In this course students are introduced to Walden University and online learning. Students explore strategies for the successful participation in an online curriculum. Students also will receive a foundation for academic and professional success as scholar-practitioners and social change agents. Course assignments introduce students to resources that support success, development of graduate-level writing skills and use of APA Style, academic integrity, and the creation of a professional development plan based on each student’s chosen specialization.
Week 1: Networking for Academic and Professional Success
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). The Foundation of Success [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). The Walden Journey to a Masters in Nursing: The Journey Begins [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). The Walden Journey to a Masters in Nursing: Networking and Collaboration [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze relationships among Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change initiatives to professional and academic goals (D, A)
- Analyze the relationship between MSN program outcomes and perspectives to professional and academic goals (D, A)
- Identify academic and professional collaborators for academic and professional success (D, A)
- Identify concepts for Walden student readiness (Q)
- Identify individuals or teams to collaborate with for success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse (A)
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Nurse.org. (n.d.). List of nursing organizations. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://nurse.org/orgs.shtml
Schmidt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networking [Blog post]. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/
Walden University (n.d.). Connect to Walden. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://www.waldenu.edu/connect
Walden University. (n.d.). College of Nursing. Retrieved October June 5, 2020, from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/colleges-schools/college-of-nursing
Review the College of Nursing’s vision and mission.
Walden University. (n.d.). Walden University catalog. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu
Select College of Nursing, then Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Review the MSN Learning Outcomes on this page.
Walden University. (n.d.). Walden University catalog. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu
Select Introduction, then the link “Vision, Mission, and Goals” under the Introduction header. Review Walden’s vision, mission, and goals.
Walden University. (n.d.). Writing Center. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter
Wofford, P. (2018, May 24). 10 networking tips for nurses who hate networking. Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/
Document: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template (Word document)
Document: Discussion Posting Exemplars (PDF)
Optional Resources
Walden University. (n.d.). Subject Research: Nursing. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/subject/nursing
Discussion: Networking Opportunities
This week you begin to lay the foundation for your academic and professional success. Your efforts begin with a vision, which includes your own definition of success. Your vision may vary from those of your colleagues, but this does not mean you have to take these first steps alone.
Walden University and the College of Nursing also have a vision and mission, which include helping you to make your own vision a reality. Members of your new academic community, such as faculty, support teams, and fellow students, can also be helpful. Current practitioners and other members of the professional community can also help you to clarify your vision.
This week’s Discussion asks you to think about how the Walden mission and vision and the College of Nursing mission and vision apply to your professional and academic goals. You will also begin to identify individuals and teams that can help you along the way, as you begin to design the “blueprint”—your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan—that will guide you toward your own vision for academic and professional success.
To Prepare:
- Review the Walden and the College of Nursing mission and vision statements, Walden’s goals and University Outcomes, and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes presented in this week’s Learning Resources.
- Reflect on your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization.
- Consider how the information in these resources fit with your own goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.
- Also consider academic and professional individuals and teams that you may collaborate with in support of your efforts as a student at the University and as a professional within your organization and career.
By Day 3
Post a brief post introducing yourself to your colleagues. Include an explanation for how Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change initiatives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner. Also include an explanation for how the Walden MSN program outcomes and perspectives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.
Support main post with 3 of more current, credible sources and cite source within content of posting and on a reference list in proper APA.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, by suggesting additional individuals and/or teams with whom to collaborate or by offering additional networking strategies.
Be sure to offer support from at least 2 current, credible sources in each required response to classmates’ main post and cite per APA.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 1 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 1 Discussion
Quiz: Walden’s Student Readiness Orientation
You probably have a lot of questions (and perhaps some hesitation) about the journey you are undertaking. How do I navigate the online classroom? How can I have access to a library in this environment? The Student Readiness Orientation (SRO) mini-course available on your MyWalden page provide answers to such questions and helped ensure you understand how to navigate the online classroom and utilize the many resources available to you as a student at Walden.
The Readiness Check will help you determine how well prepared you are for navigating the online classroom.
The questions presented on the quiz are derived from the Readiness Check presented in the Student Readiness orientation.
Click on the Week 1 Quiz link after you have read the directions carefully.
The Readiness Check includes 15 questions in various format: true/false and multiple choice. If you score 12 or below, please retake the exam. You may retake the exam as many times as you would like to achieve the desired score. Your highest score will be recorded. To retake the quiz, click on “take test again” (this does not appear as a hyperlink but works as a hyperlink when you click on the area).
To view the questions you answered correctly and incorrectly, click on your score in the My Grades area.
To Prepare:
- Review the Walden’s Student Readiness Orientation found on your MyWalden page.
