Social work is a practice profession

Social work is a practice profession—you apply your learning in practical ways. In the same way you apply your learning to serve clients, you can seek out and apply solutions to your academic needs in a practical way. Academic skills are not magical or illusive—they can be learned, strengthened, and applied to achieve your goals. In this case, your ultimate goal is a graduate degree in social work, applied to help those in need.

Walden University offers a plethora of resources for academic skill development. The challenge is more often finding the time and focus to utilize these resources effectively. Spending the time and energy now to develop these skills will support and enhance your overall success within the MSW program.

Paralleling the work you will do with clients, this Assignment asks you to engage in self-assessment, goal development, and implementation of a plan. The purpose here is to think about the skills you would like to develop over the next 4 weeks and simply envision how you could accomplish that goal. Like many plans, it is not permanent. It can change—think of this as a work in progress, with the focus on self-reflection.

RESOURCES

 

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity. Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

TO PREPARE

· Review the Learning Resources that relate to SMART Goals and other academic skills.

· Complete the  Walden SafeAssign and academic integrity tutorial [Interactive tutorial] found in this week’s Learning Resources under Required Media. This will help you evaluate your academic skills, and the certificate of completion is also required for submission in this Assignment.

· Under Start Here, review the resources on the Academic Skills Resources page. Which of those resources relate to where you think you need to improve your academic skills? Focus on those resources.

· Consider which skills develop over the next 4 weeks.

· Create 3 goals to develop your graduate level skills. Describe how you will meet each goal.  Tip: Make goals Specific, Measureable, Acheiveable, Relevant, and Timely. Identify specific academic skill support resources at Walden to plan to use in your skill development.

BY DAY 7

· Complete the Academic Integrity Module and attach the certificate.

· Attach your 3 goals in a word processing document.

· Make sure that both files are attached in the Assignment link  before submitting the Assignment.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

 

Rubric

SOCW_6002_Week2_Assignment_Rubric

SOCW_6002_Week2_Assignment_Rubric
Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAcademic Integrity Certificate	50 to >44.95 pts Excellent Certificate submitted 44.95 to >39.95 pts Good Certificate submitted 39.95 to >34.95 pts Fair Certificate submitted 34.95 to >0 pts Poor Certificate not submitted	50 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWays to meet goals	20 to >17.98 pts Excellent Student describes more than 3 different and unique ways to work on the goal of developing graduate level skills. Ways identified are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. 17.98 to >15.98 pts Good Student describes 3 different and unique ways to work on the goal of developing graduate level skills. Ways identified have at least 2 of the following elements: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. 15.98 to >13.98 pts Fair Student presents 2–3 ways but describes 2 different and unique ways to work on the goal of developing graduate level skills. 13.98 to >0 pts Poor Student describes 1 way to work on the goal of developing graduate level skills.	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWalden resource	20 to >17.98 pts Excellent Student identifies more than 3 separate and unique Walden resources, aligning each resource with a way to reach goal. 17.98 to >15.98 pts Good Student identifies 3 separate and unique Walden resources, aligning each resource with a way to reach goal. 15.98 to >13.98 pts Fair Student identifies 2–3 Walden resources, but does not align each resource with a way to reach goal. 13.98 to >0 pts Poor Student either does not identify specific Walden resources and/or only identifies 1 that may or may not be aligned to a goal.	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting	10 to >8.99 pts Excellent Meets expectations, is generally error free (2 or fewer), and further exceeds by showcasing an exemplary scholarly voice to develop the message or communicate ideas. … Tone and presentation of ideas are free from bias and objective, unless otherwise directed in the prompt. 8.99 to >7.99 pts Good The assignment is clear and coherent. Errors in grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation are minor, minimal (3–5), and do not interfere with the scholarly message. The assignment displays effective organization and focus to communicate ideas. … Tone and presentation of ideas are free from bias and objective, unless otherwise directed in the prompt. 7.99 to >6.99 pts Fair The assignment is somewhat clear and coherent. Errors in grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation are minor but frequent (5–10) and occasionally interfere with the message. The assignment lacks clear organization or occasionally strays from the focus. … Tone and presentation of ideas are free from bias and objective, unless otherwise directed in the prompt. 6.99 to >0 pts Poor The assignment lacks clarity and coherence. Errors in grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation are major, pervasive (11+), and interfere with the message. The assignment is not organized or lacks focus. … Tone and presentation of ideas reveal bias and subjectivity.	10 pts
Total Points: 100

 

 

 

Required Media

· National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.).  Social work history Links to an external site. . https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Facts/Social-Work-History

Note: Watch the “Legacies of Social Change” video at the bottom of this page.

· Walden University: Student Affairs. (n.d.).  Walden SafeAssign and academic integrity tutorial  [Interactive tutorial] Links to an external site. . https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/studentaffairs/academicintegrity#s-lg-box-16524229

Note: Take this online tutorial for the Assignment this week. The tutorial provides a certificate to download upon completion. You must submit this certificate in the Assignment.

· Walden University Library. (n.d.).  Becoming a scholar  [Interactive tutorial] Links to an external site. . https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/c.php?g=259282&p=6149946#s-lg-box-wrapper-22937499

· Walden University Library. (n.d.).  Critical reading and evaluation  [Interactive tutorial] Links to an external site. . https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/c.php?g=259282&p=6149946#s-lg-box-wrapper-22937514

 

 

REFREENCES

 

· Walden University: Academic Skills Center. (n.d.).  Developing SMART goals Links to an external site. . https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/academic-skills-center/skills/smart-goals

· Academic Skills Resources: Locate the Academic Skills Resources page under Start Here for your Assignment this week.