1. Mission and Vision
by
Papanikolaou Asimina-
PhD Candidate
Papanikolaou Asimina-
PhD Candidate
School
of Public Policy and Leadership
-Foundation on Doctoral Studies-
(Walden University, 2013)
-Foundation on Doctoral Studies-
(Walden University, 2013)
As a civil servant, working in a public
hospital in fields such as economic sectors, human resources management offices
and emergency units as an executive, I face, everyday, the impact of
burning-out situations or the opposite, job satisfaction senses.
During my last MSc in Continuing Education in
2011, I found after a thorough research of the data of 35 General Hospitals in
Northern Greece that there is a strong connection between job satisfaction and
continuing education. To become more specific, there were indications that when
the hospital executives where satisfied from their job was when they really
knew what to do, how to do and all the explanations about their job which could
make their professional lives easier and to response quickly to the patients’
needs and to the hospital’s administration policy while “enhancing creativity,
innovation, and problem-solving”, (Walden University, 2013a).
The whole situation concerning job satisfaction
is that the person who feels satisfied may feel self-esteem also. A satisfied
employee is more productive than an unhappy, unsatisfied one. Continuing
education programs concerning the rise of self esteem of the executives, as
Maslow’s pyramid of Νeeds explains, may lead to the establishment of a pool of
productive and inspired staff, ready to
help and support the patients, their
families and finally the community, meeting Walden’s mission “as
scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change” (Walden University,
2013b).
A Center
of Consult and Lifelong Learning in all Public Hospitals in Greece is my
further vision for future, with a variety of learning subjects concentrated to
Self-esteem and Self-acquisition based on Maslow’s theory.
My vision meets the vision of Walden’s
University “where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be
applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal
challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good” and thinking of the strong commitment to the results
accepted to be achieved through ethic and committed Leadership, knowledge and
Lifelong Learning principles.
REFERENCES
1. Walden University, (2013a), Walden University
Student Handbook: Introduction, June 2013,
http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=83&navoid=17772
2.
Walden
University, (2013b), Walden University
Student Handbook: Vision, Mission and
Goals, June 3013, http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=83&navoid=17633
I am a public servant and I work from 7.00 am to 15.00pm from Monday to Wednesday. I am also, a wife and mother, a writer, a painter and a volunteer which means that organizing my time to study is more than essential. Without time management and planning all my duties, I will not be able to compromise all the roles, the activities and their demands. I, also, need to be continually self-committed and motivated which is easy because I feel fulfilled and useful.
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1.a.
PLAGIARISM- an example of assessment
by
ASIMINA PAPANIKOLAOU
An original paragraph:
"Doctors,
whose first allegiance is supposed to be to their patients, have traditionally
stood between drug company researchers and trusting consumers. Yet unless there
is evidence of misconduct (the deliberate misrepresentation of something as
fact by someone who knows it is not), it is very difficult to discover and
virtually impossible to prove that a piece of biomedical research has been
tainted by conflict of interest. No study is perfect, and problems arise in the
labs of even the most conscientious and honest researchers. Although biomedical
research incorporates rigorous scientific rules and is often critically
scrutinized by peers, the information can nevertheless be warped—by ending a
study because the results are disappointing; changing rules mid-study; not
trying to publish negative results; publicizing preliminary results even with
final and less positive results in hand; skimming over or even not
acknowledging drawbacks; and, especially, casting the results in the best light
or, as scientists say, buffing them,"(Crossen, 1994, p. 166-167).
Students’ paragraph:
Consumers
must trust that the research that has gone into the manufacture of new drugs is
safe. But it is hard to know if a conflict of interest between doctors,
researchers, and the drug company stockholders has tainted the results.
Biomedical researchers incorporate strict rules of science into their work,
which is examined by peers. Yet the resulting information can be warped for
five reasons: ending a study too soon, not publishing negative results,
publishing results too early, skimming over or ignoring drawbacks, and
“buffing” the results by showing them in the best light (Crossen, 1994, p.
167).
