MS611PlanningandWritingGuide.pdf

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    MS611 PROJECT PLANNING AND WRITING GUIDE

    Introduction

    All graduate students are required to pass a Comprehensive Exam or complete a project. This is

    the culminating academic endeavor of students who earn a MBA or MSCIS degree from

    CalUMS-VA. The project provides students with the opportunity to explore a problem and to

    address that problem through focused study and applied research under the direction of a faculty

    member. The project should demonstrate the student’s ability to synthesize and apply the

    knowledge and skills acquired in his/her academic program to real-world issues and problems. It

    should affirm students’ ability to think critically and creatively, to solve practical problems, to

    make reasoned and ethical decisions, and to communicate effectively. This guide provides the

    student and instructor an overview of the general process. Your project instructor will be

    directing your project and be able to answer specific questions that you have that may not be

    addressed in the guidelines presented.

    Goals of the Project Experience

    • To provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in

    their courses to a specific problem or issue.

    • To encourage students to think critically and creatively about academic, professional, or

    social issues and to further develop their analytical and ethical leadership skills necessary

    to address and help solve these issues.

    • To provide students with the opportunity to refine research skills and demonstrate their

    proficiency in written and/or oral communication skills.

    • To have students demonstrate their achievement of the CalUMS-VA outcomes and their

    ability to extend and refine this knowledge and skill in the realization of their personal

    and professional goals.

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    Expectations

    A well-developed project should (1) examine a significant question or set of questions, (2) focus

    on a specialized topic, (3) draw upon sound methodological principles, (4) provide the current

    state of knowledge from the existing literature on the subject matter, and (5) present compelling

    findings based on rich analyses of the data utilized to answer the research question(s). The

    expectation is that the project will be well written and follow the current APA formatting

    guidelines. The paper should be of sufficient quality to be potentially submitted for publication

    in a peer-reviewed journal. Projects not meeting the quality and formatting expectations

    described below will not earn a passing grade.

    • Writing should be clear and organized, with a logical flow from one topic to the next.

    • Sentence structure should follow standard rules of grammar and punctuation.

    • Each paragraph should have a topic sentence, a body, and a conclusion.

    • Transitions between paragraphs should be fluid.

    • Use spell checker to help avoid spelling errors; however, this is not a substitute for

    careful proofreading.

    • Write in “active voice,” whenever possible.

    • Use past and present tense, where appropriate (e.g., Use past tense when reporting what

    you did, “I surveyed the participants…” and discussing your results, “The analysis of the

    data showed…” Use present tense when stating well established facts, “The U.S.

    economy is the largest in the world in terms of nominal GDP.”). Do not use future tense.

    Instructional Resources

    Instructional resources for the project course are available in Moodle (INSERT MOODLE LINK

    HERE). The resources include lectures, templates, grading rubric, as well as links to internet-

    based resources for students.

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    Technical Requirements for the Projects

    1. Students should select a research project in an area of particular interest, e.g., business,

    human resources, marketing, finance, production, information systems, etc.

    2. Projects must be written in English on standard business letter size (8.5” x 11”) using

    Microsoft Word, double-spaced, following APA guidelines. The Publication Manual of

    the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2010) and the APA Style website

    (http://www.apastyle.org/) provide a comprehensive reference guide to writing using

    APA style, organization, and content.

    3. Proposals must be submitted for approval of the instructor not later than one (1) week

    from the start of the class. This two-page proposal document should identify the main

    issues that you have chosen to address and justifies the importance – the “why” of your

    project. It should clarify the problem, or “opportunity”, and explain the relevance, to your

    education at CalUMS-VA, of addressing this problem or opportunity. It should state your

    targeted outcomes for this project and provide an overview of your planned approach to

    reaching your stated objectives.

    4. The instructor shall review the project proposals submitted by the students and advise its

    approval/disapproval within seven (7) days upon its receipt. If the proposal is not

    approved by the instructor, reason(s) for said denial shall be so advised to the student.

    The student shall then be given another week to write and submit a new project proposal.

    If the proposal is approved, the student may proceed with the research as indicated in the

    proposal. Any substantial change in content or approach in the student’s approved project

    must be immediately reported to the instructor for clearance.

    5. Students who complete the approved research project should write their final project

    paper to the instructor according to the designated date of submission. The final project

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    paper, with a minimum of 20 pages, shall be subject to evaluation and approval of the

    instructor.

