WE HAD ONE STUDENT ASK, IS IT APPROPRIATE IF YOU
READ AN IDEA IN ANOTHER STUDENT'S POST AND YOU
FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, REALLY INTERESTING, IS IT
APPROPRIATE TO USE ANOTHER STUDENT'S IDEA TO HELP 47
DEVELOP YOUR OWN COURSE PAPER?
AND I GUESS I WOULD FURTHER THAT QUESTION AND SAY,
IS IT APPROPRIATE TO USE YOUR OWN, SAY THAT YOU
WROTE A DISCUSSION POST, YOU'RE REALLY INTERESTED
IN DEVELOPING THAT IDEA FURTHER, CAN YOU JUST TAKE
THAT DISCUSSION POST AND SORT OF, YOU KNOW, PLUG
IT INTO YOUR PAPER AND GO FROM THERE?
SO, ARE THERE ANY SORT OF POLICIES OR BEST
PRACTICES WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY USING IDEAS
AND CONTENT FROM DISCUSSION POSTS IN YOUR COURSE
PAPER?
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
>> Kelly: YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION.
I GUESS I WOULD HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH MY
INSTRUCTOR FOR THE CLASS.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT MIGHT VARY SOMEWHAT.
I KNOW ASKING OTHER STUDENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
SOMETHING THAT CAME OUT OF A DISCUSSION WITH THEM
IS PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA, TOO.
I DON'T KNOW.
DO YOU WANT TO COMMENT, KAYLA?
KAYLA: SURE.
AND I HAVE, AS A WRITING INSTRUCTOR CONDUCTING
PAPER REVIEWS, I HAVE RUN INTO THIS A COUPLE OF
TIMES. 48
AND I GUESS I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, IT DEPENDS ON
HOW MUCH YOU ARE DRAWING FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEONE ELSE RAISES A REALLY
GREAT IDEA THAT'S VERY -- YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT
OTHER PERSON'S IDEA AND YOU WANT TO USE THAT IDEA
IN YOUR OWN PAPER, IT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE TO CITE
THAT DISCUSSION POST.
AND THAT IS VERY POSSIBLE TO DO.
IN FACT, LET ME TRY TO COME UP WITH THAT.
NOW, I'M TRYING TO TYPE AS I'M TALKING AND THAT IS
ALWAYS TRICKY.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN FIND THIS RIGHT OFF THE
BAT SO MAYBE, RACHEL, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE -- OKAY,
RACHEL'S ON IT.
WE DO HAVE A GUIDE ON OUR WEBSITE TO CITING
SOMEONE ELSE'S DISCUSSION POST.
AND, SO, IT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE TO DO THAT, IF
YOU'RE REALLY DRAWING FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S IDEA.
THAT'S A REALLY GREAT POINT, THOUGH, ABOUT ASKING
YOUR INSTRUCTOR BECAUSE THAT PROBABLY DOES DEPEND.
AND WE DO ALSO -- WHEN IT COMES TO USING YOUR OWN
WORK, YOU KNOW, TAKING YOUR OWN DISCUSSION POST
AND DEVELOPING IT INTO YOUR PAPER, I GUESS, AGAIN,
THAT'S A LITTLE BIT -- A LITTLE BIT WISHY -- YOU
KNOW, THERE AREN'T REALLY REALLY FIRM GUIDELINES 49
THERE.
AND I RECOMMEND TALKING TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR ABOUT
IT.
BUT WE DO HAVE A GUIDE TO ACTUALLY CITING
YOURSELF.
IF YOU ACTUALLY ARE REUSING WORD FOR WORD THINGS
THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN PREVIOUSLY.
I WILL SAY, THOUGH, I RECOMMEND THAT STUDENTS
AVOID DOING THAT WHENEVER POSSIBLE, JUST BECAUSE
IF YOU WRITE SOMETHING IN A DISCUSSION POST AND
NOW YOU'RE WRITING A PAPER, YOUR PAPER PROBABLY
INVOLVES DOING MORE RESEARCH, AND TAKING A BROADER
PERSPECTIVE OR, YOU KNOW, A DIFFERENT KIND OF
APPROACH TO THIS TOPIC, AND IF YOU'RE JUST COPYING
AND PASTING THINGS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY WRITTEN,
THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY REFLECT THE NEW KNOWLEDGE
AND UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU HAVE.
AND, SO, I TYPICALLY RECOMMEND THAT STUDENTS AVOID
JUST COPYING AND PASTING FROM A DISCUSSION POST TO
A PAPER.
AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE
BRINGING YOUR NEW CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND ALL OF
THESE NEW PERSPECTIVES AND IDEAS TO YOUR WORK.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? >> Kelly: THANKS. 50
THANKS, KAYLA.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
IT'S 1:00.
IF THERE'S ANOTHER ONE, I'VE GOT TIME, BUT...
KAYLA: YOU KNOW, I THINK THE QUESTION BOX IS
WINDING DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
SO I'LL SAY, IF WE DIDN'T GET TO YOUR QUESTION
TODAY OR IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS THAT YOU
THINK OF AFTER THIS -- AFTER THIS WEBINAR, GO
AHEAD AND LET US KNOW.
THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS IS UP ON THE SCREEN.
WRITINGSUPPORT@WALDENU.EDU, FEEL FREE TO DROP US A
LINE AND THANKS SO MUCH, EVERYONE, FOR JOINING US.
SO, KELLY, IF YOU'RE READY, I THINK WE'LL GO AHEAD
AND END THE WEBINAR.
>> Kelly: ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, GUYS.
YEAH, AGAIN, SEND US AN E-MAIL IF THERE ARE OTHER
QUESTIONS AFTER THIS WEBINAR, THINGS THAT COME UP
AFTER THAT.
THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING.
THANK YOU, KAYLA AND RACHEL, FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD
WORK IN THE QUESTION BOX AND ASKING QUESTIONS.
I APPRECIATE IT. AND, YEAH, EVERYONE, HAVE A GOOD DAY. 51
THIS FILE IS BEING PROVIDED IN A ROUGH-DRAFT FORMAT.
COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART) IS
PROVIDED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION
ACCESSIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE A TOTALLY VERBATIM RECORD
OF THE PROCEEDINGS.