Assessment:
a)
The first sentence is a clear example of plagiarism.
b)
The second is a paraphrasing example without citing.
c)
The rest of the paragraph is a summary of
the original with only one
citation at the end of the last sentence. This is plagiarism according to Walden’s Student Catalog
(2009-2010).
The
first sentence of consideration is: “ Consumers
must trust that the research that has gone into the manufacture of new drugs is
safe” could have been written, according to APA, as
following: “Consumers must trust that the
research that has gone into the manufacture of new drugs is safe" (Crossen,
1994, p. 166-167).
The
second sentence of consideration is: “Biomedical
researchers incorporate strict rules of science into their work, which is
examined by peers” should have been written as following: “Biomedical researchers
incorporate strict rules of science into their work, which is examined by peers"
(Crossen, 1994, p. 166-167).
What is plagiarism-How to avoid it
The
term plagiarism origins
by the Latin word plagiarius, the kidnapper and plagium, the
kidnapping and firstly used by Benjamin Johnson,
an English-Scottish dramatist, playwright and poet of the seventeenth
century when he accused someone else as a thief (Vinod et all., 2011).
“Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone
else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2010). Additionally, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, as it is
stated on the first online page of the Plagiarism Organization:
“
-to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
-to
use (another's production) without crediting the source
-to
commit literary theft
-to
present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing
source”, (www.plagiarism.org).
The Walden Student Catalog (2009-2010)
and in week’s 10 Study Notes (Walden, 2010a) defines “plagiarism as the use of intellectual
material produced by another person without acknowledging its source”. Acknowledging is the most important word
in Walden’s definition and according to Oxford Dictionaries (2010), it is the
“acceptance of the truth or existence of
something and recognition of the
importance or quality of something”. Otherwise, it is corruption and it is sentenced
(Al-Awqati, 2007). Laws protect the authors, artists, researchers and the
owners of copyrights
almost in every country.
A
thorough search in Ebsco database where
I wrote only the word plagiarism and
set as years of the articles’ expansion from 2005 until 2012 resulted to 176 peer-reviewed
academic journal articles where the word plagiarism was either in the title or the main theme or among the
key words of the articles. This made me think of the literature’ s and
scientists’ concern and interest about the theme.
Questions arise about the belief that
cheating, stealing, plagiarizing is a
matter of culture (Leask, 2006). In the academic world, students from different
cultures ought to be taught how to recognize and avoid plagiarism considering that not every
country has laws against plagiarism.
There is a theory about “Us” ( the West thinkers) where the Origin derives from and “Them” (the
East thinkers) where the Occident occurs (Leask, 2006). A Lancaster University’s researchers’ paper, “
considers differing cultural values among overseas students toward plagiarism and the
implications this may have for
postgraduate education in a Western context” (Hayes & Introna
, 2005) which means that the researchers took for granted that there is difference between
East and West way of acting against or
towards plagiarism.
In
a digital world where students and scholars are named as “digital natives” by
Kate Wittenberg (2006), and data, knowledge, information and
opinions are continually shared, copied
and paraphrased with permission
or not, “computer technology and the Internet now make plagiarism an easy
enterprise” ( Heckler et. all., 2013). The theory of East and West cultures and
values, is invalid, from this aspect.
Securing
the insecure, means that we are obliged to respect the laws about Fair Use, establish technics to check and prevent from plagiarism
such as Turnitin (Heckler et. all., 2013). Values such as trust and honesty ought to be adopted between the Academic community
members and students from the beginning of their school years. This option defines teachers’ and professors’
responsibility to inform their students
and do not tolerate plagiarism (Heckler et. all., 2013).
Academic integrity (Walden, 2010b) indicates
that quoting and citing is a matter of honoring
the creative minds and authenticity. Honor Codes
specified as honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility in the Center
for Academic Integrity (www.academicintegrity.org)
and a convent between Universities, Libraries, students and scholars all
over the world’s academic community ought to be respected and supported as necessities
and high priorities. This
will reform our personal ethics as
scholars, if we have n’ t done it yet.