By Day 7
Complete the quiz.
Submission and Grading Information
Submit Your Quiz by Day 7
To submit your Quiz:
Week 1 Quiz
Assignment: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 1: Developing an Academic and Professional Network
When was the last time you read Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and Several Steps in my Sickness—Meditation XVII?
Unless you are a student of 17th-century poetry, you may not be all that familiar with this piece by author John Donne. However, you may be much more familiar with one of its well-known phrases: “No man is an island.”
As you begin your journey toward achieving your academic and professional goals, you have a great opportunity to network with academics and professionals who can help ensure you do not travel alone. This network can help to clarify your own vision for success and can help guide you now and in the future. To paraphrase Donne, no one is an island.
Begin creating an academic and professional network by identifying which academic and professional connections and resources you need to collaborate with to be successful in your MSN program and as a practicing nurse.
To Prepare:
- Consider individuals, departments, teams, and/or resources within Walden University and within your profession that you believe can support your academic and professional success.
- Identify at least two academic and at least two professional individuals, colleagues, or teams to collaborate with to help you be successful in your MSN program and as a practicing nurse.
- Download the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template.
The Assignment:
Academic and Professional Network
Complete Part 1 of your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template. Be sure to address the following:
- Clearly and accurately identify at least two academic individuals or teams to collaborate with to be successful in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse.
- Clearly and accurately identify at least two professional individuals or teams to collaborate with to be successful in your MSN program and as a practicing nurse.
- Clearly and thoroughly explain in detail why the academic and professional individuals/teams were selected to support success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse.
- Clearly and accurately explain how the academic and professional individuals/teams will support success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse.
By Day 7
Submit Part 1 of your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template.
Remember to include an introduction paragraph which contains a clear and comprehensive purpose statement which delineates all required criteria, and end the assignment Part with a conclusion paragraph.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
- Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
- Click the Week 1 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
- Click the Week 1 Assignment 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 “WK1Assgn+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 1 Assignment Rubric
Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity
To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 1 Assignment draft and review the originality report.
Submit Your Assignment by Day 7
To submit your Assignment:
Week 1 Assignment
Next Week
To go to the next week:
Week 2: Academic and Professional Strategies and Resources
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). Your Toolbox for Success [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). The Walden Journey to a Masters in Nursing: Strategies and Resources for Success [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Recommend solutions for academic questions or concerns (D)
- Analyze resources and strategies for academic success (A)
- Analyze resources and strategies for professional success (A)
- Formulate strategies for effective online learning related to planning, time management, communication, and technology use (A)
- Construct elements of an Academic Success and Professional Development Plan (A)
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Document: 10 Tips for Being a Successful Online Learner (PDF)
Document: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template (Word document)
Required Media
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). Tips for effective online composition and communication [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Discussion: Strategies for Addressing Questions
In Week 1 you began building a foundation for your success by considering a network; individuals and teams that can help you to clarify and execute on the vision. A network is most helpful when you are comfortable asking questions. Chances are other members of your network have experienced similar questions and may have helped guide others toward resolutions that can be helpful now.
In this Discussion, focus on the questions you are ready to ask as your journey begins. Keep in mind that sharing questions is often a great way to help others who have similar questions—even if they do not realize it!
To Prepare:
- Reflect on questions or concerns you might have as you begin the MSN program.
- Consider the individuals, teams, and departments you previously considered in Week 1 and how they may provide support to address these questions and concerns. Then, identify potential individuals, teams, or departments within Walden or your network that you can turn to for assistance in answering these questions and/or concerns.
By Day 3
Post any questions or concerns that you are willing to share with the group. The Discussion Board represents an opportunity to network with your course colleagues, and others may have the same questions or concerns.
Support main post with 3 of more current, credible sources and cite source within content of posting and on a reference list in proper APA.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, by offering a possible resolution to their question/concern with supporting documentation, if possible, or expanding on their thinking and providing an example as support.
Be sure to offer support from at least 2 current, credible sources in each required response to classmates’ main post and cite per APA.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 2 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 2 Discussion
Assignment: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2: Academic Resources and Strategies
New construction projects begin with a design phase, where architects blueprint the vision complete with design details. They work in collaboration with builders who use the designs to prepare the appropriate strategies, tools, and materials to bring the vision to reality. You are both architect and builder of your success. You have started to blueprint your vision in your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan. You have identified others with whom you will collaborate. Now you can begin to prepare the appropriate strategies, tools, and materials
How will you approach your studies? What types of resources are available to you, and how will you access and utilize them? Taking the opportunity to prepare these strategies, tools, and materials will help ensure you can “break ground” without incident and successfully move to the phase where you begin building your vision.
