Assignment 1: Using Reasoning When Problem Solving

If you were cast out to live the remainder of your life on a deserted island, and you could take three things, what would they be?

The preceding question most likely triggered a flurry of thinking as you began using reasoning to make sense of the situation. Perhaps you first considered food, but then thought of tools. Through reasoning you began to expand your range of possible choices. Reasoning guides the path to problem solving, and it can inhibit as well as expand the solution possibilities.

Examine the types of reasoning discussed in this week’s Learning Resources. These include deductive, inductive, abductive, reductive, and analogous reasoning. Consider how you may use reasoning to create a problem statement, hypothesis, and potential solutions.

The Week 3 Assignment Handout (see the Learning Resources) contains a list of links to research studies and papers located in the Walden Library which have problem solving as their foundation.

Select one of the research papers related to your major at Walden or to a field of your interest. As you read the article you selected, consider the type(s) of reasoning used in the article. Your analysis of the reasoning is the foundation for the paper you write for this Assignment.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-page paper in which you complete the following:

1. Identify one type of reasoning used in the research paper you selected.
2. Define this reasoning type and explain how the author’s reasoning supports the position or explanation presented in the research paper.
3. Explain how the type of reasoning you identified relates to the problem-solving process.
4. Apply this type of reasoning to identify a possible solution to the problem addressed in the article.
5. Explain whether this type of reasoning is useful in your major or area of interest and why.

Credit for graphic: McVey, J. (Photographer). (1971, 06 ). Helen’s Reef – a classic desert island – elevation above sea level about 8 feet [Print photo]. Retrieved from http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/mvey0047.htm

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK3Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 3 Assignment 1 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 3 Assignment 1 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 3 Assignment 1 Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 3 Assignment 1 draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:
Week 3 Assignment 1

Assignment 2: Required Summary Blog Post

To prepare for this blog post:

In one paragraph, summarize how the resources in Week 3 extend your understanding of problem solving.

By Day 5

Post this paragraph in your blog.

By Day 7

Read your colleagues’ blogs and consider what resonates with you. Contribute to at least one colleague’s blog.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 3 Blog Rubric

Post Your Blog by Day 5 and Respond by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:
Week 3 Assignment 2

Project: Final Project Milestone

Read the chapter, “Million-Dollar Murray: Why Problems Like Homelessness May be Easier to Solve Than Manage,” in Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw. In this chapter, Gladwell addresses the problem of homelessness. This chapter may give you ideas about how you might address a social change issue.

Select a social change issue or problem to address in the Final Project. You may follow-up on one of the social problems referred to in the course or select a topic based on additional research you have completed.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-paragraph description of the topic you have selected to address for your Final Project. This topic should address a social problem or social change issue from your major or field of interest.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Project for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Project using the naming convention “WK3Proj+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 3 Project Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Project.
• Click the Week 3 Project link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Proj+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 3 Project Rubric

Check Your Project Draft for Authenticity

To check your Project draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 3 Project draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Project by Day 7

To submit your Project:
Week 3 Project

Week in Review

This week, you analyzed resources, reasoning, and insights related to problem solving processes and applied reasoning to these processes. You also identified social change issues.

Next week, you will explore the collection and interpretation of data. In addition, you will consider strategies for ensuring that your data and interpretations are valid.

Looking Ahead

Final Project Milestone

Continue conducting your Final Project research. For your Week 4 Milestone, you will submit the following:

• A problem statement that addresses the social change topic you identified in the Week 3 Milestone
• An explanation of at least one stakeholder’s perspective on the social change issue; explain how this perspective is similar to or different from your own
• APA references for at least two scholarly resources you are using for your Final Project