REFERENCES
1. Al-Awqati,
Q. (2007). Plagiarism. Kidney
International. Vol. 71, Issue 2, p91-92. 2p.
2. Hayes,
N., & Introna, D. L. (2005).
Cultural Values, Plagiarism, and Fairness: When Plagiarism Gets in the Way of
Learning. Ethics and Behavior, 5(3),
213–231.
3. Heckler,
C. N., Rice, M., Hobson, C. B., (2013). Turnitin Systems: A
Deterrent to Plagiarism in College Classrooms. JRTE I. Vol. 45, No. 3, pp.
229-248 | iste.org/jrte
4. Leask,
B. (2006). Plagiarism. Cultural diversity and metaphor— implications for academic staff
development. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Vol. 31, No. 2,
April 2006, pp. 183–199. ISSN 0260-2938 (print)/ISSN 1469-297X
(online)/06/020183–17. doi: 10.1080/02602930500262486
5. Oxford
University Press, (2010). Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford
University Press. Canterbury University. Angus Stevenson (editor). Retrieved from: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/plagiarismhttp://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t140.e0637200
http://oxforddictionaries.com/
6.
Vinod
K.R., Sandhya S., Sathis Kumar D.,
Harani A., Banji,D. & Banji, O., (2011). Plagiarism- history, detection and prevention.
Pharmaceutical news and views. Hygeia:
journal for drugs and medicines. Hygeia.J.D.Med│Vol.3. Issue.1,Page 1- 4.
2011.. ISSN 2229 3590(online).
7.
Walden University, (2010a).
Study Notes: Introduction to Scholarly Writing: Plagiarism and Academic
Integrity. Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
8.
Walden University (2010b). Academic
Integrity. Retrieved from:
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
9.
Wittenberg, K.
(2006). Beyond Google: What Next for Publishing? (Essay first appeared on 16 June 2006). Chronicle of Higher Education
Websites:
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2. DEVELOPING
SUCCESFULL ONLINE LEARNING SKILLS
PLANNING
AND TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
by Papanikolaou
Asimina
“Strategy
is a plan, or something equivalent-a direction, a guide or course of action
into the future, a path to get from here to there. Strategy is also a pattern,
that is, consistency in behavior over time” (Mintzeberg, 1994). Under this
definition, being a student of an online learning course where skills such as
planning and managing time and effort, seem to be critical for the final success
(Walden, 2013a). Also, “successful online learners need to be self-driven and
motivated to complete coursework without physical presence of an instructor and
their peers. Time management and organization are essential to learning online”
(Essential Guide to Online Learning, 2013).
First
of all, and before creating a plan, one should study carefully and in every
detail any study note, tip, book or online announcement and page of the
University’s portal. It is a loss of time to start an online programme and then
seek for all the information which is necessary to create a confortable
personal studying environment. It is important as it happens with Walden that “you can find almost everything you
need, from online registration to residency information to program forms, on
your myWalden page or the Walden home page” (Walden University, 2013b).
Time
management means that time is something that needs to be managed. Time is not
unfinished, everlasting and never-ending. As Friedman (1994) claims, “time is
the continuous duration in which events succeed one another. Time can be one's
ally or adversary. Organization, scheduling, time management, prioritization
are all ways to master time”. As online
learners, time for academic studying is
pre-programmed by the University or the School we attend and concerns the
assignments we must apply to. The meantime is of our responsibility to manage
and organize properly. My time management schedule and plan, comprises of the daily
activity stages, as they are depicted in figure
1:
WEEKLY TIMELINE
|
||||
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday & Saturday
|
18.00-20.00* : Studying the
resources
|
18.00-20.00 : Studying the
resources
|
18.00-20.00 : Writing the assignment-preview and make
any necessary changes
|
18.00-20.00 : Submit the assignment-read a collection of
colleagues' postings
|
18.00-20.00: Respond to colleagues' postings
|
*duration may vary according to the assignment's
studying demands
|
||||
I am a public servant and I work from 7.00 am to 15.00pm from Monday to Wednesday. I am also, a wife and mother, a writer, a painter and a volunteer which means that organizing my time to study is more than essential. Without time management and planning all my duties, I will not be able to compromise all the roles, the activities and their demands. I, also, need to be continually self-committed and motivated which is easy because I feel fulfilled and useful.