    6. Your project should include a table of contents and a list of tables and figures. It may also

    include copyright information, a dedication, and acknowledgements. Your abstract

    should contain at least your research topic, research questions, methods, results, and

    conclusions. If one or more appendices are used in your paper, they should be included

    after the reference page(s). Order of pages should be as follows: Title Page, Dedication

    (optional), Acknowledgements (optional), Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of

    Figures, Abstract, Body, References, and Appendices.

    7. Regardless of the topic or methodology, the main body of the project paper should follow

    the five-chapter approach. The five chapters are:

    I. Introduction

    II. Literature Review

    III. Methodology

    IV. Analysis and Discussion of Results

    V. Summary and Conclusions

    Each chapter of the project should begin on a new page. A brief discussion of each of the

    chapters follows.

    Chapter 1 tells the reader what your study/project is about and why it is important. It also

    provides general information about the study/project which the reader might need to know. It

    should include an introduction, background specific to the problem, a statement of the problem,

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    rationale, research questions, nature and importance of the study, definition of terms, and

    assumptions and limitations.

    Chapter 2 includes the literature review. Before conducting your own project, you need to

    thoroughly understand your field and what has already been attempted and accomplished by

    others. This chapter is intended to review and synthesize the information you have found in the

    process of researching what others have already accomplished. It may provide the foundation for

    building knowledge, provide a conceptual framework for the study, provide support for the

    methodology you choose, and/or provide support for possible interpretations of the results found

    in your study.

    Chapter 3 details the method used to conduct your study. After reviewing this section, the

    reader should be able to conduct the exact same research with no further information than what

    you provide here. Note that if there is more than one research question, then each question must

    be addressed individually even if the method for research is identical.

    Chapter 4 presents the results of your project. Depending on the type of research conducted, this

    may be a relatively long chapter. In this chapter tables and/or figures must be used to assist in

    presenting results.

    Chapter 5 includes a summary of your findings and a discussion of the conclusions drawn from

    your project. An analysis of the data and an analysis of the significance of the data related to

    each research question should be included as part of this discussion. It should be written in a way

    that demonstrates your ability to think critically and to apply what you have learned to solve

    business-related problems. Additionally, you may include suggestions for further study. You

    may gain ideas for further study based on questions that came up during your project, topics that

    you did not have time to pursue but are related, answers that came up that you were not

    expecting, etc.

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    8. Completed project should be submitted for grading by the required due date. Late

    submissions will be subject to point reduction.

    9. The criteria to be used in evaluating the final project paper shall be as follows:

    a) Suitability of Title to Program

    b) Overall Relevance of the Topic

    c) Content and Presentation of Data

    d) Scope and Extent of Academic Contribution

    Students must earn at least a grade of “B” for the student project in order to pass the course

    satisfactorily. The grading rubric is provided in Appendix A.

    10. Students will create and conduct a brief presentation of their project findings in a

    maximum of 15 PowerPoint slides. Presentations will be conducted on the last day of the

    class. Students should create and deliver their presentations as if they were managers of

    their divisions/departments, giving reports to a meeting of the board of directors.

    Important Note on Plagiarism

    The American Psychological Association (APA) defines plagiarism as representing “portions of

    another’s work or data s [your] own, even if the other work or data source is cited occasionally”

    (http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.htm1#8_11). Candidates may be guilty of plagiarism for:

    • Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes

    attributing the words to their source.

    • Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging

    the source.

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    • Using information that is not common knowledge without acknowledging the source.

    • Internet plagiarism includes paraphrasing or copying information from the Internet

    without citing the source and “cutting and pasting” from various sources without proper

    attribution.

    The penalty for plagiarism is an “F” for the course and it is ground for academic dismissal.

    Students should use the APA Style for citing and referencing other people’s work to avoid being

    accused of plagiarism.

