Assignment: Developing an Applied Research Study
This assignment and others throughout this course will be used to help you develop a draft prospectus. A prospectus outlines your proposed research paper or dissertation. In each module, you will complete various components of the prospectus and/or your research plan.
A Required Assignment (RA) is a substantive assessment intended to measure students' performance against selected course objectives and/or program outcomes within a course.
RAs are completed by all students across all Argosy University campuses and delivery formats without exception. Each RA contributes to a significant portion of the overall course grade and is assessed by faculty using the rubric designed for that assessment.
These are individual assignments, and students earn individual grades. RAs are not intended to assess students on every topic covered in the course but just on the key course objectives and/or program outcomes.
In this course, there are two major assignments, or RAs, that make up 50% of your total class grade.
In M4 Assignment 2 RA 1, you will draft a preliminary review of the literature or information sources for your applied research study. This assignment will be used to help you develop a draft prospectus.
A literature review provides a summary of the history of your topic and recent research in the field. In applied research, this review may include pertinent information sources that are relevant to the topics but that are not research-based (e.g., past policies, manuals, review of competitor's practices, etc.).
Your final product will be a 3- to 8-page Microsoft Word document (not including the title and the reference pages). Utilize at least seven scholarly sources. A description of RA 1 is given on the M4 Assignment 2 RA 1 page.
In M7 Assignment 2 RA 2, you will create a prospectus. A prospectus outlines your proposed research paper or dissertation.
Your applied research prospectus should be developed with clear awareness of the political and ethical issues associated with the use of applied research in the specific context area being studied (education, business, psychology, etc.) and tailored to the needs of the agency, organization, or setting.
Your final product will be a 10- to 15-page Microsoft Word document (not including the title and the reference pages). It will utilize at least ten scholarly sources. A description of RA 2 is given on the M7 Assignment 2 RA 2 page.
To ensure that you have carefully reviewed and planned how you will approach these major requirements, your final assignment in Module 1 is to review the descriptions of RA 1 and RA 2 and create a timeline for accomplishing each of them during this course. See the rubrics listed at the end of the RA descriptions.
Tasks:
In a Microsoft Word document, respond to the following:
• What topics are you interested in examining for your applied research study? Give your study a preliminary title. Your title should reveal the primary research objective/intent of your study.
• In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the problem that led you to become interested in studying this topic. Include how the problem impacts the setting/subjects you are interested in studying.
• Briefly justify the importance of studying this problem. Why is your research important? What do you hope to accomplish? (Please limit your response to one paragraph.)