I
curved the day into pieces and from 18.00 to 20.00 (two hours per day at
least), study the notes and the references
that are announced in week’s schedule from Monday to Tuesday, write
the assignment, preview and make any necessary changes on Wednesday, submit my assignment
and read a collection of colleagues' postings on Thursday and finally, respond
to my colleagues' postings on Friday.
I already created an environment that is clear
of “leaks” and noise, disturbances or even phone calls and friendly social
media chatting (Essential Guide to Online Learning, 2013). Reading and
searching for the key words of the
Discussion theme in the notes or materials and the Walden Library and systematically
creating my own new notes before starting to write my assignment, helps me to be well prepared and well informed about my tasks as a
student.
Knowing
my responsibilities and following my plan and my course’s plan as it is
scheduled per quarter or term (Walden, 2013c), while asking and receiving from
faculty and the University’s student services or the Academic Advisor every
information I need and organizing my time according to my personal timeline, I
believe that I could be a successful online learner, focused to the final goal
which is to earn my PhD degree.
REFERENCES
1.
1. Mintzberg, S. H., (January/February, 1994). The Rise and
Fall of Strategic Planning, Harvard
Business Review, 23, Reprint number:94107, Retrieved from:
http://staff.neu.edu.tr/~msagsan/files/fall-rise-of-strategic-planning_72538.pdf
2.
2.Walden University, (2013a). Strategies
for online success, Walden University (Study
notes). Retrieved June 10, 2013 from: http://class.walden.edu/webapps/discussionboar/do/message?act
3. 3. Walden
University, (2013b). Technical Tips for Learning at Walden, Walden University (Study notes). Retrieved June
11, 2013 from:
4. 4. Laureate
International Universities Publishing,
(2013). Getting started and Tools for success, Section I, Chapter:
Managing your time, Essential Guide to Online Learning (Rev.edit.), (p. 22-32).
5. 5. Friedman, S., (1994). Time from a handicap to an
advantage-Life, National Underwriter /
Life & Health Financial Services, 12/5/94, Vol. 98 Issue 49, p.14.
6. 6. Walden
University, (2013c). My Walden University
Portal (Academics). Retrieved June 11, 2013 from: https://my.waldenu.edu/portal/Learning/Default.aspx
Reading
a difficult book
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3. Critically Reading Books and Articles
by
PAPANIKOLAOU ASIMINA
PAPANIKOLAOU ASIMINA
To
read an article or book means that there must be a reason, an important reason,
for example an essay or research which makes me be severe and concentrated.
Then, I skim the appendix thoroughly. I
read the summary and the author’s notes to make amends with his/her point of
view and to became familiar with his/her way of thinking and writing. I can,
also, understand, reading their remarks or advice on how to read or what to
read in each chapter so as to easily find what I need to find out.
I locate the chapters of my interest and somehow,
create my own backbone of the “new” book writing notes with the specific page
numbers. This process will help me save time and effort. Reading critically this
“new” book that I created, I intend to comprehend the real meaning
of the texts (Kurland, D., 2000).
I,usually, consult additional references, to clarify theories or definitions described in the book and are not clear for
me to totally incorporate them to my notes (Walden University, 2009).
Note taking
It
is of great importance to fully understand what exactly are you looking for in an article or a text,
participating with all your brain in the process. This requires following two
steps:
a) Being
aware of the searching details (analysis -what do you need to find?)
b) To
know how to conclude (inference-what do
you think about what you found?)
Classification
of the research’s results, organizing them in a way that facilitates
comprehension and utilization of the
results, is the final step.
Finally,
to characterize a text useful, I:
a) make
headnotes and skim it, to “get a clue”
b) write
questions and set marks to specify important paragraphs, ideas, definitions
c) Outline
main ideas and summarize supporting ideas (Salisbury University, 2009).
d) Create a “new” text in a condescend form
e) Discriminate
ideas and supportive evidence
f) Make
notes for the main
purpose of the text, key questions and the important information included
(R. Paul & L. Elder, 2003).
