Project Guidelines
Overview
In this course, you will explore the relationship between wellness, society, and the individual. It is important to recognize the influence and impact that wellness can have and what that means for individuals in all disciplines.
Issues of wellness have influence on many aspects of society, and how that is dealt with requires diverse knowledge and perspectives to investigate and change. Across many disciplines, the ability to investigate and then articulate a plan to inspire change is often necessary to achieve personal and professional goals. The purpose of this assessment is to examine the role of wellness in society and how that impacts individuals through the development of a plan that addresses a local or global problem relating to wellness.
This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:
• Analyze the various components of wellness for investigating the influence of wellness on one's discipline of study or chosen profession
• Integrate interdisciplinary approaches for determining the impact that contemporary issues in healthcare systems have on modern society
• Describe contemporary issues surrounding wellness for their relevance to and impact on the individual and society by employing appropriate research strategies
• Recommend potential applications of strategies for monitoring and enhancing personal and public wellness
• Articulate informed viewpoints on contemporary issues surrounding wellness issues through effective communication skills
• Assess cultural and social attitudes, choices, and behaviors for their implications to lifelong health and wellness through the incorporation of diverse perspectives and viewpoints informed by relevant literature and peer experiences
Prompt
For this assessment, you will choose a local or global issue that pertains to wellness. The chosen issue should also relate to one or more of the topics that has been addressed in this course (factors that support or challenge wellness, wellness through the lens of different disciplines, and so on). In this presentation, you will explain the issue, describe how it pertains to wellness, and provide a plan of action for addressing this issue. This plan includes recommendations for improvements as well as strategies and a plan for implementing the recommendations. You will develop your plan as a multimedia presentation that will require an oral component. This oral component could be audio that accompanies a PowerPoint presentation (or Screencast-O-Matic, Prezi, Keynote, or PresentIt), or it could be done as a video presentation with audio. You will be required to provide written speaker notes that correspond to your presentation (whether it is PowerPoint or video).
Be sure to support your answers with appropriate evidence. You are encouraged to conduct interviews with individuals who are involved or affected by the issue you are addressing, but this is not required. Relevant and appropriate research is also acceptable.
Specifically, you must address the critical elements listed below. Note that these are not in any particular order; they can be constructed in your presentation in any configuration.
I. Introduction: For this part of the assessment, you will examine the role of wellness in society and how it influences aspects of culture and the individual. To help guide your analysis, you will explore a topic that has been discussed in this course (factors that support or challenge wellness, wellness through the lens of different disciplines, and so on).
A. Analyze how social practices have shaped our idea of wellness and how that idea of wellness has shaped social practices.
B. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches, explain how a topic discussed in this course has or has not shaped our idea of wellness.
C. Analyze how the importance (or lack thereof) of wellness and health in society has been a force for social change. In other words, has an emphasis or lack of emphasis on wellness in society sparked change in the everyday behavior of individuals or societies?
D. Analyze how wellness has influenced the behaviors and operations of individuals in your discipline of study or area of interest. In other words, look at the influence of wellness through the lens of your discipline.
E. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches, explain the positive and negative aspects associated with a topic that has been discussed in this course.
F. Using relevant research or diverse perspectives, assess how emerging technologies have the potential to improve personal and societal wellness.
II. Issue: For this part of the assessment, you will introduce the issue and how it relates to wellness and any of the topics that have been discussed in the course.
A. Using appropriate research strategies, describe a social or global issue that is related to wellness.
1. What is the origin of the issue?
2. What is the issue about?
B. Using appropriate research strategies, describe the target population of the issue.
1. Who is impacted by the issue?
2. What is important to know about them?
C. Using appropriate research strategies, explain how the chosen issue relates to a topic that has been discussed in this course.
1. In other words, how can you connect the social or global issue you have chosen with a topic that has been discussed in this course?
2. How does it inform your understanding of the issue?
D. Using relevant research or diverse perspectives, assess how the chosen issue is impacting the target population.
E. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches, predict how the chosen issue will or will not change in the future. Be sure to justify your prediction.
III. Plan: For this part of the assessment, you will offer recommendations and a plan to improve the issue, as well as strategies for implementing your plan.
A. Make recommendations for how the current issue could be addressed so that it no longer adversely affects the target population.
1. What strategies or steps could be taken to help the individuals who are adversely affected by the chosen issue?
2. How could these recommendations be implemented so that a new population is not adversely affected?
B. Explain the strategies that could be utilized to address the chosen issue.
C. Imagine you are in charge of addressing your chosen issue. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches, explain how you would implement your plan.
D. Explain the benefits of your plan and justify why your plan would be preferable. Be sure to support your justification with relevant research or individual perspectives.
IV. Presentation: For this part of your assessment, address these specific elements in the construction of your presentation.
A. Construct your presentation in a way that ensures it is logically organized in order to convey your message to your audience.
B. Provide supporting evidence in your presentation to articulate the importance of the chosen issue.
C. Develop the audio elements to logically flow with your presentation to articulate the importance of the chosen issue and the goals of your plan.
1. Did you emphasize key ideas in your speech?
2. Does your speech logically flow with the accompanying presentation?
Milestones
Milestone One: Topic Selection
In Module Two, you will complete the Milestone One Worksheet and submit it for instructor feedback. The final project represents a significant portion of your final grade, so it is imperative that you develop your ideas well. The worksheet will walk you through a few questions to help guide your selection of a topic for your final project. Your instructor will review your completed worksheet and offer feedback to help guide the development of your final project. This milestone will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.
Milestone Two: Presentation Outline
In Module Three, you will submit a two- to three-page outline of your final project presentation. Think of it as a script with notes to help add context to the points you will be making. It does not need to use complete sentences or paragraphs, but it should contain enough detail to allow your instructor to offer you some feedback. Note that this outline, with revisions, can serve as your speaker notes for the final project submission.
Milestone Three: Presentation Slides and Feedback
In Module Five, you will create the visual facet of your final project presentation. Keep in mind that your voice will be the primary carrier of your message and that visuals play a supporting role. You want your voice and visuals to work together and not compete for attention, so you should minimize the number of words on each slide and maximize the use of visual elements, including photos, illustrations, and graphs.
Milestone Four: Presentation Practice
In Module Six, you will practice putting it all together. For this assignment, you will narrate the first section of your presentation using the recording tool of your choice. Your instructor will give you feedback. This milestone will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.