To Prepare:
- Consider your goals for academic accomplishments while a student of the MSN program.
- Reflect on the strategies presented in the Resources for this week.
The Assignment:
- Clearly identify and accurately describe in detail at least three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program.
- Clearly identify and accurately describe in detail at least three professional resources that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or in a specialty.
- Clearly and thoroughly explain in detail how you intend to use these resources, and how they might benefit you academically and professionally.
Note: Add your work for this Assignment to the original document you began in the Week 1 Assignment, which was built off the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template.
By Day 7
Submit your completed Assignment.
Remember to include an introduction paragraph which contains a clear and comprehensive purpose statement which delineates all required criteria, and end the assignment Part with a conclusion paragraph.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
- Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
- Click the Week 2 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
- Click the Week 2 Assignment 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 “WK2Assgn+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 2 Assignment Rubric
Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity
To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 2 Assignment draft and review the originality report.
Submit Your Assignment by Day 7
To submit your Assignment:
Week 2 Assignment
Next Week
To go to the next week:
Week 3
Week 3: Academic and Professional Integrity
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). Academic and Professional Integrity [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2018). The Walden Journey to a Masters in Nursing: Academic and Professional Integrity [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Identify APA formatting rules (Q)
- Analyze the relationship between academic integrity and writing (A)
- Analyze the relationship between professional practices and scholarly ethics (A)
- Analyze strategies for maintaining integrity and ethics in academic work (A)
- Analyze strategies for maintaining integrity and ethics in professional work (A)
- Analyze how paraphrasing contributes to academic integrity (A)
Learning Resources
Required Readings
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
- Chapter 6, “The Mechanics of Style”
- Chapter 8, “Works Credited in the Text”
- Section 8.2, “Plagiarism”
- Section 8.3, “Self-Plagiarism”
- Paraphrases and Quotations
- Chapter 10, “Reference Examples”
Document: APA Basics Checklist: Citations, Reference List, and Style (PDF)
Document: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template (Word document)
Document: Citing a Discussion Posting in APA Style (PDF)
Document: Citing a Laureate Video in APA Style (PDF)
Document: Common APA Style and Formatting Challenges (PDF)
Document: Introduction to Scholarly Writing: Plagiarism and Academic Integrity (PDF)
Optional Resources
Quiz: APA Style and Format
As a nurse embarking on an advanced degree, you are developing the characteristics of a scholar-practitioner, which includes strong communication skills. Writing in a scholarly manner involves supporting your thoughts with evidence from the literature and appropriately using APA formatting.
One of the challenges of scholarly writing is paraphrasing the thoughts of others in your work. Paraphrasing, and correctly citing the original author for his or her ideas, allows you to take the ideas of others, summarize them, and incorporate them into your own writing. When summarizing the ideas of others, it is important to avoid plagiarizing (copying the words and ideas of others as though they were your own). In addition to expanding your knowledge of APA, this week’s Resources help you to distinguish between paraphrasing and plagiarizing.
This Quiz will help you determine how well you understand these concepts and how prepared you are to reflect them in your work. The questions presented on the quiz are derived from the Learning Resources related to APA writing standards, plagiarism, and academic integrity.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources related to APA style and format presented to you this week.
Click on the Week 3 Quiz link to begin.
By Day 7
Complete the quiz.
Note: To view the questions you answered correctly and incorrectly, click on your score in the My Grades area.
Submission and Grading Information
Submit Your Quiz by Day 7
To submit your Quiz:
Week 3 Quiz
Assignment: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 3: Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics
Nurse-scholars have a significant obligation to their community as well. Their work must have academic and professional integrity. Their efforts are designed to add to the body of knowledge, advance the profession, and ultimately help in the care of patients. Work that lacks integrity is subject to quickly erode…or worse.
Fortunately, there are strategies and tools that can help ensure integrity in academic and professional work. This Assignments asks you to consider these and how you might apply them to your own work.
In this Assignment you will continue developing your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan by appending the original document you began in the previous assignment.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the strategies presented in the Resources for this week in support of academic style, integrity, and scholarly ethics.
- Also reflect on the connection between academic and professional integrity.
The Assignment:
Part 3, Section 1: Writing Sample: The Connection Between Academic and Professional Integrity
Using the Academic and Professional Success Development Template you began in Week 1 and continued working on in Week 2, write a 2- 3-paragraph analysis that includes the following:
- Clearly and accurately explains in detail the relationship between academic integrity and writing.
- Clearly and accurately explains in detail the relationship