It
is not an easy way but after becoming familiar with it, reading and
understanding becomes a “friendly” process.
References
1.
Kurland, D. (2000). Article: What is critical reading? Retrieved
from: http://www.criticalreading.com/critical
2.
Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2003). Critical thinking:
Teaching students how to study and learn
(Part III). Journal of
Developmental Education, 26(3), 36–37
3.
Salisbury University. (2009). 7 critical
reading strategies. Retrieved from Salisbury University's Student Counseling
Services. Website: http://www.salisbury.edu/counseling/New/7_critical_reading_strategies.html
4.
Walden University. (2009). Study Notes.
Critical Reading Back to Basics: The ABCs of Doctoral Reading
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4. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEER-REVIEWED
AND
NON-PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES
AND
NON-PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES
EVALUATING RESOURCES
by
ASIMINA PAPANIKOLAOU
ASIMINA PAPANIKOLAOU
While
searching for information in uncountable databases, a scholar (Engle, M., 2008) can easily be confused and
exhausted. Though, there are certain
ways to discriminate between qualitative and non-qualitative knowledge. The
discrimination between peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles facilitates
the clarification of the high quality sources. Peer-reviewed articles are
exposed to the criticism and thorough examination of an efficient number of
examiners such as field specialists, professors, academic community, in the
field of concern, before they are published. This is a proof of a strong
commitment to the community that the published articles meet the standards of
professionalism and scientific aspects.
Every peer-reviewed article is
written in a scholar format (Walden University, 2010a) including abstracts,
specific explanations, purposes, methodology, resources of research, graphs and
charts. The main characteristic is that they are based on the truth depicted at
the time they are displayed in an non-stop evaluation manner. Academic or
Universities’ libraries usually suggest the use of limiters so as to explore
peer-reviewed articles that are in advance well-accepted by the majority of the
academic community because of their appearance. They are sober, serious and they
always cite their resources (Engle, M., 2008).
Non-peer-reviewed
articles are useful too, but not as peer-reviewed such as dissertations, even
though they are examined by a large number of experts in the
field. The same occurs with e-books, magazines, even for official institutional records or
encyclopedias. They are all secondary sources and they differ from the format,
the appearance, even to the writer’s language (Walden University, 2010b).
What
is “a credible source? What are you looking for? Who is the writer? Where do you search for
information? The key to credibility is the question of trust” (Robert H., 2010).
An institution or expert that respects his/her future
readers and researchers by sharing
reliable, accurate, double-checked, proven information avoiding bias and
unsupported claims. In other words, someone that displays the truth. (Harris,
R., 2010).
It
is clear that for a researcher it is of high importance to assure credibility
in his/her bibliography. This will assure that his/her research is based on
credibility, too. One should carefully choose the information from an existing,
worldwide e-library collection of databases. Almost every institution, organization,
agency, universities and others, display
a huge variety of information, articles, texts, charts to explain their role,
work, purpose and conclusions of
research.
It
is a challenge and an obligation for the researcher to discriminate between
credible and incredible sources (Walden University a). Relevance is acquired by
abstracts, key words and limiters, however, only reading the entire text or
article and check the provided information, can help a researcher to prove
credibility. As Robert Harris (2010) claims, there are tips to select credible
information from credible sources and they are -at least- the following:
Author's Name
Author's Title
or Position
Author's
Organizational Affiliation
Date of Page
Creation or Version
Author's Contact
Information
Some of the
Indicators of Information Quality
For Harris
(2010), also these are the “Indicators of Lack of Credibility”:
Anonymity
Lack of Quality Control
Negative Metainformation
References
1. Engle,
M. (2008). Article: Distinguishing scholarly journals from other periodicals.
Cornell University Library. Retrieved from:
http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill20.html
2. Harris,
R. (2010). Article: Evaluating Internet Research Sources
Version Date: November 22, 2010. Previous
Version: June 15, 2007. Retrieved from: https://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
3. Walden
University (2010a). Study notes: Introduction to the Walden University Library.
Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
4. Walden
University (2010b). Study notes: Identifying and Evaluating Online Resources.
Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
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5. Searching and Retrieving materials from databases
by Asimina Papanikolaou
Two
of the most
important journals for my studies are “Journal
of Management Development” and “Journal
of Organizational Change Management”. Both of them are found in Walden’s
Library and “Emerald” database.
As
for the first journal, “Journal of Management Development” and after a brief search in
its appendix during the last ten years, important subjects are included such as:
“Responsible
Leadership Psychology
Experiential Learning & Management Education
Educational management and leadership
Integrating sustainability in business
Future challenges for business schools .
Strategic business issues executives
The relationship in executive coaching
Managing, managerial control and identity
Competencies in the EU” (1)
All
these issues are of my interest because the area of my research includes Management, Education and
Leadership in accordance with Innovation and Motivation of the
public hospitals’ executives. Human resources and Social Change are also exposed in the second journal “Journal of Organizational Change Management”
and this is the second area of
interest as creating Consulting Centers in public hospitals for the staff in
Greece is something that not only needs to change the world around you but to
create also, a new one because of the absence of the Consultancy to public servants.
It seems as if governments think that the employees know everything at the moment of
gaining a diploma or degree and that they would never need help, consultancy, support and
lifelong learning. Theories and good practices of Ghanging the Management as we knew it, are some
of the issues of research in the journal:
“Resistance to change
Sustainability and the need for change
Narratives in management research
Journey into Structures of Organization
Changing Practice through Reflection
The Failure of Transition
Employee-organization relationship in collective
entrepreneurship
Rhetoric and Narratives in Management
Work and Play
The novel and organization
Historical approaches” (2)
During my studies, it seems that I am going to find
a huge number of useful resources to support my research. In the meantime, I
will start critically reading articles and creating a list with the most
relevant and helpful issues for my specialty.
References
1. Journal of Management Development.
Retrieved from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/journals.htm?issn=0262-1711. ISSN: 0262-1711
2. Journal of Organizational Change
Management. Retrieved
from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/journals.htm?issn=0953-4814. ISSN: 0953-4814
****************************************
6. EVALUATION OF
ARTICLES*
By
ASIMINA PAPANIKOLAOU
a) “Health
and Wellness” & b) “Comparison of Health Care Systems”* (specific
articles included in Walden’s learning material)*
Even
though both of the articles are researches about health
which means a sensitive issue, it
is interesting that we can discriminate lack of credibility and value according
to the Evaluating Resources Guides at Walden university provided by the Walden’s
Library (Walden University, 2010a). They
use appropriate jargon but this does not entail credibility and value. The
first article “Health and Wellness” is not a peer-reviewed article, it only
informs about results of a research briefly to a specific audience which are
the readers of a magazine. It is not cited and even though it uses black and
white charts, they cannot be read clearly because of an informal format. It is obvious that even though we know the
writer, we can not use it without further research and evaluation.
The
second article “Comparison of Health
Care System” is not cited also but it seems as if its credibility is somehow higher
because of the comparison charts given, their details and the address for more
information if anyone may need more explanations or further information and
investigation of the supplied results. But it is clear that it cannot be used
as it is by scholars as a peer-reviewed article even though it claims to be
credible with the help of the graphics
and charts it includes and the names of the authors.
Reading
and searching in the internet is an easy way to find uncountable information
about a subject or issue but this does not mean that every information is
credible and truth, as Marc Meola claims and explains that “students value three of the five criteria librarians
use for evaluating information: accuracy, currency, authority” (Meola, M.,
2004). If students use at least these three criteria it is possible to reach
credibility of the gathered information.
The
methods of evaluation, that I prefer, is the “3 C’s Method” (Walden University,
2010b) which proposes comparison, corroboration and context evaluation of the
resources and the “Cars Checklist Method”
which comprises of four extremely important criteria of evaluation:
credibility, accuracy, reasonableness and support ( Harris, R., 2010).