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    Appendix A

    MS611 Project Grading Rubric

    Project Section Does Not Meet Expectations (C-

    or below)

    Meets Expectations (B) Exceeds Expectations (A)

    Introduction and

    Literature Review

    (10 percent)

    ☐ Introduction/background/rationale for the project are incorrect, incoherent, or flawed

    ☐ Does not reflect understanding of subject matter and associated literature

    ☐ Poor critical assessment of the literature and identification of gaps

    ☐ Objectives are poorly supported by background literature

    ☐ Demonstrates poor understanding of theoretical concepts

    ☐ Introduction/background/rationale for the project coherent and clear

    ☐ Reflects understanding of subject matter and associated literature

    ☐ Adequate critical assessment of the literature and identification of gaps

    ☐ Objectives are adequately supported by background literature

    ☐ Demonstrates understanding of theoretical concepts

    ☐ Introduction/background/rationale for the project are superior

    ☐ Exhibits mastery of subject matter and associated literature

    ☐ Superior critical assessment of the literature and identification of gaps

    ☐ Objectives are superiorly supported by background literature

    ☐ Demonstrates mastery of theoretical concepts

    Methodology

    (15 percent)

    ☐ Methods are partially aligned with objectives ☐ Methods are poorly described (e.g., process, setting, participants, measures)

    ☐ Variables, targets, measures, and implementation process is unclear and poorly

    developed

    ☐ Methods do not include an evaluation component (e.g., preliminary implementation

    and quantitative evaluation, qualitative

    feedback, review by experts or end-users)

    ☐ Proposed analyses are wrong, inappropriate, or missing

    ☐ Conceptual framework not identified

    ☐ Methods are adequately aligned with objectives ☐ Methods are adequately described (e.g., process, setting, participants, measures)

    ☐ Variables, targets, measures, and implementation process is clear and adequately

    developed

    ☐ Methods include an evaluation component; the evaluation is adequate (e.g., preliminary

    implementation and quantitative evaluation,

    qualitative feedback, review by experts or end-

    users)

    ☐ Proposed analyses are routine, objective, correct

    ☐ Conceptual framework is clear and adequately linked to project

    ☐ Methods are fully aligned with objectives ☐ Methods are superiorly described (e.g., process, setting, participants, measures)

    ☐ Variables, targets, measures, and implementation process is clear, fully developed,

    and imaginative

    ☐ Methods include an evaluation component; the evaluation is robust (e.g., preliminary

    implementation and quantitative evaluation,

    qualitative feedback, review by experts or end-

    users)

    ☐ Proposed analyses are sophisticated, robust, precise

    ☐ Conceptual framework is exceptional with superior links to project

    Analysis and

    Results

    (15 percent)

    ☐ Analysis and results are partially aligned with

    objectives

    ☐ Results are poorly described and do not align

    with description of methods

    ☐ Tables/figures are missing or do not clearly

    present the project findings (e.g., formatting,

    ☐ Analysis and results are adequately aligned with

    objectives

    ☐ Results are adequately described and aligned with

    description of methods

    ☐ Tables/figures are present and adequately present

    the project findings

    ☐ Analysis and results are fully aligned with

    objectives

    ☐ Results are superiorly described and aligned

    with description of methods

    ☐ Tables/figures are present and superiorly

    present the project findings

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    appropriate number of tables/figures to display

    the range of results)

    ☐ Results have limited practical or

    programmatic utility

    ☐ Interpretation of data (e.g., quantitative or

    qualitative) or outcomes is wrong, inappropriate

    ☐ Results have marginal practical and programmatic

    utility

    ☐ Interpretation of data (e.g., quantitative or

    qualitative) or outcomes is routine, objective, correct

    ☐ Results have superior practical or programmatic

    utility

    ☐ Interpretation of data (e.g., quantitative or

    qualitative) or outcomes is sophisticated, robust,

    precise

    Summary and

    Conclusions

    (10 percent)

    ☐ Key findings are poorly summarized with

    reference to objectives

    ☐ Poor integration and interpretation of results

    across findings (e.g. simply repeats results or

    describes no results in discussion)

    ☐ Findings poorly evaluated within the context

    of the literature (e.g., restatement of

    background, no or very limited discussion of

    new literature)

    ☐ Does not identify or poorly describes project

    limitations

    ☐ Recommendations are poorly linked to results

    ☐ Key findings are adequately summarized with

    reference to objectives

    ☐ Adequate integration and interpretation of results

    across findings

    ☐ Findings adequately evaluated within the context of

    the literature

    ☐ Project limitations are adequately identified and

    described

    ☐ Recommendations are linked to results

    ☐ Key findings are fully summarized with

    reference to objectives

    ☐ Superior integration and interpretation of results

    across findings

    ☐ Findings fully evaluated within the context of

    the literature

    ☐ Project limitations are superiorly identified and

    described

    ☐ Recommendations are very clearly linked to results

    Overall

    Significance/Scope

    (10 percent)