Concluding,
when judging articles one should follow a strategy to avoid misleading. A
strategy or method is not only an evaluating instrument but it should be a
trustworthy and efficient support that helps researchers to reach the truth.
References
1. Harris,
R. (2010). Evaluating Internet research sources. Retrieved from: http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
2. Meola,
M. (2004). Chucking the Checklist: A Contextual Approach to Teaching
Undergraduates Web-Site Evaluation.
Portal: Libraries and the Academy 4.3
(2004) 331-344. Retrieved from:
http://muse.jhu.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v004/4.3meola.html
3. Walden
University, (2010a). Evaluating Resources. Walden Library Guides at Walden
University. Retrieved from: http://libraryguides.walden.edu/evaluating
4. Walden
University, (2010b). Evaluation Methods. Retrieved from: http://libraryguides.walden.edu/content.php?pid=143970&sid=1725848
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7. APPLYING A.P.A. STYLE
by
ASIMINA PAPANIKOLAOU
Motivating
the Public Sector in Greece
While
a discussion around the world keeps on
sustaining the necessity of scientific
management in the public sector according to the principles and practices of the private sector focused
to the needs of the manufacture and the workplaces (Lee, J. & Muro, M., 2013), in Greece things are not going at the same
pace. The economic crisis emerged in a sudden way and revealed the pathogenia
of the public sector in a way that according to newspapers, gallops and
friendly discussions, the public sector is to put the blame on. Government is trying deliberately to
collaborate the principles of the private sector and create a new public sector
focused to mobility between sectors and
lifelong training and educating the employees to meet with the needs of the
economy and the society.
It
seems as if the huge number of people
that are pensioned the last three years
opened the gates to the young employees and at the same time these youngsters,
came with the air of the newborn leaders of the future. But this only could be
possible by changing the way the whole public sector acts and works. This
cannot happen from a day to another, but with training, educating and
continually motivating the employees, with what we call Scientific Management.
There
is an option that cannot be seen without looking carefully and that is the
aspect of managing with feelings and emotions not only with numbers, which are
crucial, but not the only necessary. According to Bolton’s aspect in her book Emotion Management in the Workplace (2005),
employees nowadays are skilled and commonly multi-skilled. This is not enough
to achieve prosperity of the organizations. Something is missing and this is emotions because of her opinion that “organizations do have feelings” (Bolton,
2005) and that management is a project of feelings.
Human Resource Management
with the option of the New Public Sector focused to principles such as
encouragement, motivation and “feeling organizations” maybe
the key to success in
reforming the old public sector in Greece.
References
1. Lee
J., Muro M., (2013). Strengthening
Employment Pathways to Prosperous Careers. Retrieved from:http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2013/07/17-employment-pathways-lee-muro
2.
Bolton, Sh. C. (2005). Emotion Management in the Workplace.(e-reader
version). Retrieved from:
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/waldenu/docDetail.action?docID=10103780&p00=motivation
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8. ANALYSIS and ASSESMENT OF A PARAGRAPH*
(*the paragraph of concern belongs to Walden's learning materials)
Reading the paragraph of concern, occurs
to me that there are n’t any strengths
to analyze. The theme is the only strong point of the article. In other words,
the author had the intention to inform about the use of computers but according
to scholarly writing principles he/she did n’t analyze, summarize, compare,
contrast, synthesize, evaluate and interpret (Walden, 2010a). He/she, also,
failed to demonstrate the issue, using the “essential components” of scholarly
writing (Walden, 2010a).
On the contrary, the author is
constantly trying to impress with pompous adjectives, for example: great breakthroughs, powerful learning, very way and long sentences which are spelling and style mistakes (Walden,
2010a). Also, he/she uses
unnecessary jargon such as the “plugged
in” expression which is probably a fact but this does n’t mean that it is the
appropriate style of expressing the truth (Walden, 2010b).
Additionally,
the writer made the mistake of writing
with vagueness, meaningless, emotion-filled language according to the sentence:
“Poor people can now save enough to buy
their families a computer for home and school use” which is not scholarly
writing (Walden, 2010b). The author’s effort at scholarly
writing failed because the his/her voice is/n’t scholar.
The
scholar audience cannot accept as proven and concise the results of a research
without citation and solid evidence (Walden,
2010c). There are n’t any citations in the
paragraph, neither evidence to
prove the truth of the exposed results. The “article in Business Week in 2001” without citation and clear or specific
reference is an article that cannot be used to support an idea or a research (Walden,
2010b).
Finally,
the author’s paragraph about computers lacks of critical thinking and writing. It is based on personal opinions, bias,
un-stated conclusions or even worse, rumors that cannot educate, inform or
persuade a scholarly skilled audience (Walden, 1020a).
References
1. Walden
University, (2010a). Study notes: Introduction
to Scholarly Writing: Purpose, Audience and Evidence. Learning Resources. Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
2. Walden
University, (2010b). Study notes: Introduction to Scholarly Writing: Finding a Scholarly Voice. Program
Transcript. Learning Resources. Retrieved from:
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
3. Walden
University, (2010c). Study notes: Citing a Canter/Laureate Video in APA style.
Learning Resources. Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
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AND
CRITICALLY THINKING
by Asimina Papanikolaou
As Kirch and
Stetsenko explain (2012), there is a difference between “I believe” and “I know”. The first verb explains what a
person thinks about things while
the second verb states what is
true, reasonable and proven. On the other hand, common sense is
what is true and believable because many or most people believe it or “think
so” but it can be a lie at the same time. For example, it was common sense and
a strong belief for people in 17th century that the earth was flat, until Galileo proved the opposite (Encyclopedia DOMI, 2004) .
All the
above definitions are not science, though.
Science is established on research, proof, repeated experiment,
continuing evaluation and questioning. (Critical Thinking Community (n.d.),
2009). This means that our minds are machines, running with liquid which is
knowledge, derived from answering reasonable questions (Elder & Paul, 2004).
As
a scholar-practioner I may have my own beliefs and an open-mind to common sense
but I, also, ought to be honest to science. Critically thinking skills are important
skills, gained through continuing effort and practicing because it is “an art
of ensuring that you use the best thinking you are capable of in any set of
circumstances” as Elder and Paul demonstrate (2004). This is a point of view to
remember in any situation. This could be
easily understood if I provide an example of persevere belief. Having in mind a
definition of who or what is poor people
around the world and been emotionally-filled with suicides as a result of the
economic crisis in Greece, I used the term poor
in an official paper which is not an appropriate term. I felt offended by a
remark about the term I used and for a while, which was inappropriate for a
scholar- practitioner- I didn’t ask a question to myself or search for the
truth. This was a perseverance of my belief that I was right. A second thought, a question and further
research proved the importance of critically thinking and evaluating, for me,
as a scholar-practitioner.
In
my area of interest, lack or gain of self-esteem because of continuing
education and consulting, the strategy of guiding principles (Friedman, 2004)
might be useful as long as data is continuing available and updated to achieve
comparison of the measured results. Dialogue between executives and managers in
various public hospitals concerning the results of the procedure may lead to
encounter early malfunctions, confusions and perseverance of beliefs.
References
1. Elder,
L., & Paul, R. (2004). Becoming a critic of your thinking: Learning the art
of critical thinking. Retrieved on August 1, 2013, from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3108434_1%26url%3D
2. Encyclopedia
DOMI, vol. 07, Athens 2004, word: Galileo.
3. Friedman,
S. (2004). Learning to make more effective decisions: Changing beliefs as a
prelude to action. The Learning Organization, 11(2/3), 110–128.
Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqcentral/docview/215655808/13FA001FA3F6E120937/1?accountid=14872
4.
Kirch, A. S., & Stetsenko, A., (2012). What does it mean to know? Science & Children. Relished
on Summer 2012, 44-49. National Science Teachers Association.
5. The
Critical Thinking Community. (n.d.). The role of
questions in teaching, thinking and
learning. Retrieved on August 1, 2013, from: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/the-role-of-questions-in-teaching-thinking-and-learning/524
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