    ☐ Project represents limited expansion upon

    previous research/work and has limited evidence

    of significance

    ☐ Demonstrates rudimentary critical thinking

    skills

    ☐ Project builds upon previous research/work and

    show some evidence of significance

    ☐ Demonstrates average critical thinking skills

    ☐ Project greatly extends previous research/work

    and shows exceptional evidence of significance

    ☐ Exhibits mature, critical thinking skills

    Quality of Writing

    and Formatting

    (10 percent)

    ☐ Writing is weak

    ☐ Numerous grammatical and spelling errors

    apparent

    ☐ Organization is poor

    ☐ Formatting is poor

    ☐ Writing is adequate

    ☐ Some grammatical and spelling errors apparent

    ☐ Organization is logical

    ☐ Formatting is adequate

    ☐ Writing is publication quality

    ☐ No grammatical and spelling errors apparent

    ☐ Organization is excellent

    ☐ Formatting is exceptional

    References

    (10 percent)

    ☐ Few references (25%) are timely and

    appropriate to the subject matter

    ☐ References selected below average or poor

    for the chosen subject (relies on websites or

    non-peer reviewed sources; outdated; missing

    key works)

    ☐ Statements consistently not supported by

    references when references are clearly needed

    ☐ Many references (50%) are timely and appropriate

    to the subject matter

    ☐ References selected are adequate for the chosen

    subject

    ☐ Statements generally supported by references when

    references are clearly needed

    ☐ The majority of in-text and reference list citations

    are properly cited (e.g., switching between formatting

    ☐ Most references (75%) are timely and

    appropriate to the subject matter

    ☐ References selected are the best available for

    the chosen subject

    ☐ Statements always supported by references

    when references are clearly needed

    ☐ All in-text and reference list citations are

    properly cited (e.g., switching between formatting

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    ☐ In-text and reference list citations are

    formatted incorrectly or inconsistently (e.g.,

    switching between formatting styles, websites

    improperly cited, etc.)

    styles, websites improperly cited, etc.) styles, websites improperly cited, etc.)

    Presentation

    (15 percent)

    ☐ Presentation includes little research.

    Describes/explains no or very few concepts.

    ☐ Presentation is not presented in a logical

    sequence.

    ☐ Presentation not well written and does not

    engage the audience.

    ☐ Did not finish within the allotted 15 slides, or

    words on most slides in too small a font.

    ☐ Presentation included moderate to thorough amount

    of research. Describes/explains several relevant

    concepts.

    ☐ Presentation is outlined and adequate but lacking in

    a certain topic/theme.

    ☐ Presentation demonstrates good fluency and is well

    written for the audience.

    ☐ Presented with at most 15 slides, by having a few

    slides in a small font to fit everything in.

    ☐ Presentation indicates excellent, thorough

    research. Describes/explains numerous relevant

    concepts, and all concepts are well-integrated.

    ☐ Presentation is outlined well and presented with

    many details that support the overall position.

    ☐ Presentation demonstrates excellent fluency and

    is compelling for the audience.

    ☐ Presented with at most 15 slides, with each slide

    well designed to be easily read.

    Professionalism

    (5 percent)

    ☐ Project timeline poorly managed by student;

    consistently missed deadlines; consistently

    required prompting by instructor

    ☐ Student rarely sought feedback; feedback was

    clearly needed

    ☐ Minimally responsive to written/verbal

    feedback

    ☐ Project timeline mostly managed by student with

    some oversight from instructor; some deadlines missed

    ☐ Student sought some feedback and occasionally

    asked for help when it was needed

    ☐ Adequately responsive to written/verbal feedback

    ☐ Project timeline completely managed by

    student; student worked independently and met all

    project deadlines

    ☐ Student struck an exceptional balance between

    working independently but asking for necessary

    feedback/help

    ☐ Exceptionally responsive to written/verbal

    feedback

    Final Rating ☐ DOES NOT MEET EXPECTATIONS (EQUIVALENT TO C- OR BELOW)

    ☐ MEETS EXPECTATIONS (EQUIVALENT TO

    B) ☐ EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

    (EQUIVALENT TO A)

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